The Archdeacon of Chester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the diocese of Chester. The area in which they have statutory duties is the Archdeaconry of Chester. Those duties include some pastoral care and disciplinary supervision of the clergy in the area.

The archdeaconry was created before 1135 in (what was in 1222) the Diocese of Coventry (that diocese was called Coventry and Lichfield from 1228 and then Lichfield and Coventry from 1539); it formed part of the Diocese of Chester upon her creation in 1541 and remains so today.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval Halmar William Robert (I) bef. 1135–aft. 1135: Richard Peche (later Bishop of Coventry) Adam de Stafford c.1139–1149: William de Villars 1149–1152: Robert (II) Hugh Thomas de Sancto Nicholao bef. 1222–aft. 1231: Ralph de Maidstone (also Dean of Hereford from 1231) In 1228, Coventry diocese became the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. bef. 1245–1246 (res.): Silvester de Everdon (became Bishop of Carlisle) bef. 1248–aft. 1248: Richard bef. 1253–aft. 1253: John Basing Simon de Albo Monasterio, Abbot of St Werburgh's Abbey bef. 1271–aft. 1271: Adam de Stanford or Stafford bef. 1279–aft. 1284: Jordan of Wimborne/de Wimburn bef. 1289–1315 (d.): Robert de Radewell Late Medieval bef. 1315–bef. 1341 (d.): Richard de Havering 26 April–10 December 1330: John de Ufford (royal grant revoked) 29 January 1341–aft. August 1342 (res.): Michael Northburgh August 1342–14 July 1348 (d.): Pedro Cardinal Gòmez de Barroso (cardinal-bishop of Sabina) 30 October 1348–bef. 1385 (res.): William de Navesby 16 October 1385 – 11 March 1387 (exch.): Nicholas Slake 11 March 1387–bef. 1390 (d.): John de Herlaston 22 February 1388–?: John Ganville (ineffective royal grant) 10 July 1390 – 15 May 1413 (exch.): William de Neuhagh 15 May 1413–bef. 1423 (d.): Henry de Halsall 7 March 1423–bef. 1425 (d.): David Price 5 July 1425–bef. 1433 (d.): Richard Stanley 6 March 1433–bef. 1449 (d.): John Burdet 26 April 1449–bef. 1454 (d.): George Radclyf 19 January 1454–bef. 1462 (d.): Sir Edward Stanley 5 November 1462–bef. 1467 (d.): Thomas St Just 10 October 1467–bef. 1474 (d.): Henry Ince 9 May 1474 – 1478 (res.): John Morton bef. 1478–bef. 1485 (d.): James Stanley 5 June 1485–bef. 1493 (d.): Christopher Talbot 11 February 1493 – 1499 (d.): Edmund Chaderton, Archdeacon of Salisbury (also Archdeacon of Totnes) 28 August 1499 – 1519 (res.): John Vesey17 November 1519 – 1522 (res.): Cuthbert Tunstall 11 November 1522 – 20 May 1541 (surr.): William Knight In 1539, the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield was renamed to Lichfield and Coventry. In 1541, the Diocese of Chester was created and Chester became part of the new diocese. Early modern 5 August 1541 – 1554 (deprived): John Birde, Bishop of Chester bef. 1559–1559 (deprived): Robert Perceval (deprived) aft. 1559–aft. 1562: Robert Perceval/Percival (restored) bef. 1566–bef. 1595 (d.): Robert Rogers 3 January 1596–bef. 1619 (res.): Cuthbert Bellott 16 January 1619 – 5 February 1656 (d.): George Snell 19 October 1660–bef. 1667 (d.): John Carter 6 November 1666 – 7 April 1686 (d.): William Finmore 12 April 1686 – 17 April 1695 (d.): John Allen 30 April 1695 – 15 September 1707 (d.): Edmund Entwisle February 1708–30 June 1727 (d.): John Thane 12 September 1727 – 2 February 1747 (d.): Lewis Stephens 22 April 1747 – 13 April 1751 (d.): William Powell 20 April 1751 – 1 October 1785 (d.): Abel Ward 21 January–20 November 1786 (res.): George Taylor 27 November 1786 – 24 February 1797 (d.): George Travis 11 March 1797 – 29 December 1800 (d.): Thomas Breithweite 17 January 1801–bef. 1847 (d.): Unwin Clarke 23 February 1847 – 7 June 1865 (d.): Isaac Wood July 1865 - 29 August 1866 (d.): Edward Woolnough Late modern September 1866 – 1867 (d.): Richard Greenall (11 May 1806 – 27 November 1867) 1867–1871 (res.): William Pollock (22 April 1812 – 11 October 1873) 1871–1876 (res.): Edward Johnson 1877–1886 (res.): John Darby 1886–23 July 1914 (d.): Edward Barber 1914–14 March 1934 (d.): Paige Cox 1934–1937 (ret.): Norman Tubbs, Assistant Bishop 1937–1965 (ret.): Richard Burne (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 1965–1975 (ret.): Leslie Fisher (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 1975–1988 (ret.): Leslie Williams 1988–1993 (res.): Michael Gear 1993–1994 (res.): Geoffrey Turner 1994–2002 (ret.): Christopher Hewetson (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 2002–2010 (res.): Donald Allister September 2010–present: Michael Gilbertson

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