The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter and under the oversight of the Bishop suffragan of Plymouth.

History

The first recorded archdeacon of Exeter occurs in 1083, around the time when archdeacons were first appointed in Britain. Around that time, the Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries: Exeter, Cornwall, Totnes (or Totton) and Barnstaple (or Barum). This configuration of archdeaconries within the diocese remained for almost 800 years, until the creation of the independent Diocese of Truro from the Cornwall archdeaconry.^[1] On 22 March 1918, the archdeaconries were reconfigured and the Archdeaconry of Plymouth created from Totnes archdeaconry.^[2] Presently, the diocese operates an informal 'area scheme' such that responsibility for roughly half the diocese is delegated to each suffragan bishop: special oversight is given to the Bishop of Crediton for the Barnstaple and Exeter archdeaconries and to the Bishop of Plymouth for the Plymouth and Totnes archdeaconries.^[3]

The archdeacon oversees the deaneries of Moreton, Newton Abbot and Ipplepen, Okehampton, Torbay, Totnes and Woodleigh, in Devon, southwest England.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval[edit]

bef. 1140–?: John de Bradelgehe
bef. 1143–aft. 1143: Hugh de Avigo^[4]
bef. c. 1165–aft. c. 1165: Ascelinus
bef. 1161–aft. 1184: Baldwin of Forde (later Archbishop of Canterbury)
bef. 1161–aft. 1184: Robert
?–3 June 1190 (d.): Bernard
aft. 1190–?: John Fitz-John^[4]
bef. 1206–aft. 1206: Gilbert Basset^[4]
bef. 1207–aft. 1207: Walter de Grey
bef. 1207–aft. 1207: John de Bridport
1213–aft. 1215: Thomas de Boues
bef. 1219–aft. 1219: Richard Cowe
Hugh
bef. 1225–aft. 1225: Ysaac^[4]
bef. 1226–bef. 1228: John de Kent
bef. 1228–1231 (res.): Roger de Wynkleigh (became Dean of Exeter)
bef. 1238–aft. 1254: Thomas Pincerna (aka Thomas Butler)
bef. 1258–20 February 1258 (d.): John^[5]
bef. 1262–aft. 1262: Geoffrey^[5]
11 January 1264–bef. 1265: William de Pembroke (previously Archdeacon of Barum)
1 November 1265–bef. 1271: Richard Blunt (previously Archdeacon of Barum)
11 January 1271–aft. 1273: Thomas de Hertford (also Archdeacon of Barnstaple)
25 December 1275 – 8 July 1284 (res.): Henry de Bolleghe (became Archdeacon of Cornwall)
8 July 1284 – 1296 (d.): Thomas de Bodham (aka William Bodringham)
bef. 1297–aft. 1297: Roger le Rous^[5]

Late Medieval[edit]

bef. 1302–aft. 1302: Thomas de Charlton
bef. 1303–1307 (d.): William de Puntyngdon
bef. 1307–1338 (d.): Roger de Charlton
Period of dispute:
- Northwode et al.:
  - 13 June 1338 – 1349 (d.): John de Northwode (disputed with Piers)
  - 1349–20 June 1359 (exch.): Peter de Gildesburgh (disputed with Swinnerton)
  - 20 June 1359 – 18 May 1371 (exch.): William Steele (disputed with Drax)
  - 18 May 1371 – 7 May 1385 (exch.): Hugh de Bridham
- Piers et al.:
  - 1342–1344 (d.): John Piers (disputed with Northwode)
  - 1357–?: Richard de Swinnerton (disputed with Gildesburgh)
  - 1359–1361 (d.): Richard de Drax (disputed with Steele)
  - 1372: Richard Desbunton (disputed with Bridham)
1385–1407 (d.): John Lydford
21 January 1408 – 29 May 1415 (exch.): William Hunden
29 May 1415 – 1421 (d.): William Barton
3 November 1421 – 16 July 1433 (exch.): John Typhane
16 July 1433 – 1443 (d.): Alan Kirketon
16 August 1443 – 1453 (res.): John Burneby
4 June 1453–bef. 1469: Thomas Manning
bef. 1469–1478 (d.): Thomas Chippenham
15 February–October 1478 (d.): Owen Lord

bef. 1479–aft. 1482: William Wagott
"late fifteenth c.": Patrick Haliburton^[6]
26 March 1491 – 1499 (d.): Edmund Chaderton, Archdeacon of Salisbury (also Archdeacon of Chester from 1493; possibly the Archdeacon of Salisbury)
1499–25 November 1499 (d.): Ralph Heathcott
15 March 1500 – 18 April 1515 (res.): John Fulford (became Archdeacon of Cornwall)
13 May 1515–bef. 1534 (d.): Richard Sydnor (also Registrar of the Garter)
28 April 1534–bef. 1549 (res.): George Carew (later Dean of Bristol)

