The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which fall within the Diocese of Winchester as they were historically in Hampshire), and most of Wiltshire (excepting an area in the north and Swindon). The diocese is led by Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, and by the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral. History Roman Catholic The Diocese of Sherborne (founded ) was the origin of the present diocese; St Aldhelm was its first Bishop of Sherborne. The Diocese of Ramsbury was created from the northwestern territory of the Bishop of Winchester in 909. Herman of Wilton was appointed bishop of Ramsbury, covering Wiltshire and Berkshire, by Edward the Confessor in 1045. In or after 1059 he was also appointed Sherborne, covering Dorset, uniting the two dioceses. In 1075 he obtained approval to move the see to Old Sarum. Disputes between the bishops Herbert and Richard Poore and the sheriffs of Wiltshire led to the removal of the see in the 1220s to a new site. This was chartered as the city of New Sarum by in 1227, but it was not until the 14th century that the office was described (by Robert Wyvil) as the Bishop of Sarum (). The diocese, like the city, is now known as Salisbury. The archdeaconry around Salisbury, however, retains the name of Sarum. Anglican Reforms within the Church of England led to the annexation of Dorset from the abolished diocese of Bristol in 1836; Berkshire, however, was removed the same year and given to Oxford. In 1925 and 1974, new suffragan bishops were appointed to assist the Bishop of Salisbury; the new offices were titled the bishops of Sherborne and Ramsbury, respectively. Until 2009 the bishops operated under an episcopal area scheme established in 1981, with each suffragan bishop having a formal geographical area of responsibility, and being known as "area bishops". The Bishop of Ramsbury had oversight of the diocese's parishes in Wiltshire, while the Bishop of Sherborne had oversight of the diocese's parishes in Dorset. This scheme was replaced to reflect the increased working across the whole diocese by all three bishops. The two suffragans may now legally function anywhere in the diocese, and the Bishop of Salisbury may delegate