In 1882, Pope Leo XIII issued an Apostolic Brief dividing the Diocese of Southwark and forming the new Diocese of Portsmouth, to include Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, parts of south Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. Dr John Vertue was appointed as the first bishop, and the new parish church in Portsmouth became the cathedral. Since the founding of the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth until 2012, seven bishops and one auxiliary have led the diocese.

This book is a systematic study of the bishops of Portsmouth, and the one auxiliary, from 1882 to 2012. Each chapter presents a bishop, outlining their early history, the time before each was appointed bishop and then their work as diocesan bishop. Wider references to the history of the diocese, particularly the major churches and the diocese’s twin diocese of Bamenda in Cameroon, are also included as appropriate. Paul Severn shows how the different approaches and styles that each brought to the post have contributed to the life and ministry of the diocese and the wider Church.