Diocese of Ripon

The Diocese of Ripon, renamed the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds from 1999 until its amalgamation into the new Diocese of Leeds in 2014, was a former Church of England diocese within the Province of York. Immediately prior to its dissolution, it covered an area in western and northern Yorkshire as well as the south Teesdale area administered by County Durham which is traditionally part of Yorkshire. The cities of Ripon and Leeds were within its boundaries as were the towns of Harrogate, Richmond, Knaresborough, Hawes and Bedale and the surrounding countryside; its northern boundary was the River Tees. The diocesan Bishop of Ripon had his cathedral church at Ripon. The diocese was also served by a suffragan Bishop of Knaresborough and was divided into two archdeaconries, those of Richmond and Leeds. For organizational purposes, the diocese was further divided into eight deaneries: Richmond, Wensley, Ripon, Harrogate, Allerton, Headingley, Armley and Whitkirk. The first four deaneries are located in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, and the latter four are in the Archdeaconry of Leeds. The former Diocese covered an area of 1,359 square miles, with a range of urban and rural parishes, these range from urban areas like Holbeck and Armley with New Wortley, urban centres like Ripon and Richmond and rural parishes like Danby Wiske with Hutton Bonneville in the Vale of Mowbray, Eryholme on the southern bank of the River Tees and Upper Nidderdale high in the Yorkshire Dales.