The Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District was the title given to the bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 who headed an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The Vicariate Apostolic

Apostolic vicariate

An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...

 of the Lancashire District was created in 1840 and was replaced by two dioceses in 1850.

History

The Vicariate Apostolic of the Lancashire District was created out of the Northern District

Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District

The Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District.-Background:...

 on 11 May 1840. The Lancashire District comprised the historic counties

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 of Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

 and Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, plus the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

. The vicar apostolic of the district was Bishop George Hilary Brown

George Hilary Brown

George Hilary Brown was an English prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Liverpool from 1850 to 1856.-Early life:...

, who was appointed on 5 June 1840. Three years later, Bishop James Sharples

James Sharples (bishop)

James Sharples was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He served as coadjutor to the Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District from 1843 until his death in 1850.-Early life and ministry:...

 was appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic on 7 August 1843 to assist Bishop Brown in overseeing the district.

On the restoration of the hierarchy

Universalis Ecclesiae

Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...

 in England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

 by Pope Pius IX

Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...

 on 29 September 1850, thirteen dioceses were established. Most of the Lancashire District was replaced by the dioceses of Liverpool and Salford. The Diocese of Liverpool comprised the hundreds of West Derby

West Derby (hundred)

The hundred of West Derby was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was sometimes known as West Derbyshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of West Derby .It covered the southwest of Lancashire, containing the ancient...

, Leyland

Leyland (hundred)

The Leyland hundred, or Leylandshire, was a hundred of the English county of Lancashire. It covered the parishes of Brindle, Chorley, Croston, Eccleston, Hoole, Leyland, Penwortham, Rufford, Standish and Tarleton....

, Lonsdale

Lonsdale (hundred)

Lonsdale was a hundred of Lancashire, England. For many decades, it covered most of the northwestern part of Lancashire around Morecambe Bay, including the detached part around Furness, and the city of Lancaster....

 and Amounderness

Amounderness

Amounderness was a hundred of Lancashire in North West England. Formerly, the name had been used for territories now in Lancashire and north of the River Ribble that had been included in Domesday Yorkshire.-Etymology and history:...

 in Lancashire, plus the Isle of Man. The Liverpool diocese was later elevated to an archdiocese on 28 October 1911. The Diocese of Salford comprised the hundreds of Salford

Salford (hundred)

The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...

 and Blackburn

Blackburnshire

Blackburnshire was a hundred, or ancient division of the county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was centred on Blackburn, and covered an area approximately equal to modern day East Lancashire....

 in Lancashire. The remainder of the district, the county of Cheshire, became part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

Vicars Apostolic

Vicars Apostolic of the Lancashire District
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1840	1850	George Hilary Brown George Hilary Brown George Hilary Brown was an English prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Liverpool from 1850 to 1856.-Early life:...	Appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District and Titular Bishop Titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...  of Bugia on 5 June 1840 and consecrated Consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...  on 24 August 1840. Exchanged the titluar see of Bugia to the titluar see of Tlos on 22 April 1842. Appointed the first Bishop of Liverpool Archbishop of Liverpool The Archbishop of Liverpool heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...  on 29 September 1850 when the district divided.
1843	1850	(James Sharples James Sharples (bishop) James Sharples was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He served as coadjutor to the Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District from 1843 until his death in 1850.-Early life and ministry:... )	Appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District and Titular Bishop of Sebaste in Palaestina on 11 August 1843 and consecrated on 15 August 1843. Died in office on 11 August 1850.
In 1850, the title was replaced by the bishoprics of Liverpool Archbishop of Liverpool The Archbishop of Liverpool heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...  and Salford Bishop of Salford The Bishop of Salford is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford in the Province of Liverpool, England.With the gradual abolition of the legal restrictions on the activities of Catholics in England and Wales in the early 19th century, Rome decided to proceed to bridge the gap of the... .