Bishop of Truro

Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

Bishop of Truro

Bishopric
anglican

Coat of arms of the Diocese of Truro

Incumbent:
David Williams
Location
Ecclesiastical province| Canterbury
Residence| "Lis Escop", Feock, Cornwall
Information
First holder| Edward White Benson
Established| 1876
Diocese| Truro
Cathedral| Truro Cathedral

The bishop of Truro is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Truro in the Province of Canterbury.[1]

## History

[edit]

There had been between the 9th and 11th centuries a bishopric of Cornwall until it was merged with Crediton and the sees were transferred to Exeter in 1050.[2]

The Diocese of Truro was established by Act of Parliament in 1876 under Queen Victoria. It was created by the division of the Diocese of Exeter in 1876 approximately along the Devon-Cornwall border (a few parishes of Devon west of the River Tamar were included in the new diocese). The bishop's seat is located at Truro Cathedral and the official residence at "Lis Escop" in Feock, south of Truro. The Bishop of Truro is assisted by the suffragan Bishop of St Germans in overseeing the diocese.

Until they moved to Feock the bishops resided in Kenwyn. "Lis Escop" (the Kenwyn vicarage of 1780) became after the establishment of the Diocese of Truro the bishop's residence.[3] After the bishops moved out for some years it housed part of Truro Cathedral School (closed 1981) then the Community of the Epiphany (Anglican nuns) and is now, as Epiphany House, a Christian retreat and conference centre. Lis escop is Cornish for "bishop's palace".

## List of bishops

[edit]

Bishops of Truro

From  | Until  | Incumbent  | Notes
1877  | 1883  |  Edward White Benson | Translated to Canterbury
1883  | 1891  |  George Wilkinson | Translated to St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane; later became Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
1891  | 1906  |  John Gott | Confirmed 28 September 1891.
1906  | 1912  |  Charles Stubbs |
1912  | 1919  |  Winfrid Burrows | Translated to Chichester
1919  | 1923  |  Guy Warman | Translated to Chelmsford; later to Manchester
1923  | 1935  |  Walter Frere CR |
1935  | 1951  |  Joseph Hunkin[4] |
1951  | 1960  |  Edmund Morgan | Translated from Southampton
1960  | 1973  |  Maurice Key | Translated from Sherborne
1973  | 1981  |  Graham Leonard | Translated from Willesden; later to London. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1994.
1981  | 1989  |  Peter Mumford | Translated from Hertford
1990  | 1997  |  Michael Ball CGA | Translated from Jarrow. Founder of the Community of the Glorious Ascension with his twin brother.
1997  | 2008  |  Bill Ind | Translated from Grantham
2009  | 2017  |  Tim Thornton | Translated from Sherborne; resigned c. August 2017.[5]
2017 | 2018 |  Chris Goldsmith, Bishop of St Germans | Acting diocesan bishop, August 2017 – 30 November 2018
2018  | 2023  |  Philip Mounstephen |
2023 | 2025 |  Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans | Acting diocesan bishop, 17 September 2023 – 28 March 2025
2025  | present |  David Williams | Translated from Basingstoke, 28 March 2025.[6]
Source(s):[7][8][9]

## Assistant bishops

[edit]

Among those who have served as assistant bishops in the diocese were:

* 1930–1935: Rupert Mounsey CR, previously assisted the Bishop of Truro less formally, since 1925; former Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak (1909–1916)[10]
* 1938 – 1949 (d.): John Holden, Vicar of St Budock (until 1944), Canon Residentiary of Truro Cathedral (1944–1947), Archdeacon of Cornwall (from 1947) and former Bishop of Kwangsi-Hunan, of Szechwan, and of Western Szechwan[11]
* 1951 – 1960 (ret.): John Wellington, Vicar of St Germans, Archdeacon of Bodmin (1953–1956) and former Bishop of Shantung[12]
* 1962 – 1973 (ret.): Bill Lash, Vicar of St  Clement (from 1963) and former Bishop in Bombay[13]

Honorary assistant bishops — retired bishops taking on occasional duties voluntarily — have included:

* 1949 – 1954 (d.): John Willis, former Bishop of Uganda and Assistant Bishop of Leicester[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Diocese of Truro: Homepage. Retrieved on 7 December 2008.
2. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 214–215.
3. ^ Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books; pp. 84-85
4. ^ "Joseph Hunkin in New York". Time Inc. 14 February 1938. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
5. ^ Lambeth Palace — Tim Thornton announced as new Bishop at Lambeth (Accessed 4 April 2017)
6. ^ Howe, Ben (4 April 2025). "David Williams confirmed as new Bishop of Truro". The Voice. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
7. ^ "The Bishops of Truro". The Diocese of Truro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.[permanent dead link]
8. ^ "Historical successions: Truro". Crockford's Clerical Directory. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
9. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 275.
10. ^ "Mounsey, William Robert (Rupert)". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
11. ^ "Holden, John". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
12. ^ "Wellington, John". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
13. ^ "Lash, William Quinlan". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
14. ^ "Advent Ordinations". Church Times. No. 4585\. 22 December 1950. p. 931\. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 February 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.

## External links

[edit]

* Christianity portal

* Diocese of Truro
* Truro Cathedral

* v
* t
* e

Bishops of Truro

* Edward White Benson
* George Wilkinson
* John Gott
* Charles Stubbs
* Winfrid Burrows
* Guy Warman
* Walter Frere
* Joseph Hunkin
* Edmund Morgan
* Maurice Key
* Graham Leonard
* Peter Mumford
* Michael Ball
* Bill Ind
* Tim Thornton
* Chris Goldsmith (acting)
* Philip Mounstephen
* David Williams

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