From its northern edge along the Firth of Forth, the Diocese of Edinburgh covers the whole of the Lothians, Falkirk and the Scottish Borders down to its southern boundary along the English border. It incorporates more than 50 churches, half of them in the city of Edinburgh. The current Bishop is the Right Reverend Brian Smith.
The Diocese was created fairly recently relative to the other Scottish Episcopal sees, being founded in 1633 by King Charles 1: William Forbes was consecrated in St Giles Cathedral as its first bishop on 23 January 1634 though he died later that year.
The General Assembly of 1638 deposed Bishop David Lindsay and all the other bishops, so the next, George Wishart, was consecrated in 1662 after the Restoration. In 1690 it was Bishop Alexander Rose (1687-1720) whose unwelcome reply to King William III led to the disestablishment of the Scottish Episcopalians as Jacobite sympathisers, and it was he who led his congregation from St Giles to a former wool store as their meeting house.
After the repeal of the penal laws in 1792 and the reuniting of Episcopal and 'Qualified' congregations, the Diocese grew under the leadership of Bishops Daniel Sandford, James Walker, C.H. Terrot and Henry Cotterill. The high point of the 19th Century was the consecration of St. Marys Cathedral in 1879.
Edinburgh has three companion dioceses, the Diocese of Cape Coast in Ghana, the Diocese of Connor, part of the Church of Ireland, and the Diocese of Dunedin, in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Diocesan office
Contact the diocesan office at:
21a Grosvenor Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 5EL
0131 5387033
More information
Links to more information about the Diocese:
- The Diocese of Edinburgh website »
- For more information about the Diocese, and its latest news and events, please visit the Diocesan website.
- SEC Church Directory »
- List and get contact details for all churches within the diocese using our online Church Directory.
