The Archdeacon of Northumberland is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Newcastle.
As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy[1] within the geographical area of the archdeaconry.
The first archdeacons in the diocese occur after the Norman Conquest – around the same time the post of archdeacon first started to occur elsewhere in England.
There is no evidence of more than one archdeacon in the diocese until the mid-12th century, when two lines of office holders start to appear in sources.
The ancient Archdeaconry of Northumberland was part of the Diocese of Durham until 23 May 1882, when the Diocese of Newcastle was formed from it and the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne.