Armorial of bishops of Exeter

Arms of the diocese: Gules, a sword in pale, point towards the chief, hilted and pommelled or, enfiling two keys in saltire or.
Old diocesan arms: Gules, two keys addorsed in bend sinister or, enfiled by a sword in bend argent pommelled and hilted gold.

The Diocese of Exeter has existed since 1050, when Bishop Leofric moved the seat of his diocese from Crediton.

Diocesan arms

The current version of the arms, containing an upright sword (for St.Paul) and keys in saltire (for St.Peter), dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. It is variously shown with the sword below, between (enfiling), or on top of (surmounting) the keys.

Prior to the modern arms being adopted, the sword was is bend, either sinister (bottom left to top right) or dexter (top left to bottom right), and the keys were side by side in bend in the opposite direction, either addorsed (wards facing away from each other) or accosted (wards facing the same direction).

Arms of bishops

11th-14th centuries

Heraldry developed in the mid-12th century. Arms of earlier bishops are later attributions.

Arms Bishop and blazon
Leofric, Bishop 1050-1072

Escutcheon: Or, on a cross flory sable a mitre of the field.

Osbern FitzOsbern, Bishop 1071-1103

Escutcheon: Gules, a bend argent beneath a fess or.

William Warelwast, Bishop 1107-1138

Escutcheon: Azure, a saltire or.

An alternative attribution is Gules, two keys paleways, impaling, Or, a sword point upwards.

Robert Warelwast, Bishop 1138-1155

Escutcheon: Azure, a saltire or.

An alternative attribution is Gules, two keys paleways, impaling, Or, a sword point upwards.

Robert of Chichester, Bishop 1155-1160

Escutcheon: Chequy or and gules, a chief vair.

These arms originally belonged to the Raleigh family of Raleigh in Pilton, Devon, and weren't inherited by the Chichesters until at least the late 14th century, through marriage to the Raleigh heiress, despite which they appear in Exeter Cathedral's Great East Window to represent Robert. It is also not certain that Robert was a member of the same Chichester family.

Bartholomew Iscanus, Bishop 1161-1184

Escutcheon: Per pale gules and sable (sable and argent, West.), six dolphins argent.

Arms are alternatively given as Per pale sable and argent, six dolphins counter-changed.

John the Chanter, Bishop 1186-1191

Escutcheon: Argent, a cross and a chief sable.

Henry Marshal, Bishop 1194-1206

Escutcheon: Or, a lion rampant gules, a bordure azure mitred of the first.

Alternative arms attributed to Marshal are the arms of his brother, William, Earl of Pembroke: Per pale or and vert, a lion rampant gules.

Simon of Apulia, Bishop 1214-1223

Escutcheon: Azure, three mitres or.

William Briwere. Bishop 1224-1244

Escutcheon: Gules, a bend wavy or.

Brewer's arms are also shown within a bordure azure charged with alternate keys and mitres.

Richard Blund, Bishop 1245-1257

Escutcheon: Lozengy or and sable.

Walter Branscombe, Bishop 1258-1280

Escutcheon: Or, on a chevron sable between two keys palewise in chief and a sword in base of the second, three cinquefoils of the first.

The flowers on the chevron are alternatively blazoned as gillyflowers. The keys and sword are alternatively shown white (in breach of the rule of tincture).

Peter Quinel, Bishop 1280-1291

Escutcheon: Azure, a cross argent, two roses in chief, two fleurdelys in base or

Thomas Bitton, Bishop 1291-1307

Escutcheon: Ermine, a fess gules.

Walter de Stapledon, Bishop 1308-1326

Escutcheon: Argent, two bends wavy sable, a bordure azure double keyed or.

The bends are alternatively blazoned nebuly. The keys are sometimes shown erect rather than in saltire.

James Berkeley, Bishop 1326-1327

Escutcheon: Gules, a chevron between ten crosses pattee argent, an annulet for difference.

John Grandisson, Bishop 1327-1329

Escutcheon: Paly of six argent and azure, on a bend gules a mitre between two eagles displayed or.

The mitre on the bend replaces a third eagle in the Grandisson family arms.

Thomas de Brantingham, Bishop 1370-1394

Escutcheon: Sable, a fess counter-embattled between three Catherine wheels or.

Edmund Stafford, Bishop 1395-1419

Escutcheon: Or, a chevron gules, a bordure azure semée of mitres of the field.

