Diocese of Salisbury

The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. It covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire (excepting Swindon and a part of north Wiltshire), and is a constituent of the Province of Canterbury.

The Diocese of Salisbury arose from the ancient Saxon dioceses of Sherborne and Ramsbury that were combined in the 11th century (1058). After the Norman Conquest the episcopal see was moved to the castle at Old Sarum. In the 13th century a new cathedral was built to the south, founding the city of New Sarum, now known as Salisbury.

In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred to the Diocese of Oxford. At the same time, with the abolition of the historic Diocese of Bristol, the Archdeaconry of Dorset was added to the diocese.

The diocese is divided into two Episcopal Areas (Ramsbury and Sherborne) each of which are further divided into two Archdeaconries:
 * Ramsbury Episcopal Area (most of Wiltshire, except for Swindon and part of north Wiltshire)
 * the Archdeaconry of Wilts
 * comprises the Deaneries of Bradford, Calne, Devizes, Heytesbury, Marlborough, Pewsey
 * the Archdeaconry of Sarum
 * comprises the Deaneries of Alderbury, Chalke, Salisbury, Stonehenge
 * Sherborne Episcopal Area (Dorset, except Bournemouth and Christchurch)
 * the Archdeaconry of Dorset
 * comprises the Deaneries of Blackmore Vale, Milton and Blandford, Poole, Purbeck, Wimborne
 * the Archdeaconry of Sherborne
 * comprises the Deaneries of Dorchester, Lyme Bay, Sherborne, Weymouth and Portland