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Provincial Registry

Registry of the Province of York of the Church of England

Lionel Lennox is Registrar of the Province and Legal Secretary to the Archbishop of York, and Registrar of the Convocation of York.

Staff in the Registry
Registry Secretary: Elaine Slack
Registry Secretary: Charlotte Baker

Province of York

The Province comprises the Dioceses of Blackburn, Bradford, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Ripon and Leeds, Sheffield, Sodor and Man, Southwell, Wakefield and York.

Other dioceses in England are in the Province of Canterbury and the Registrar of the Province of Canterbury is Reverend J Rees, Provincial Registry,16 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LZ.

Clergy from overseas wishing to minister in the Province of York

Application to the Provincial Registry for the Permission of the Archbishop of York to officiate as a priest or deacon in the Province of York of the Church of England, needs to be made by clergy ordained priest or deacon outside England. An application form and note of guidance may be obtained by clicking on the overseas clergy section, or writing to the Registry, or e-mail registry@denisontill.com giving the applicant's full name and address.

Bishops and their appointment and resignation

The Registrar deals with the procedure and legal requirements after a person has been chosen bishop of a particular see and the name announced by the Prime Minister's Office.

For a diocesan bishop this usually includes:

  • Election by the College of Canons of the Cathedral Church of the Diocese concerned
  • Confirmation of the Election by the Vicar General of the Province
  • Consecration or ordination to the order of bishops by the Archbishop of York
  • Homage before HM The Queen
  • Admission or installation (the "Enthronement") in the Cathedral Church

All bishops in the Province are required to sign an instrument of resignation after they have tendered their resignation to The Queen through the Prime Minister's Office. The Archbishop then formally accepts the resignation declaring the see vacant from the resignation date.

Clergy Discipline

The Provincial Registrar is the Archbishop's Legal Secretary, and as such acts on the Archbishop's behalf in discipline matters which come before him. Therefore Mr Lennox is not available to advise or act on behalf of clergy in the Province involved in matters of ecclesiastical discipline.

  • Court of Chancery of York
  • Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved
  • Matters referred to the Archbishop under the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1963
  • Appeals under canon law against summary revocation of a canonical licence to minister

The Provincial Registrar is the Registrar of these proceedings.