Bishop of Dorchester
The modern Bishop of Dorchester is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Bishop of Dorchester, along with the Bishop of Buckingham and the Bishop of Reading, assists the Diocesan Bishop of Oxford in overseeing the diocese.
The title takes its name from the town of Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, and was first used by the historic Bishops of Dorchester: at first for a West Saxon diocese, and later for a Mercian diocese. The suffragan See was erected by Order-in-Council on 2 February 1939. The bishops suffragan of Dorchester have been area bishops since the Oxford area scheme was founded in 1984.
