Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley
church of England ecclesiastical office
The Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley is a senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the Bromley & Bexley archdeaconry in the Church of England Diocese of Rochester. The archdeaconry was created — as the Archdeaconry of Bromley, from the Archdeaconry of Rochester — by Order in Council on 4 January 1955.
List of archdeacons
1955–1966 (d.): Reginald McCahearty
1966–1968 (res.): David Halsey
1968–1969 (res.): David Stewart-Smith
1969–1978 (ret.): Herbert Cragg (afterwards archdeacons emeritus)
1979–1994 (ret.): Edward Francis (afterwards archdeacons emeritus)
1994–2003 (ret.): Garth Norman (afterwards archdeacons emeritus)
The archdeaconry was renamed to Bromley & Bexley at the beginning of 2002.
“Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley” enters the record as church of England ecclesiastical office. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Archdeacon, Bromley and Bexley can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Archdeacon, Bromley and Bexley provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4785743. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1955, 1966, 1968 and 1969.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley primary sources, Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley archive and Archdeacon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.