The Diocese of
Mercia was created by Bishop
Diuma in around
656 and the
See was settled in
Lichfield in 669 by the then bishop,
Ceadda (later
Saint Chadd ). At the
Council Of Chelsea , Bishop
Higbert was raised to the rank of
Archbishop and given authority over the dioceses of
Worcester ,
Leicester ,
Lincoln ,
Hereford ,
Elmham and
Dunwich . This was due to the persuasion of King
Offa of Mercia, who wanted an archbishop to rival
Canterbury . On Offa's death, however, the
Pope removed the archepiscopal rank and restored the dioceses to the authority of Canterbury. In
803 the
Council Of Clovesho accepted this decision.
During the
9th Century , the diocese was devastated by the
Vikings . Lichfield itself was unwalled and had become rather poor, so Bishop
Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier
Chester in
1075 . His successor,
Robert De Limesey , transferred it to
Coventry and the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. At this stage it also covered
Derbyshire and most of
Warwickshire .
In
1539 the see was transferred back to Lichfield and the name was reversed to become the Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry. In
1918 the diocese was split when the new
Diocese Of Coventry was created, and again became simply the for the first time in eight hundred years.
