The Archdeacon of Westmorland and Furness is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Carlisle.^[1] As such he or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy ^[2] within its four rural deaneries: Barrow, Windermere, Kendal and Furness.^[3]

The archdeaconry of Westmorland was erected by Order-in-Council of 10 August 1847 from the Archdeaconry of Richmond,^[4] but that Order did not come into effect until Hugh Percy (Bishop of Carlisle) died on 5 February 1856 (because he did not consent to the changes to his diocese). The Archdeaconry of Furness was erected by further Order-in-Council in 1884; they were subsequently merged to form the current archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness. The incumbent is Vernon Ross.

Archdeacons of Westmorland and of Westmorland and Furness

• 1856–January 1865 (ret.): Robert Evans (first archdeacon)^[5]
• 1865–25 July 1896 (d.): John Cooper, Vicar of Kendal^[5][6]
• 1896–1901 (res.): John Diggle, Vicar of Mossley Hill until 1897^[7]
• 1901–1 March 1915 (d.): William Sherwen, Rector of Dean^[8][9]
• 1915–1923 (res.): Campbell West-Watson, Bishop suffragan of Barrow-in-Furness and, from 1921, Rector of Aldingham (became Archdeacon of Furness)^[10]
• 1923–1931 (ret.): Henry Lafone, Vicar of Kendal^[11]
• 1931–1944: John Hopkinson, Vicar of Christ Church, Cockermouth (son of Alfred Hopkinson)
• 1944–1 July 1946 (d.): Harold Mulliner, Vicar of Winster^[12]
• 1947–1951 (res.): Hubert Wilkinson, Vicar of Winster until 1948, then Vicar of Ambleside with Rydal (became Archdeacon of Liverpool)^[13]
• 1951–1965 (res.): Cyril Bulley, Vicar of Ambleside with Rydal until 1959, then Bishop suffragan of Penrith^[14][15]

In 1959, Furness archdeaconry was merged into Westmorland archdeaconry and the latter was renamed as "Westmorland and Furness".

• 1965–1971 (res.): Richard Hare, Vicar of St George with St Luke, Barrow until 1969, then Vicar of Winster (became Bishop suffragan of Pontefract)^[16]
• 1971–1977 (res.): Walter Ewbank, Vicar of Winster^[17]
• 1978–1983 (res.): Arthur Attwell, Vicar of St John's, Windermere until 1982 (became Bishop of Sodor and Man)^[18]
• 1983–1989 (res.): Peter Vaughan (became area Bishop of Ramsbury)^[19]
• 1989–1995 (ret.): Lawrie Peat (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[20]
• 1995–1999 (ret.): David Jenkins (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[21]
• 2000–2011 (res.): George Howe (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[22]
• 2012–2016 (ret.):^[23] Penny Driver^[24]
• 25 February 2017 – present: Vernon Ross^[25]

Archdeacons of Furness

The archdeaconry (occasionally called Barrow-in-Furness) was created by Order-in-Council on 27 May 1884.^[26]

• 1884–1893 (res.): Arthur Crosse, Vicar of St George's, Barrow^[27]
• 1893^[28]–1901 (res.):^[29] Thompson Phillips, Vicar of St George's, Barrow
• 1901–1905 (res.): Cecil Boutflower, Vicar of St George's, Barrow^[30]
• 1905–1912 (res.): Herbert Campbell, Vicar of St George's, Barrow^[31]
• 1912–1923 (res.): Henry Lafone, Vicar of St George's, Barrow until 1919, then Vicar of Cartmel^[11]
• 1923–1926 (res.): Campbell West-Watson, Bishop suffragan of Barrow and Rector of Aldingham^[10]
• 1926–1 August 1944 (d.): Godfrey Smith, Vicar of Haverthwaite^[32]
• 1944–1958 (ret.): Herbert Turner, Bishop suffragan of Penrith and, until 1955, Vicar of Hawkshead^[33]

On 7 August 1959, Furness archdeaconry was dissolved and its territory added to the Westmorland archdeaconry, which was renamed "Westmorland and Furness".^[34]

References