The Bishop of Chelmsford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford in the Province of Canterbury.
The current bishop is Guli Francis-Dehqani, since the confirmation of her election on 11 March 2021.
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History
The diocese was founded in 1914 under George V from the Diocese of Saint Albans (of which it had been a part since 1877).
The present diocese covers the County of Essex including those parts of Essex added to Greater London on 1 April 1965 and Ballingdon-with-Brundon, transferred to Suffolk and Great/Little Chishill and Heydon, transferred to Cambridgeshire in 1894. The see is in the city of Chelmsford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, Saint Peter and Saint Cedd which was elevated to cathedral status in 1914. The bishop's residence is Bishopscourt, Margaretting.
Assistant bishops
In 1931, the appointment of Cecil de Carteret, Bishop of Jamaica, to be an assistant bishop was announced, but he died before he could take it up.
Assistant bishops of the diocese have included:
1961 – 1966 (res.): Geoffrey Stuart Smith was an assistant bishop; he was also Rector of Danbury from 1960.
1972 – 1974: Br John-Charles SSF, former Assistant Bishop of Adelaide and Bishop of Polynesia
2023: Saulo Mauricio de Barros was licensed as an honorary assistant bishop.