Bishop of Durham

The Bishop of Durham is the officer of the Church of England responsible for the diocese of Durham, one of the oldest in the country. He is the senior bishop in the province of York, and sits in the House of Lords. Other duties include (with the Bishop of Bath and Wells) escorting the sovereign at the coronation. He is officially styled The Right Reverend Father in God, (Name), by Divine Permission Lord Bishop of Durham, but this full title is rarely used. In signatures, the bishop's family name is replaced by Dunelm (from the Latin name for Durham). In the past, bishops of Durham alternated their signatures between the French Duresm and Dunelm.

Related Topics:
Church of England - Diocese - Durham - Bishop - Province of York - House of Lords - Bishop of Bath and Wells - Coronation - Family name - French

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The post of Bishop of Durham has existed since the eighth century. After the Norman conquest the Bishop was made Prince-Bishop of the Palatinate of Durham. They had their own army, parliament, currency, and court system. In 1536 Henry VIII withdrew much of the Prince-Bishop's secular authority, and this authority was further hedged during and after the English Civil War; the Principality was finally abolished in 1836. The Palatinate court system, however, survived until the passage of Courts Act 1971.

Related Topics:
Norman conquest - Prince-Bishop - Palatinate - Durham - Henry VIII - English Civil War - 1836 - Courts Act 1971

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As the only such bishop in England, the Bishop of Durham bears on his arms a mitre enfiled of a coronet (instead of a plain mitre) and a crozier crossed with a sword in saltire (instead of two croziers) to symbolize temporal power.

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The title "The Land of the Prince Bishops" is an invention of the tourist industry, but the Bishops of Durham did hold vice-regal powers, and more.

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