Archdeacon of Durham
Church of England ecclesiastical office
The Archdeacon of Durham is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the diocese of Durham (Church of England). They have, within the geographical area of the archdeaconry of Durham, pastoral oversight of clergy and care of church buildings (among other responsibilities).
History
The first archdeacons in the diocese were appointed after the Norman Conquest – around the same time the post of Archdeacon first appeared elsewhere in England. There is no evidence of more than one archdeacon in the diocese until the mid-12th century, when two lines of office holders start to appear in sources. The titles "Archdeacon of Durham" and "Archdeacon of Northumberland" are not recorded until later in the century, although it is possible to discern which of the two lines became which post.
The archdeaconry has been split twice: once on 23 May 1882, to create the Auckland archdeaconry after the Diocese of Newcastle was created from the diocese's other two archdeaconries and a second time in 1997, to create the Sunderland archdeaconry.
List of archdeacons
References
Sources
Greenway, Diana E. (1971), Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300, vol. 2, pp. 37–39
Jones, B. (1963), Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541, vol. 6, pp.
“Archdeacon of Durham” enters the record as church of England ecclesiastical office. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Archdeacon, Durham and Church can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Archdeacon of Durham” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Archdeacon, Durham and Church 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 Feb 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6561898. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1882, 1997, 1971 and 1066.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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 Durham”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Archdeacon of Durham primary sources, Archdeacon of Durham 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 Durham”?
- 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 Durham” 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.