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. 1122–bef. 1136:
John de Bada (
son of Hildebert) :
Archdeacons of Wells: • bef. 1142–aft. 1151:
Eustace • bef. 1159–aft. 1166:
Robert • bef. 1168–aft. 1194:
Thomas of Earley (
Erlegh)
alias Agnellus • bef. 1198–aft. 1199:
Simon of Wells (later
Bishop of Chichester) • bef. 1204–1209 (res.):
Hugh of Wells (became
Bishop of Lincoln) • bef. 1215–aft. 1231:
William of Bardney • bef. 1238–1248 (res.):
William of Bitton (uncle; became
Bishop of Bath and Wells) • aft. 1248–bef. 1249 (res.):
John of Bitton • bef. 1249–aft. 1254:
Peter Chaceporc • bef. 1263–1267 (res.):
William of Bitton (nephew) (became Bishop of Bath and Wells) • 1267–1268 (res.):
Godfrey Giffard (also
Archdeacon of Barnstaple until May 1267; also
Archdeacon of York from 1267; became
Bishop of Worcester) • bef. 1269–aft. 1269:
S. (
i.e. either Simon de Micham or Stephen of Chichester) • bef. 1270–1284 (res.):
Thomas Bytton (became
Dean of Wells) • bef. 1286–aft. 1295:
Walter Haselshaw (later Dean of Wells) • bef. 1295–24 January 1303 (d.):
Peter de Insula (previously
Archdeacon of Exeter)
Late Medieval • aft. 1303–24 May 1326 (res.):
Thomas de Charlton • 24 May–13 June 1326 (exch.):
Wibert de Lutleton • 13 June 1326–bef. 1334:
Robert de Wamberg (bishop's candidate; admitted but disputed by king's candidates) • 29 June 1329 – 1330:
Simon de Montacute (royal grant; never admitted) • 15 October 1330 – 1332:
Thomas Upton (royal grant; never admitted) • bef. 1334–aft. 1336:
Robert Mortimer • bef. 1344–aft. 1344:
Hugh • bef. 1346–1352 (res.):
Thomas Fastolf (became
Bishop of St David's) • 3 January 1353 – 12 June 1361 (d.):
William de Court • 27 October 1361–bef. 1369 (res.):
Étienne Cardinal Aubert (Cardinal-deacon of
Santa Maria in Aquiro) • 21 February 1369 – 22 July 1376 (d.):
Simon Cardinal Langham (former
archbishop of Canterbury; cardinal-priest of
San Sisto Vecchio until 1373, then Cardinal-
Bishop of Palestrina; also
Archdeacon of York from 1374) • bef. 1385–aft. 1388:
Andrew Baret • 1386–aft. 1391:
John de Rypon (royal grant) • 13 September 1388:
John Beer (unsuccessful royal grant) • 6 June 1391:
Thomas Tuttebury (unsuccessful royal grant; became
Dean of Wells) • 28 August 1391 – 4 May 1398 (exch.):
Nicholas Slake • 4 May 1398–bef. 1419 (d.):
John Ikelyngton • 13 April 1419–bef. 1449 (d.):
Thomas Bubwith • 15 April 1450 – 1 April 1470 (d.):
Andrew Holes • bef. 1471–bef. 1473 (d.):
Thomas Bridlington • 12 April 1473–bef. 1494 (res.):
William Nykke • 10 July 1494 – 1500 (res.):
Richard Nykke (became
Bishop of Norwich) • 30 December 1500–bef. 1502 (res.):
François de Busleyden,
Archbishop of Besançon • 19 November 1502 – 1507 (d.):
Thomas Beaumont (previously
Archdeacon of Bath) • 1 January 1508 – 26 December 1546 (res.):
Polydore Vergil (also called Castellensis)
Early modern :
Archdeaconry resigned to the crown and abolished, 1547. • bef. 1547–aft. 1554:
Vergil still called Archdeacon of Wells • bef. 1554–?:
Cotterell already called Archdeacon of Wells :
Archdeaconry re-erected, 1556. • bef. 1559–1572 (d.):
John Cotterell • bef. 1572–bef. 1582 (d.):
John Rugge • March 1582–?:
Bartholomew Clerke (a layman) • 4 February 1589–aft. 1605:
John Langworth • 1611–aft. 1645:
Gerard Wood • 1645–bef. 1649:
William Watts (never took possession) • 1660–27 April 1680 (d.):
Grindal Sheafe • 28 April 1680 – 1683 (d.):
Charles Thirlby • 10 November 1683 – 8 October 1705 (d.):
Edwin Sandys • 11 October 1705 – 7 March 1716 (d.):
Samuel Hill • 4 May 1716 – 24 November 1726 (d.):
Henry Layng • 7 December 1726 – 1 October 1739 (d.):
Edmund Archer (previously
Archdeacon of Taunton) • 26 November 1739 – 14 November 1742 (d.):
John Wicksted • 24 November 1742 – 20 April 1749 (d.):
George Shakerley • 19 August 1749 – 7 November 1757 (d.):
Edmund Aubery • 26 April 1758 – 26 February 1760 (d.):
Lionel Seaman (previously Archdeacon of Taunton) • 9 August 1760 – 1 October 1767 (d.):
Francis Potter (previously Archdeacon of Taunton) • 20 October 1767 – 12 May 1815 (d.):
William Willes (previously Archdeacon of Taunton) • 7 July 1815 – 5 April 1826 (d.):
Charles Sandiford • 4 October 1826 – 1862 (res.):
Henry Law (became
Dean of Gloucester)
Late modern • 1862–?:
Fitzhardinge Portman (died 1893) • April 1863–24 December 1897 (d.):
Augustus Otway Fitzgerald, Rector of
Charlton Mackrell (St Mary) until 1876, then Vicar of
Brent Knoll • March 1898–20 September 1899 (d.):
Edwin Arthur Salmon, Vicar of Brent Knoll • 1899–1 May 1917 (d.):
Frederick Brymer, Rector of Charlton Mackrell (St Mary) • 1917–19 December 1934 (d.):
Walter Farrer, Vicar of
St Cuthbert's, Wells until 1919 • 1935–1940 (res.):
George Hollis,
Bishop suffragan of Taunton • 1940–1951 (ret.):
Walter Norman Higgins, Rector of
Mells until 1944 • 1951–1962 (ret.):
Harold Bryant Salmon • 1963–1973 (ret.):
John Lance • 1974–1982 (res.):
Peter Haynes (became
Dean of Hereford) • 1983–1993 (ret.):
Ted Thomas • 1993–2003 (ret.):
Richard Acworth • 2003–2006:
Peter Maurice (became Bishop suffragan of Taunton) • April 200717 September 2016 (res.):
Nicola Sullivan (became
Dean of Southwell) • 5 September 201620 May 2017:
Kevin Roberts (Acting) • 20 May 2017present:
Anne Gell (took sabbatical to, January–September 2024, to serve as Acting
Dean of Wells) • 6 January 20231 September 2024:
Charlie Peer (Acting; became
Archdeacon of Bath) ==Notes==