The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the
Lords Spiritual regardless of their
length of service. His diocese is one of
the oldest and most important in England.Originally
it was the see of the kingdom of Wessex, with the
cathedra at Dorchester Cathedral under Saints Birinus and
Agilbert.It was transferred to
Winchester in 660. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the wealthiest
English sees, and its bishops have included a number of politically
prominent Englishmen, notably the 9th century Saint Swithun. The official residence of the Bishop of
Winchester is Wolvesey
Palace in Winchester.Other traditional homes included Farnham Castle and their London residence at Winchester
Palace in Southwark, Surrey (now
London).
The current Bishop is Michael
Scott-Joynt, who was formerly the Suffragan Bishop of Stafford,
and was enthroned in Winchester Cathedral in 1995. He signs
'†Michael Winton:'