Bishop of Birmingham
Diocesan bishop in the Church of England
The bishop of Birmingham is the diocesan bishop of the diocese of Birmingham in the Church of England. The bishop's seat, or cathedra, is at the Cathedral Church of Saint Philip in the city of Birmingham. The diocese covers the city of Birmingham and surrounding areas, including Smethwick, Solihull, and northern Warwickshire, and is within the province of Canterbury. The bishopric was created in 1905, when the diocese was formed from part of the diocese of Worcester. The bishop's residence is Bishop's Croft in Harborne, Birmingham.
The current bishop is Michael Volland, who took office on 22 November 2023. The diocese currently has one suffragan bishop, the bishop of Aston.
List of bishops
Assistant bishops
Among those who have served as assistant bishops of the diocese were:
1913 – 1937 (ret.): Hamilton Baynes, Vicar/Provost of Birmingham (from 1931), former Bishop of Natal and Assistant Bishop of Southwell
1937–1958 (d.): James Linton, Rector of Handsworth and former Bishop in Persia
1951–1953 (res.): James Hughes, Vicar of Edgbaston and former Bishop of Barbados; became Bishop of Matabeleland and Archbishop of Central Africa, then Bishop of Trinidad
1962–1972: George Sinker, Provost of Birmingham and former Bishop in Nagpur
1988 – 1995 (ret.): Michael Whinney, Canon of Birmingham (from 1992), former Bishop suffragan of Aston and Bishop of Southwell
1997 – 2003 (ret.): David Evans, Gen. Sec.
The public source identifies “Bishop of Birmingham” as diocesan bishop in the Church of England. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bishop, Birmingham and Diocesan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bishop of Birmingham”, the useful work is to connect “diocesan bishop in the Church of England” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3255722. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1905, 2023, 1913 and 1937.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. 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 “Bishop of Birmingham”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bishop of Birmingham primary sources, Bishop of Birmingham archive and Bishop 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 “Bishop of Birmingham”?
- 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 “Bishop of Birmingham” 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.