Diocese of Rochester

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DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER

Country : United Kingdom
Denomination : Anglican (until 1558 Roman Catholic)

Established : 604

Official blazon

Argent, on a saltire gules an escallop Or.

Origin/meaning

The arms are recorded at the College of Arms.

The arms shows the cross of St. Andrew. The original dedication of the cathedral was to St. Andrew and on the early seals of the Priory the effigy of that Apostle on his cross is to be found. The arms of the Cathedral Priory were the same as those of the diocese omitting the escallop shell.

The meaning of the shell is lost in obscurity though it may indicate St. Andrew's occupation as a fisherman. It has also been suggested that it may refer to the oyster fisheries of the diocese. It can also be regarded as a symbol of pilgrimage as offerings at the shrine of St. William of Perth in the Cathedral financed the rebuilding of the Choir; scallops being the symbol of pilgrimage.

Arms of Catholic Bishops

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  Ralph d’Escures (1108-1114)

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  Richard Young (1414-1418)

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  John Kemp (1419-1421)

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  John Langdon (1421-1434)

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  Thomas Brunce (1435-1436)

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  William Wells (1437-1444)

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  John Low (1444-1467)

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  Thomas Rotherham (1468-1472)

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  John Alcock (1472-1476)

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  John Russell (1476-1480)

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  Edmund Audley (1480-1492)

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  Thomas Savage (1493-1496)

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  Richard FitzJames (1497-1503)

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  John Fisher (1504-1535)

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  John Hilsey (1535-1539)

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  Nicholas Heath (1540-1544)

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  Henry Holbeach (1544-1547)

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  Nicholas Ridley (1547-1550)

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  John Ponet (1550-1551)

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  Maurice Griffith (1554-1558)

Arms of Anglican Bishops

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  John Scory (1551-1552)

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  Edmund Gheast (1560-1571)

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  Edmund Freke (1572-1575)

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  John Piers (1576-1577)

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  John Young (1578-1605)

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  William Barlow (1605-1608)

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  Richard Neile (1608-1610)

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  John Buckeridge (1611-1628)

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  Walter Curle (1628-1629)

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  John Bowle (1630-1637)

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  John Warner (1638-1646)

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  John Warner (1660-1666)

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  John Dolben (1666-1683)

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  Francis Turner (1683-1684)

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  Thomas Sprat (1684-1713)

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  Francis Atterbury (1713-1723)

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  Samuel Bradford (1723-1731)

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  Joseph Wilcocks (1731-1756)

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  Zachary Pearce (1756-1774)

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  John Thomas (1774-1793)

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  Samuel Horsley (1793-1802)

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  Thomas Dampier (1802-1808)

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  Walker King (1809-1827)

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  Hugh Percy (1827-1827)

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  George Murray (1827-1860)

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  Joseph Wigram (1860-1867)

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  Thomas Legh Claughton (1867-1877)

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  Anthony Wilson Thorold (1877-1891)

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  Randall Davidson (1891-1895)

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  Edward Talbot (1895-1905)

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  John Harmer (1905-1930)

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  Linton Smith (1930-1939)

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  Christopher Chavasse (1940-1960)

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  David Say (1961-1988)

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  Michael Turnbull (1988-1994)

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  Michael Nazir-Ali (1994-2009)

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  James Langstaff (2010-2021)

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  Simon Burton-Jones (2021-present)

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Index of the site

Literature : Images from Wills's Arms of the Bishopric and J. Siebmacher’s Grosses Wappenbuch Bd 8, Die Wappen der Bistümer und Klöster. McCarthy: Armoria Sedium.