York Minster | Lists of Archbishops

Location: Home > Learning & Education > The Minster's History > Lists of Archbishops

The Archbishops of York

The Archbishop of York is the metropolitan bishop of the Province of York. The Province of York consists of the Dioceses of:

Blackburn
Bradford
Carlisle
Chester
Durham
Liverpool
Manchester
Newcastle
Ripon & Leeds
Sheffield
Sodor & Man
Southwell
Wakefield

The Archbishop's throne is in York Minster, while his official residence is Bishopthorpe Palace.

There have been 109 Archbishops of York. However, not all of them received the pallium that delegates to them the jurisdiction of the Holy See (Rome). A pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment that can only be worn by the Pope or Bishops of Metropolitan Dioceses.

Paulinus was the first Bishop of York from 625 to 633. He baptised Edwin in 627 at the first Church to stand on the York Minster site. Paulinus did receive a pallium, but not before he fled York in exile to Kent. He was therefore known as a Bishop of York. Consequently Ecgbeorht, or Egbert, is considered the first true Archbishop of York. He was Archbishop from approximately 732 to his death in 766. Egbert is described as a 'stern disciplinarian'. He set about reforming the evils of disorder and corruption in the North that Bede set out. Egbert is responsible for the founding of the monastic school of York and its Library.

Our current Archbishop is the Most Reverend John Sentamu, appointed in June 2005. He was born in Uganda, and came to Britain in 1974. On accepting the post of Archbishop of York he became Britain's first black archbishop. John Sentamu advised on the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Inquiry between 1997 and 1999. He also chaired the Damilola Taylor Review of 2002. He enjoys music, cooking, reading, athletics, rugby and football.

The list below provides the details of all the Archbishops of York from 625 until the present day. It also details their reasons for leaving the post.

The Archbishops of York

Name	Archbishop Dates	Reason for departing post
John Sentamu	2005 to Present	n/a
David Michael Hope	1995 - 2005	Resigned
John Stapylton Habgood	1983 - 1995	Resigned
Stuart Yarworth Blanch	1974 - 1983	Resigned
Frederick Donald Coggan	1961 - 1974	Transferred to Canterbury
Arthur Michael Ramsey	1956 - 1961	Transferred to Canterbury
Cyril Forster Garbett	1942 - 1955	Died
William Temple	1928 - 1942	Transferred to Canterbury
Cosmo Gordon Lang	1909 - 1928	Transferred to Canterbury
William Dalrymple Maclagan	1891 - 1908	Resigned
William Connor Magee	1891	Died
William Thomson	1862 - 1890	Died
Charles Thomas Longley	1860 - 1862	Transferred to Canterbury
Thomas Musgrave	1847 - 1860	Died
Edward Venables Vernon (Harcourt)	1807 - 1847	Died
William Markham	1777 - 1807	Died
Robert Hay Drummond	1761 - 1776	Died
John Gilbert	1757 - 1761	Died
Matthew Hutton	1747 - 1757	Transferred to Canterbury
Thomas Herring	1743 - 1747	Transferred to Canterbury
Lancelot Blackburn	1724 - 1743	Died
William Dawes (2^nd Baronet)	1714 - 1724	Died
John Sharp	1691 - 1714	Died
Thomas Lamplugh	1688 - 1691	Died
John Dolben	1683 - 1686	Died
Richard Sterne	1664 - 1683	Died
Accepted Frewen	1660 - 1664	Died
John Williams	1641 - 1650	Died
Richard Neile	1632 - 1640	Died
Samuel Harsnett	1629 - 1631	Died
George Montaigne (Mountain)	1628	Died
Tobias Matthew	1606 - 1628	Died
Matthew Hutton	1595 - 1606	Died
John Piers	1589 - 1594	Died
Edwin Sandes (Sandys)	1577 - 1588	Died
Edmund Grindal	1570 - 1576	Transferred to Canterbury
Thomas Young	1561 - 1568	Died
Nicholas Heath	1555 - 1559	Expelled
Robert Holgate	1545 - 1554	Expelled
Edward Lee	1531 - 1544	Died
Thomas Wolsey	1514 - 1530	Died
Christopher Bainbridge	1508 - 1514	Died
Thomas Savage	1501 - 1507	Died
Thomas Rotherham (or Scot)	1489 - 1500	Died
Lawrence Booth	1476 - 1480	Died
George Nevill	1465 - 1476	Died
William Booth	1452 - 1464	Died
John Kempe	1425 - 1452	Transferred to Canterbury
Richard Flemyng	1424 - 1425	Resigned (before confirmation)
Philip Morgan	1423 - 1424	Election Quashed
Henry Bowet	1407 - 1423	Died
Robert Hallum	1406 - 1407	Transferred to Salisbury
Thomas Langley	1405 - 1406	Election Quashed
Richard le Scrope	1398 - 1405	Died
Robert Waldby	1396 - 1398	Died
Thomas Arundel	1388 - 1396	Transferred to Canterbury
Alexander Neville	1373 - 1388	Transferred to St Andrews
John Thoresby	1352 - 1373	Died
William Zouche	1340 - 1352	Died
William Melton	1316 - 1340	Died
William Greenfield	1304 - 1315	Died
Thomas Corbridge	1299 - 1304	Died
Henry Newark	1296 - 1299	Died
John Le Romeyn	1285 - 1296	Died
William Wickwane	1279 - 1285	Died
Walter Giffard	1266 - 1279	Died
Bonaventura	1265 - 1266	Resigned (before confirmation)
William Langton	1265	Election Quashed
Godfrey de Ludham	1258 - 1265	Died
Sewal de Bovill	1255 - 1258	Died
Walter de Gray	1215 - 1255	Died
Simon Langton	1215	Election Quashed
Geoffrey	1189 - 1212	Died
Roger de Pont L?Eveque	1154 - 1181	Died
William FitzHerbert	1153 - 1154	Died
Henry Murdac	1147 - 1153	Died
William FitzHerbert	1141 - 1147	Expelled
Thurstan	1114 - 1140	Resigned
Thomas II	1108 - 1114	Died
Gerard	1100 - 1108	Died
Thomas of Bayeux	1070 - 1100	Died
Ealdred	1061 - 1069	Died
Cynesige	1051 ? 1060	Died
AElfric Puttoc	1042 - 1051	Died
AEthelric	1041 - 1042	Expelled
AElfric Puttoc	1023 - 1041	Expelled
Wulfstan II	1003 - c.1023
Ealdwulf	995 - c.1003
Osweald	972 - 992	Died
Edwaldus	971	Resigned
Oscytel	956 - 971	Died
Wulfstan I	931 - 956	Died
Hrothweard	c.904 - 928 - 931	Died
AEthelbeald	900 - c.904 - 928
Wulfhere	854 - 900	Died
Wigmund	837 - 854	Died
Wulfsige	c.808 - c.837
Eanbald II	796 - c.808
Eanbald I	780 - 786	Died
AEthelbeorht	767 - 780	Died
Ecgbeorht	c.732 - 766	Died
Wilfrith II	718 - 732	Resigned
John of Beverley	705
Bosa	691 - c.705
Wilfrith I	686 - 691	Transferred to Leicester
Bosa	678 - 686	Expelled
Wilfrith I	669 - 678	Transferred to Selsey
Ceadda	664 - 669	Resigned
Paulinus	625 - 633	Resigned

Top of Page