Archdeacon of Craven

The Archdeacon of Craven was a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Bradford. The final archdeacon was Paul Slater.^[1]

As an Archdeacon, they were responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy^[2] within four area deaneries: Bowland, Ewecross, Skipton and South Craven.^[3] The archdeaconry was erected, part of the new Diocese of Ripon, on 5 October 1836 by Order in Council under the Established Church Act 1836^[4] and transferred to the Diocese of Bradford upon that diocese's creation on 25 November 1919.^[5] Upon the creation of the Diocese of Leeds on 20 April 2014,^[6] the archdeaconry was dissolved and its territory added to the Richmond archdeaconry; Slater was automatically transferred (by the legislation) to the newly-renamed post of Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven.^[7]

List of archdeacons

• 30 December 1836 – 17 April 1875 (d.): Charles Musgrave (first archdeacon)^[8]
• 1875–1880 (res.): Vincent Ryan
• 1880–1893: William Boyd
• 1893–1913 (res.): Francis Kilner (became Bishop suffragan of Richmond)^[9]
• 1913–1928 (d.): Lucas Cook^[10]

On 25 November 1919, the archdeaconry was transferred to the new Bradford diocese.

• 1928–1934 (d.): James Howson^[11]
• 1934–1949 (ret.): Frederick Ackerley^[12]
• 1949–4 July 1956 (d.): Thomas Williams^[13]
• 1956–1972 (ret.): Arthur Sephton (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[14]
• 1972–16 June 1977 (d.): Martin Kaye^[15]
• 1977–1986 (ret.): David Rogers^[16]
• 1987–1993 (res.): Brian Smith^[17]
• 1994–2005 (ret.): Malcolm Grundy^[18]
• 2005 – 20 April 2014: Paul Slater (became Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven)^[19]