Early modern[edit]

10 August 1549–?: William Collumpton (last prior of St Nicholas Priory, and called Bishop of Hippo)
?–24 July 1557 (d.): William Fawell (possibly an alias of Collumpton)
2 March 1558–?: John Pollard
?–1561 (d.): Thomas Kent
21 February 1562–?: Robert Lougher (later MP for Pembroke 1572)
5 June 1568 – 1580 (d.): Oliver Whiddon
24 November 1580–c. 1583 (d.): John Cole
12 February 1584: Lewis Swete
22 September 1613 – 30 October 1616 (res.): William Parker (became Archdeacon of Cornwall)
30 October 1616 – 20 January 1620 (d.): Jasper Swift (previously Archdeacon of Cornwall)
17 March 1620–? (res.): William Cotton
10 February 1622 – 1647 (d.): Edward Cotton
31 August 1660 – 27 August 1693 (d.): Francis Fullwood
1693–1 May 1694 (res.): Sir Jonathan Trelawney, Bishop of Exeter (in commendam)
18 May 1694 – 14 January 1701 (d.): George Snell
18 January 1701 – 1713 (res.): Francis Atterbury (became Bishop of Rochester)
28 July 1713 – 3 March 1740 (d.): Nicholas Kendall
26 March 1740 – 28 January 1772 (d.): George Baker
10 March 1772 – 1775 (res.): Thomas Skynner
16 August 1775 – 20 May 1820 (d.): Ralph Barnes
30 May 1820 – 23 February 1859 (d.): Robert Froude

Late modern[edit]

12 March 1859 – 1872: John Downall
3 October 1872 – 1889 (res.): Alfred Earle (became Bishop suffragan of Marlborough)
20 January 1888 – 14 July 1910 (d.): Charles Wilkinson, Vicar of Plymouth (until 1901)^[7]
1910–13 January 1921 (d.): Arthur Simms, Vicar of St Luke's, Torquay (until 1920)^[8]

On 22 March 1918, the Archdeaconry of Plymouth was erected from Totnes archdeaconry.

1921–26 October 1933 (d.): Newton Leeke^[9]
1933–1947 (ret.): John Lawrence Cobham, Rector of St Mark's Torwood, Torquay (until 1938; afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[10]
1948–1962 (ret.): Edgar Hall (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[11]
1962–23 August 1965 (d.): John Hawkins (father of Richard)^[12]
1966–1976 (ret.): Robert Newhouse (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[13]
1976–1981 (ret.): John Lucas, Vicar of Chudleigh Knighton (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[14]
1981–1988 (res.): Richard Hawkins, Priest-in-charge, Whitestone with Oldridge (until 1987; son of John; became Bishop suffragan of Plymouth)^[15]
1988–1994 (res.): Tony Tremlett (became Archdeacon of Exeter)^[16]
1996–2005 (ret.): Richard Gilpin (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[17]
2005–30 September 2014 (ret.): John Rawlings^[18]
1 September 2014 – 2015: Clive Cohen (Acting)
24 March 2015–present: Douglas Dettmer^[19]

References

Sources

"Some account of the barony and town of Okehampton: its antiquities and institutions (1889)". W. Masland. 1889. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
Le Neve, John; Hardy, Sir Thomas Duffus (1854). Archdeacons of Totnes or Totton . Fasti ecclesiae Anglicanae. Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 401–404 – via Wikisource.
Horn, Joyce M. (1964), Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541, vol. 9, pp. 17–19
Wright, W. H. K., ed. (1889). Some Account of the Barony and Town of Okehampton. Tiverton: William Masland.

v t e Archdeacons of Totnes
High Medieval	John de Bradelgehe Hugh de Avigo Ascelinus Baldwin of Forde Robert Bernard John Fitz-John Gilbert Basset Walter de Gray John de Bridport Thomas de Boues Richard Cowe Hugh Ysaac John de Kent Roger de Wynkleigh Thomas Pincerna John Geoffrey William de Pembroke Richard Blunt Thomas de Hertford Henry de Bolleghe Thomas de Bodham Roger le Rous
Late Medieval	Thomas de Charlton William de Puntyngdon Roger de Charlton John de Northwode v. John Piers Peter de Gildesburgh v. Richard de Swinnerton William Steele v. Richard de Drax Hugh de Bridham v. Richard Desbunton John Lydford William Hunden William Barton John Typhane Alan Kirketon John Burneby Thomas Manning Thomas Chippenham Owen Lord William Wagott Patrick Haliburton Edmund Chaderton Ralph Heathcott John Fulford Richard Sydnor George Carew
Early modern	William Collumpton William Fawell John Pollard Thomas Kent Robert Lougher Oliver Whiddon John Cole Lewis Swete William Parker Jasper Swift William Cotton Edward Cotton Francis Fullwood in commendam: The Bishop, Sir Jonathan Trelawney George Snell Francis Atterbury Nicholas Kendall George Baker Thomas Skynner Ralph Barnes Robert Froude
Late modern	John Downall Alfred Earle Charles Wilkinson Arthur Simms Newton Leeke John Cobham Edgar Hall John Hawkins John Newhouse John Lucas Richard Hawkins Tony Tremlett Richard Gilpin John Rawlings Clive Cohen (Acting) Douglas Dettmer

v t e Diocese of Exeter
Exeter Cathedral The Palace, Exeter The Old Deanery, Exeter
Office holders	Bishop of Exeter (vacant) Jackie Searle, Bishop suffragan of Crediton James Grier, Bishop suffragan of Plymouth AEO: Paul Thomas, Bishop suffragan of Oswestry & Rob Munro, Bishop suffragan of Ebbsfleet Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter Douglas Dettmer, Archdeacon of Totnes Andrew Beane, Archdeacon of Exeter Verena Breed, Archdeacon-designate of Barnstaple Jane Bakker, Archdeacon of Plymouth
Selected deaneries	Deanery of Barnstaple Deanery of Cadbury Deanery of Christianity (Exeter) Deanery of Hartland
Historic offices	Archdeacon of Cornwall (11th century – 1876; became the Diocese of Truro)

Archdeacons in the Church of England

Current

northern province	Auckland Blackburn Bolton Bradford Carlisle Chester Cleveland Doncaster Durham East Riding (York) Halifax Lancaster Leeds Lindisfarne Liverpool Knowsley and Sefton Macclesfield Man Manchester Newark Nottingham Northumberland Pontefract Richmond and Craven Rochdale St Helens and Warrington Salford Sheffield and Rotherham Stoke Sunderland Walsall West Cumberland Westmorland and Furness Wigan and West Lancashire York (West Riding)
southern province	Ashford Aston Barnstaple Barking Bath Bedford Berkshire Birmingham Bodmin Boston Bournemouth Brighton & Lewes Bristol Bromley & Bexley Buckingham Cambridge Canterbury Chelmsford Charing Cross ("Two Cities") Cheltenham Chichester Colchester Cornwall Coventry ("Archdeacon Pastor") Croydon Derby City and South Derbyshire Derbyshire Peak and Dales Dorchester Dorking Dorset Dudley East Derbyshire Eastern Archdeaconry (Europe) Exeter France Germany and Northern Europe Gibraltar Gloucester Hackney Hampstead Harlow Hastings Hereford Hertford Horsham Huntingdon and Wisbech Ipswich Isle of Wight Italy and Malta Lambeth Leicester Lewisham & Greenwich Lichfield Lincoln London Loughborough Ludlow Lynn Maidstone Malmesbury The Meon Middlesex Norfolk North West Europe Northampton Northolt Norwich Oakham Oxford Plymouth Portsdown Reigate Rochester St Albans Salop/Shropshire (Lichfield diocese) Sarum Sherborne Southend Southwark Stansted Stow and Lindsey Sudbury Suffolk Surrey Switzerland Taunton Tonbridge Totnes Wandsworth Warwick ("Archdeacon Missioner") Wells West Ham Westminster Wilts Winchester Worcester
non-territorial	Military archdeacons: Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force Prison Service "Archdeacon Missioner" (see Warwick) & "Archdeacon Pastor" (see Coventry) Rural Mission (Eds & Ips diocese)

Former

England

Archdeacons in the Diocese in Europe: The Aegean
Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Europe
Italy
Malta
Northern France
the Riviera
Scandinavia
Scandinavia and Germany
South-Eastern Europe
Spain (or the Peninsula) and North Africa