Archdeacon of Maidstone

The Archdeacon of Maidstone is an office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (one of the dioceses of the Province of Canterbury in the Church of England). The Archdeacon of Maidstone is an Anglican priest who oversees the Archdeaconry of Maidstone, which is one of three subdivisions of the diocese. The current incumbent is Stephen Taylor, who was collated Archdeacon of Maidstone on 18 September 2011.^[1]

History

The archdeaconry was created from the ancient Archdeaconry of Canterbury by Order in Council on 4 June 1841.^[2]

Composition

The archdeaconry covers approximately the north-west and south-west corners of the diocese. As of 2012, the archdeaconry of Maidstone consists the following deaneries in the Diocese of Canterbury:

• Deanery of Maidstone
• Deanery of North Downs
• Deanery of Ospringe
• Deanery of Sittingbourne
• Deanery of the Weald

List of archdeacons

• 4 June 1841–1845 (res.): William Lyall
• 4 December 1845–25 March 1887 (d.): Benjamin Harrison
• 1887–26 March 1900 (d.): Benjamin Smith^[3][4]
• 1900–1921 (ret.): Henry Spooner^[5][6]
• 1921–1934 (res.): John Macmillan^[7] (also Bishop suffragan of Dover from 1927)^[8]
• 1934–1939 (res.): Karl Sopwith^[9]
• 1939–1942 (res.): Alexander Sargent^[10]
• 1942–1958 (ret.): Julian Bickersteth^{[11][12][13][14]}
• 1959–1965 (res.): Gordon Strutt^[15][16][17]
• 1965–1968 (res.): Michael Nott^[18][19]
• 1968–1972 (res.): Thomas Prichard^[20][21]
• 1972–1979 (ret.): Niel Nye^[22][23] (later archdeacon emeritus)^[24]
• 1979–1989 (res.): Michael Percival Smith^[25]
• 1989–2002 (res.): Patrick Evans^[26][27]
• 2002–13 March 2011 (res.): Philip Down^[28]
• 18 September 2011–present: Stephen Taylor^[1][29]

References

Sources

• Horn, Joyce M., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857, 3, p. 17  CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)