The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the historic Counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, or in terms of local government areas, Bedfordshire, Luton, Hertfordshire and parts of the London Borough of Barnet. It therefore ranges from small rural communities in villages and hamlets to major urban centres like Luton, Bedford, Watford and Hemel Hempstead, and includes suburban areas on London's outer reaches. History The diocese was founded by an Order in Council on 30 April 1877, implementing the Bishopric of St Albans Act 1875. The diocese was established from parts of the large Diocese of Rochester, extending the new bishop's jurisdiction over more than 600 parishes in the two counties of Essex and Hertfordshire. The first Bishop of St Albans was Thomas Legh Claughton, who served from 1877 to 1890. The see is in the City of St Albans, where the cathedra (bishop's seat) is located in St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral building itself dates from 1077. It was an abbey church (part of St Albans Abbey) prior to its dissolution in 1539, and then a parish church (purchased by the town in 1553) until its elevation to cathedral status in 1877. In 1914, the new Diocese of Chelmsford was formed, removing Essex from the St Albans diocese. A few months later the county Archdeaconry of Bedford was added from the Diocese of Ely, thereby providing the diocese substantially with its current boundaries. The suffragan bishopric of Bedford was revived in 1879 and again in 1935 and that of Hertford was created in 1968. Current geographical limits and structure The diocese currently includes: the county of Bedfordshire the county of Hertfordshire parts of the London Borough of Barnet The diocese is overseen by the Bishop of St Albans, whose cathedra (or seat) is in St Albans Cathedral. He is supported in his pastoral work in the diocese by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford as well as three archdeacons. The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries, which are in turn divided into 20 area or rural deaneries. The diocesan offices are located in Holywell Hill in St Albans. Bishops The Bishop of St Albans (Alan Smith) leads the