15th-17th centuries

Arms Bishop and blazon
John Catterick, Bishop 1419

Escutcheon: Argent, on a fess engrailed sable three trefoils or.

An alternative coat is Sable, three cats passant gardant in pale argent.

Edmund Lacey, Bishop 1420-1455

Escutcheon: Azure, three shovellers' heads erased or.

George Neville, Bishop 1458-1465

Escutcheon: Gules, a saltier argent and label compony argent and azure.

These arms are also recorded as quartering Argent, three lozenges in fess gules (in a bordure) and Or, an eagle displayed vert..

John Booth, Bishop 1465-1478

Escutcheon: Argent, three boars' heads erased erect sable, a label gules.

The label is alternatively blazoned azure.

Peter Courtenay, Bishop 1478-1487

Escutcheon: Or, three torteaux, a label azure charged with nine plates.

Alternatively, the label is charged with three mitres, nine mitres, or nine annulets.

Richard Foxe, Bishop 1487-1492

Escutcheon: Azure, a pelican in piety or.

Alternatively, in a bordure or, with a canton ermine, or both bordure and canton.

Oliver King, Bishop 1493-1495

Escutcheon: Argent, on a chevron sable three escallops of the field.

Alternatives- Argent, a fess engrailed between two crowns sable, Quartering, Party per chevron argent and azure, three lions rampant counterchanged, those in chief combatant, and Party per fess gules and argent, three roses counterchanged.

Richard Redman, Bishop 1496-1502

Escutcheon: Gules, three cushions ermine (Redman); quartering Gules, a lion rampant argent, on his shoulder a fleurdelys (Aldborough).

John Arundel, Bishop 1502-1504

Escutcheon: Sable, six martlets three, two and one argent.

Hugh Oldham, Bishop 1505-1519

Escutcheon: Sable, a chevron or between three owls argent, on a chief or three roses gules.

John Vesey, Bishop 1519-1551 and 1553-1554

Escutcheon: Argent, on a cross sable a buck's head couped between four martlets of the field, on a chief azure a cross patonce between two roses or.

Alternatively, the cross is cabossed.

Myles Coverdale, Bishop 1551-1553

Escutcheon: Quarterly, per fess indented gules and or, a rose between two fleurs-de-lys in chief and a fleur-de-lys between two roses in base, all counterchanged.

James Turberville, Bishop 1555-1560

Escutcheon: Ermine, a lion rampant gules crowned or.

The field is alternatively blazoned argent.

William Alley, Bishop 1560-1571

Escutcheon: Azure, a pale engrailed ermine between two lions rampant argent.

Alternatively, the pale is not engrailed, the liones are ermine and are crowned.

William Bradbridge, Bishop 1571-1578

Escutcheon: Azure, a pheon argent.

John Woolton, Bishop 1579-1594

Escutcheon: Or, a lion rampant supporting a saltier engrailed humette gules.

Alternatives- Gules, a saltier engrailed or and Argent, three standing cups with covers sable. (His mother's coat).

Gervase Babington, Bishop 1595-1597

Escutcheon: Argent, ten torteaux in pile, a label azure.

Alternatively, with a label of five points gules.

William Cotton, Bishop 1598-1621

Escutcheon: Argent, ten torteaux in pile, a label azure.

Alternatively, no label, a label of five points, or a label azure.

Valentine Cary, Bishop 1621-1626

Escutcheon: Argent, on a bend sable three roses of the field, a mullet for difference.

Joseph Hall, Bishop 1627-1641

Escutcheon: Sable, three talbots' heads erased argent, langued gules.

Ralph Brownrigg, Bishop 1642-1646

Escutcheon: Argent, a lion rampant sable guttee d'or between three crescents gules.

John Gauden, Bishop 1660-1662

Escutcheon: Azure, a chevron ermine between three leopards' heads or; a bordure of the second.

Seth Ward, Bishop 1662-1667

Escutcheon: Azure, a cross patonce or.

Anthony Sparrow, Bishop 1667-1676

Escutcheon: Ermines, three roses argent.

Thomas Lamplugh, Bishop 1676-1688

Escutcheon: Or, a cross flory sable.

Sir Jonathan Trelawny, Bt., Bishop 1689-1707

Escutcheon: Argent, a chevron sable, a canton of Ulster.

Since the 18th century

Arms Bishop and blazon
Ofspring Blackall, Bishop 1708-1716

Escutcheon: Argent, a greyhound courant sable collared or, on a chief dancetty of the second, three bezants.

Lancelot Blackburne, Bishop 1717-1724

Escutcheon: Argent, a fess nebuly between three mullets sable.

Stephen Weston, Bishop 1724-1742

Escutcheon: Argent, a cross calvary gules; on a chief azure five bezants.

Nicholas Clagett, Bishop 1742-1746

Escutcheon: Ermine, on a fess sable three pheons or.

George Lavington, Bishop 1747-1762

Escutcheon: Argent, a saltire gules; on a chief of the second three boars' heads or; a crescent for difference.

Frederick Keppel, Bishop 1762-1777

Escutcheon: Gules, three escallops argent; a martlet for difference.

John Ross, Bishop 1778-1792

Escutcheon: Gules, three water bougets argent.

William Buller, Bishop 1792-1796

Escutcheon: Sable, on a cross argent quarterly pierced four eagles displayed of the field.

Reginald Courtenay, Bishop 1797-1803

Escutcheon: Or, three torteaux and a label azure, quartering Or, a lion rampant azure.

John Fisher, Bishop 1803-1807

Escutcheon: Sable, on a mount vert two stags saliant affrontant argent, collared and chained or.

George Pelham, Bishop 1807-1820

Escutcheon: Azure, three pelicans in piety argent; quartering, Gules, two demi-belts paleways, buckles towards chief.

William Carey, Bishop 1820-1830

Escutcheon: Argent, on a bend sable three roses of the field, on a chief gules two crosses patée or.

Alternatively blazoned with three crosses patée on the chief.

Christopher Bethell, Bishop 1830

Escutcheon: Argent, on a chevron between three boars' heads sable, an estoile or.

Henry Phillpotts, Bishop 1831-1869

Escutcheon: Gules, a cross between four swords erect argent, hilts and pommels or.

Frederick Temple, Bishop 1869-1885

Escutcheon: Or, an eagle displayed sable (for Leofric, Earl of Mercia); quartering Argent, two bars sable, each charged with three martlets or (Temple).

Edward Bickersteth, Bishop 1885-1900

Escutcheon: Argent, a cross flory sable charged with five mullets or; on a chief azure three roses or.

Herbert Edward Ryle, Bishop 1901-1903

Escutcheon: Azure, on a bend erminois cotised argent between four crosses patée fitchy of the second, three cinquefoils argent.

Archibald Robertson, Bishop 1903-1916

Escutcheon: Gules, on a chevron between three wolves' heads erased argent, three mullets of the field.

Lord William Cecil, Bishop 1916-1936

Escutcheon: Quarterly : 1st and 4th, Barry of ten, argent and azure, over all, six escutcheons, sable, three, two, and one, each charged with a lion rampant, of the first ; a crescent for difference (Cecil), 2nd and 3rd, Argent, on a pale sable, a conger's head erased and erect or, charged with an ermine spot (Gascoigne).

Charles Curzon, Bishop 1936-1948
Robert Mortimer, Bishop 1949-1973

Escutcheon: Quarterly : 1st and 4th, Barry of six or and azure, on a chief of the flrst two pallets between two base gyrons of the second, over all an inescutcheon argent; 2nd and 3rd Or, ten fleurs de lys in pile azure, a chief of the second.

Eric Mercer, Bishop 1973-1985
Hewlett Thompson, Bishop 1985-1999.
Michael Langrish, Bishop 1999-2013
Robert Atwell, Bishop 2014-2023
Mike Harrison, Bishop 2024-present

References

Unless otherwise cited, arms are sourced from:

List of bishops:

Other sources:

  1. ↑ Oliver, George (1861). Lives of the bishops of Exeter. Exeter: William Roberts. p. 6. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
  2. ↑ Oliver 1861, p. 269.
  3. ↑ Chichester, Sir Alexander Palmer Bruce (1871). History of the family of Chichester, from 1086 to 1870. London: Hotten (printer). pp. 1–3.
  4. ↑ Burke, Sir Bernard (1884). The general armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales ... p. 129. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  5. ↑ Bedford 1897, p. 50.
  6. ↑ Pole, Sir William (1791). Collections towards a description of the county of Devon. London: J. Nichols (printer). p. 473.
  7. ↑ Pole 1791, p. 471.
  8. ↑ Burke's peerage and baronetage (71st ed.). 1909. p. 1592.
  9. ↑ Arms displayed on the Lady Chapel East Window, Exeter Cathedral.