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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Archdeacon of Wells

senior clergy position in the Church of England

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 3, 2025
Entity authorityQ6561934 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Archdeacon of Wells has been a senior clergy position in the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells since the English reformation, before which it was part of the Roman Catholic Church. The post, having oversight over the archdeaconry of Wells in Somerset has existed since the twelfth century. The archdeaconry includes seven deaneries.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

Archdeacons without territorial titles:

bef. 1086–aft. 1088: Benselin, Archdeacon of Exon

bef. 1106–aft. 1106: Walkerius

bef. 1106–aft. 1106: Robert

bef.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Archdeacon of Wells” as senior clergy position in the Church of England. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Archdeacon, Wells and senior.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1086, 1088, 1106—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Archdeacon, Wells and senior providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Archdeacon of Wells”, the useful work is to connect “senior clergy position in the Church of England” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 3, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6561934. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1086, 1088 and 1106.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. 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.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Archdeacon of Wells”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Archdeacon of Wells primary sources, Archdeacon of Wells archive and Archdeacon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Archdeacon of Wells”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Archdeacon of Wells” 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.