List of archbishops of Canterbury

Before the Reformation, the archbishop served as a prelate of the Catholic Church.

In the Middle Ages there was considerable variation in the nomination procedure of the archbishop and other bishops.

At various times the nomination was made by the Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, the English monarch, or the Pope.

[3][4] Since the Reformation, the church is explicitly a state church and nomination is legally that of the British crown; today it is made in the name of the monarch by the prime minister of the United Kingdom, from a shortlist of two selected by the Crown Nominations Commission, an ad hoc committee.

[7] Those who have assisted the diocesan archbishop have included: Two coadjutors – called Bishop of St Martin's — to Saxon archbishops:[81] Lanfranc declared that appointments to that See would cease, and the Bishop of Rochester would deputise instead.

Three plaques on a wall, inscribed with the lists of the archbishops. In front of the plaques is a table with two candlesticks flanking an upright cross.
List of the archbishops of Canterbury up to Rowan Williams (2002–2012), in Canterbury Cathedral
Arms of Langton: Argent, a cross quarter-pierced gules (start of heraldic era circa 1215)
Arms of Saint Edmund of Abingdon: Or, a cross patonce gules between four Cornish choughs proper (now used by St Edmund Hall, Oxford )
Arms of Savoy: Gules, a cross argent
Arms of Stratford: Barry of ten argent and azure, a lion rampant gules langued or
Arms of Ufford: Sable, a cross engrailed or in chief two escallops argent
Arms of Courtenay: Or, three torteaux a label azure
Arms of FitzAlan: Gules, a lion rampant or
Arms of Chichele: Or, a chevron between three cinquefoils gules
Arms of Stafford: Or, a chevron gules
Arms of Bourchier: Argent, a cross engrailed gules between four water bougets sable
Arms of Morton: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Gules, a goat's head erased armed argent; 2nd & 3rd: Ermine [ 56 ]
Arms of Warham: Gules, a fess or in chief a goat's head couped argent attired or in base three escallops two and one of the third [ 57 ]
Arms of Bishop Cranmer: Argent, on a chevron azure between three pelicans sable vulning themselves proper as many cinquefoils or [ 59 ]
Arms of Pole (2nd quarter): Per pale or and sable, a saltire engrailed counterchanged