Archdeacon of Chichester

After the Norman Conquest a uniform system of territorial archdeaconries was created to try to ensure that no settlement was more than a day's ride from the bishop's seat. In 1070 the Council of Windsor decreed that bishops should appoint archdeacons to their churches. The archdeacon acted as the bishop's deputy and representative and had the job of supervising parish churches in the diocese. Saint Richard, Bishop of Chichester in the 13th century, produced a body of statutes which included the duties of his archdeacons: "They were to administer justice for their proper fees, not demanding more for the expedition or delay of business. They were to visit the churches regularly to see the services were duly celebrated, the vessels and vestments in proper order, the canon of mass correctly followed and distinctly read." The modern role of an archdeacon in the Church of England has not changed significantly since St Richard's time; their main function is to be involved with legal and practical matters concerning visitations, clergy care, discipline matters, faculties and quinquennial inspections. The Diocese of Chichester almost exactly covers the two counties of East Sussex and West Sussex and the City of Brighton and Hove, stretching for nearly a hundred miles (160 km) along the south coast of England. The diocese has four archdeaconries, namely the Archdeaconry of Horsham, the Archdeaconry of Hastings, the Archdeaconry of Brighton and Lewes as well as the Archdeaconry of Chichester. From its creation, in the 12th century until 2002, the Archdeacon of Chichester was actually based in Chichester. In 2002 during Archdeacon McKittrick's tenure, the base was moved to Church House, Hove, East Sussex. It returned to Chichester, following the appointment of Luke Irvine-Capel, in May 2019. ==List of archdeacons==

High Medieval :Sole archdeacons: • bef. 1118–aft. 1118: Ricoard • bef. 1122–aft. 1123: Henry • bef. 1172–1178 (res.): Seffrid II • 12 February 1708 – 17 August 1736 (d.): James Barker • 7 September 1736 – 14 July 1770 (d.): Thomas Ball • 10 June 1771 – 1 August 1792 (d.): Thomas Hollingbery • 3 October 1792 – 1797 (res.): John Buckner • 15 May 1802 – 10 September 1803 (d.): Charles Alcock • 12 October 1803 – 4 January 1808 (d.): Thomas Taylor • 5 March 1808–bef. 1840 (res.): Charles Webber • 30 December 1840 – 21 March 1851 (res.): Henry Edward Manning (became Archbishop of Westminster in the Roman Catholic Church) • 28 April 1851 – 26 March 1879 (d.): James Garbett Late modern • 1879–31 October 1887 (d.): John Russell Walker • 1887–9 May 1903 (d.): Francis Mount • 1903–1914 (res.): Edward Elwes • 1914–19 February 1920 (d.): Herbert Jones (also Bishop of Lewes) • 1920–1934 (ret.): Benedict Hoskyns • 1934–1946 (ret.): Charles Clarke • 1946–1973 (ret.): Lancelot Mason • 1973–1975 (res.): Frederick Kerr-Dineen • 1975–1981 (res.): Richard Eyre • 1981–1991 (ret.): Keith Hobbs • 1991–2002 (ret.): Michael Brotherton • 20021 July 2018 (ret.): Douglas McKittrick • 1 May 20189 May 2019 Mark Standen & David Twinley (Initially shadowed previous Archdeacon, then jointly acting) • 9 May 201927 February 2025 Luke Irvine-Capel (became Bishop of Richborough) • 28 September 2025present: Tom Carpenter ==See also==