Christ Church Cathedral

The Dean of Christ Church is the dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and head of the governing body of Christ Church, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford and seat of the Bishop of Oxford. The chapter of canons of the cathedral formed the governing body of the college from its foundation until the Christ Church (Oxford) Act of 1867, by which the Governing Body was expanded to include the Students (academics) in addition to the Dean and Chapter.[1] The dean was ex officio head of the chapter and ipso facto head of the college. From 26 April 2022 until July 2023, the position was vacant.[2] As of 8 July 2023,[3] Sarah Foot is the first female dean of Christ Church. [4]

List of deans

From the diocese's foundation in 1542 until 1545, the cathedral was at Osney. There, the cathedral deans were:

The academic deans of Christ Church's predecessor Oxford colleges were:

Both the college and the see at Osney surrendered to the Crown on 20 May 1545. Christ Church, the double establishment of cathedral and college, was founded by letters patent on 4 November 1546.[5]

Name Portrait Term of office
Richard Cox 1546 1553
Richard Marshall 1553 1559
George Carew 1559 1561
Thomas Sampson 1561 1565
Thomas Godwin 1565 1567
Thomas Cooper 1567 1571
John Piers 1571 1576
Tobias Matthew 1577 1583
William James 1584 1596
Thomas Ravis
(in commendam as Bishop of Gloucester from 1604) 		1596 1605
John King 1605 1611
William Goodwin 1611 1620
Richard Corbet 1620 1628
Brian Duppa 1628 1638
Samuel Fell 1638 1648
Edward Reynolds 1648 1651
John Owen 1651 1660
Edward Reynolds March–July 1660
George Morley July–October 1660
John Fell
(in commendam as Bishop of Oxford from 1676) 		1660 1686[†]
John Massey 1686 1688
Henry Aldrich 1689 1710[†]
Francis Atterbury 1711 1713
George Smalridge
(in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1714) 		1713 1719[†]
Hugh Boulter
(in commendam as Bishop of Bristol) 		1719 1724
William Bradshaw
(in commendam as Bishop of Bristol) 		1724 1732[†]
John Conybeare
(in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1750) 		1733 1755[†]
David Gregory 1756 1767[†]
William Markham
(in commendam as Bishop of Chester from 1771) 		1767 1777
Lewis Bagot
(in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1782) 		1777 1783
Cyril Jackson 1783 1809
Charles Henry Hall 1809 1824
Samuel Smith 1824 1831
Thomas Gaisford 1831 1855[†]
Henry Liddell 1855 1891
Francis Paget 1892 1901
Thomas Strong[6] 1901 1920
Henry Julian White 1920 1934
Alwyn Williams 1934 1939
John Lowe 1939 1959
Cuthbert Simpson 1959 1969
Henry Chadwick 1969 1979
Eric Heaton 1979 1991
John Drury 1991 2003
Christopher Lewis[7] 2003 2014[8]
Martyn Percy[9][10] 2014 2022
Sarah Foot[4] 2023

† Died in office

References

  1. ^ Christ Church website [in the Christ Church (Oxford) Act 1867, by which the Governing Body was expanded to include the Students in addition to the Dean and Chapter. in the Christ Church (Oxford) Act 1867, by which the Governing Body was expanded to include the Students in addition to the Dean and Chapter.] Retrieved 7 February 2023. ((cite web)): Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "Dean of Oxford University college steps down after 'protracted disputes'". BBC News. 5 February 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Choral Evensong with the Installation of Dean Foot". Christ Church. 8 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Appointment of first female Dean of Christ Church the Rev Canon Professor Sarah Foot | Christ Church, Oxford University". www.chch.ox.ac.uk. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  5. ^ Horn, Joyce M. (ed.). "Oxford: Introduction". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857. Vol. 8. pp. 69–72. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. ^ "No. 27329". The London Gazette. 2 July 1901. p. 4399.
  7. ^ "Christ Church, Oxford – Dean, Cathedral Chapter and Staff". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  8. ^ Oxford Mail – Dean of Christ Church preparing to retire and start new life in Suffolk (Accessed 7 May 2014)
  9. ^ Christ Church, Oxford – The Dean of Christ Church (Accessed 7 May 2014)
  10. ^ "Oxford college dean at centre of lengthy dispute to step down". Times Higher Education Supplement. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.

Horn, Joyce M. (ed.). "Deans of Christ Church, Oxford". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857. Vol. 8. pp. 80–83. Retrieved 12 September 2019.

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