Bishop of Clifton
# Bishop of Clifton

The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England.

The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul. The bishop of Clifton has jurisdiction over the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire and the city of Bristol.

The current bishop is the Right Reverend Declan Ronan Lang, who was appointed the 9th Bishop of Clifton on 27 February 2001 and consecrated on 28 March 2001. Bishop Lang has taken for his motto Evangelii Nuntiandi meaning "Proclaim the Gospel". When asked why he had chosen this, he said, "It is the opening words from an Apostolic Exhortation of Paul Vl made on 8 December 1975, it is simply, one of the most important statements for the Church in this modern age."

## History

The Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District was created on 30 January 1688 and consisted of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire, together with all of the principality of Wales. In 1840, the Western District lost territory on the creation of the Welsh District. On the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales by Pope Pius IX in 1850, the Western District was divided into the dioceses of Clifton and Plymouth.

## List of bishops of Clifton

Bishops of Clifton :

| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1850 | 1851 | Joseph William Hendren, O.F.M. | Previously Vicar Apostolic of the Western District (1848–1850). Appointed the first Bishop of Clifton on 29 September 1850. Translated to Nottingham on 22 June 1851. |
| 1851 | 1854 | Thomas Burgess | Appointed bishop on 27 June 1851 and consecrated on 27 July 1851. Died in office on 27 November 1854. |
| 1854 | 1857 | See vacant | See vacant |
| 1857 | 1893 | William Hugh Joseph Clifford | Appointed bishop on 29 January 1857 and consecrated on 15 February 1857. Died in office on 14 August 1893. |
| 1894 | 1901 | William Robert Brownlow | Appointed bishop on 20 March 1894 and consecrated on 1 May 1894. Died in office on 9 November 1901. |
| 1902 | 1931 | George Ambrose Burton | Appointed bishop on 15 March 1902 and consecrated on 1 May 1902. Died in office on 8 February 1931. |
| 1931 | 1948 | William Lee | Appointed bishop on 18 December 1931 and consecrated on 26 January 1932. Died in office on 21 September 1948. |
| 1949 | 1974 | Joseph Edward Rudderham | Appointed bishop on 14 May 1949 and consecrated on 26 July 1949. Retired on 31 August 1974 and died on 24 February 1979. |
| 1974 | 2001 | Mervyn Alban Alexander | Formerly an auxiliary bishop of Clifton (1972–1974). Appointed Bishop of Clifton on 20 December 1974. Retired on 27 February 2001 and died on 14 August 2010. |
| 2001 | present | Declan Ronan Lang | Appointed bishop on 27 February 2001 and consecrated on 28 March 2001. |
