Dean of the Arches

The Dean of the Arches is the judge who presides in the provincial ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Canterbury.[1] This court is called the Arches Court of Canterbury. It hears appeals from consistory courts and bishop's disciplinary tribunals in the province of Canterbury.

The Dean of the Arches is appointed jointly by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York with the approval of Her Majesty signified by warrant under the sign manual.[2] The same person presides in the Chancery Court of York where he or she has the title of Auditor and hears appeals from consistory courts and bishop's disciplinary tribunals in the province of York. The Dean of Arches is also Official Principal of the Archbishop of Canterbury and of the Archbishop of York acts as Master of the Faculties.

The current Dean of Arches is the Right Worshipful Morag Ellis, QC, who succeeded the Right Worshipful Charles George on 2nd June 2020.[3]

List of Deans of the Arches

Years	Dean
2020–	Morag Ellis, QC
2009–2020	Charles George, QC
2001–2009	Sheila Cameron, QC
1980–2000	Sir John Owen, QC
1977–1980	Rev'd Kenneth Elphinstone, QC
1972–1976	Sir Harold Kent, GCB QC
1971–1972	Walter Wigglesworth, QC
1955–1971	Rt Hon Sir Henry Willink, Bt MC QC
1934–1955	Sir Philip Wilbraham-Baker, KBE
1903–1934	Sir Lewis Dibdin, KC
1898–1903	Sir Arthur Charles
1875–1898	Lord Penzance
1867–1875	Sir Robert Phillimore
1858–1867	Stephen Lushington[4]
1852–1858	Sir John Dodson[4]
1834–1852	Herbert Jenner-Fust
1809–1834	Rt Hon Sir John Nicholl
1788–1809	Sir William Wynne
1778–1788	Peter Calvert
1764–1778	Sir George Hay
1758–1764	Sir Edward Simpson
1751–1758	Sir George Lee
1710–1751	John Bettesworth[5]
1703–1710	Sir John Cooke
1689–1703	George Oxendon
1686–1688	Sir Thomas Exton
1684–1686	Sir Richard Lloyd
1672–1684	Sir Robert Wiseman
1660–1672	Sir Giles Sweit
c.1660	Richard Zouch
c.1660	Walter Walker
c.1658–	John Godolpin
c.1647–1655	William Clerke
c.1646	William Sammes
1633–1643	Sir John Lambe
1624–1633	Sir Henry Marten[6]
1618–1624	Sir William Bird
1598–1617	Daniel Donne
1597–1598	Thomas Byng
1590–1597	Richard Cosin
1573–1589/90	Bartholomew Clerke
1572–	John Cooke
1567–1573	Thomas Yale
1560–?1567	Robert Weston (afterwards Lord Chancellor of Ireland, 1567)
1559–1560	William Mowse
1558–1559	Nicholas Harpisfield
1557–1558	Henry Cole
1556–1557	David Pole (afterwards Bishop of Peterborough, 1557}
1553–	John Story (afterwards MP for East Grinstead, 1553 and Bramber, 1554)
1549–	Griffin Leyson
1545–	William Coke or Cooke (1st lay dean)[7][8]
1543–1545	John Cock (or Cockys)[9][7]
1532–1543	Richard Gwent (died 1543) (also Archdeacon of Brecon, 1534 and Archdeacon of London, 1534) and Archdeacon of Huntingdon, 1542)[7]
?–1532	Peter Ligham[10]
1520–1522	Thomas Wodynton
c.1511	[?]Richard Bodewell or Blodwell
1504–1515	Humphrey Hawardyn[7]
1474–	John Morton (cardinal), afterwards Bishop of Ely, 1478 and Archbishop of Canterbury, 1486 [11]
c.1460–1472	William Wytham[12] (also Dean of Wells, 1469–1472)
1452–	Robert Dobbs[7]
1444–	William Byconnyl[7]
1434–1440	John Lyndfeld [13]
1426–	William Lyndwood (also Archdeacon of Stow, 1434)
1423–	Thomas Beckington (also Archdeacon of Buckingham, 1424–1443 and afterwards Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1443}[7]
1419–	John Stafford afterwards Archdeacon of Salisbury, 1419)
1415–	Henry Ware[7]
1407–	Richard Brinkley[7]
1381–	Thomas de Baketon, Appointed by Archbishop Courteney (Baketon/Bakton/Bacton/Bactone and variants) Likely a member of the Mynyot/Minot family that included Thomas Minot, Archbishop of Dublin who died in London 1375 (research ongoing)[7]
1376–	John Barner[7]
1364–	Thomas Young[7]
1360–	William de Wittersley[7]
1350–	John de Carleton[7]
c.1346	Simon Islip (afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, 1349)
1322–?1323	John de Stratford[7] (afterwards Bishop of Winchester, 1323)
1308–	John de Ross[7] (?afterwards Bishop of Carlisle, 1325)
1297–	William de Sardinia[7]
1273–	William de Middelton[7]
...	John de Ufford

Notes

1. Details of that court's responsibilities: Ecclesiastical court#Church of England.
2. Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1963, section 3(2)(a)
3. "Dean of the Arches and Auditor of the Chancery Court of York". Archbishop of Canterbury. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
4. ODNB
5. YourArchives page Archived 2011-12-07 at the UK Government Web Archive.
6. The Dictionary of National Biography in its first edition had Hugh Barker Dean c.1632 s:Barker, Hugh (DNB00); but this was retracted in the 1904 Errata.
7. Newcourt, Richard. Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense: Comprising all London and . p. 434. Google Books
8. Senior, William (1927). "The Judges of the High Court of Admiralty". The Mariner's Mirror. 13 (4): 336. doi:10.1080/00253359.1927.10655437.
9. The parliamentary history of the principality of Wales, from the earliesr times to the present day, 1541-1895
10. "The 1552 Reform of English Church Discipline" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-26.
11. Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service, Register of John Carpenter, bishop of Worcester, 2 vols, II, fol.53. This source is open to question, however, as the text simply describes Morton as rector of St Dunstan-in-the-East in the deanery of the arches; it does not actually call him the dean. There are no other known references to Morton as dean.
12. Cocks, Terence. "The Archdeacons of Leicester 1092–1992" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-15.
13. Susan Cavanaugh, A Study of Books Privately Owned in England 1300–1450 (University of Pennsylvania, 1980), Ph.D. Dissertation, p. 517.