High Medieval

From its erection, the archdeaconry was in Norwich diocese. For archdeacons of that diocese before territorial titles began, see Archdeacon of Norwich.

• bef. 1145–aft. 1136: William son of Humphrey^{[N 1]}
• bef. 1143–aft. 1167: Baldwin of Boulogne^{[N 1]}
• bef. 1200–aft. 1185: Reiner
• bef. 1193–aft. 1211: Roger^{[N 1]}
• bef. 1220–bef. 1222 (d.): Robert of Gloucester, Archdeacon of Stafford
• bef. 1224–bef. 1235: Alan de Beccles
• bef. 1241–1242 (res.): Roger Pincerna, Le Boteler (became Archdeacon of Suffolk)
• 1242–aft. 1256: William de Clare
• bef. 1266–1267: Thomas Ingoldsthorpe (became Archdeacon of Middlesex)
• 1267–aft. 1273: Constantine de Mildenhall
• bef. 1279–aft. 1279: Ralph de Fornham
• bef. 1285–bef. 1294: Ralph of York

Late Medieval

• bef. 1307–bef. 1308: Henry de Bradenham
• 1 April 1308 – 1324 (res.): Alan de Ely (became Archdeacon of Suffolk)
• 16 April 1324–bef. 1329: Simon de Creake
• 17 January 1329–bef. 1346 (d.): Firmin de Lavenham
• 31 August 1346–bef. 1348 (d.): Gilbert de Marewell or de Yarewell
• 12 October 1348 – 1349 (res.): Richard Lyng (became Archdeacon of Norwich)
• 27 August–20 November 1349 (exch.): Walter Elvedon
• 20 November–bef. December 1349 (res.): Thomas de Winchester
• 8 December 1349–bef. 1350 (res.): Thomas de Methelwold
• 3 January 1350–bef. 1361 (d.): Henry de la Zouche
• 7 January 1362–bef. 1365 (res.): William Graa de Trusthope (became Archdeacon of Suffolk)
• bef. 1363–aft. 1363: John Hambleton
• 8 May 1384–?: John de Lincoln (royal grant)
• 3 September 1384–bef. 1389 (res.): Hugh Sturmy (royal grant)
• 1385: Thomas Grene (bishop's candidate; ineffective)
• 14 November 1388: Hugh Gaudeby (bishop's candidate; ineffective)
• 5 May 1389 – 5 November 1398 (exch.): Thomas Hetersete
• 5 November–bef. December 1398 (res.): Richard Maudeleyn
• 18 December 1398–bef. 1406 (res.): Thomas Hetersete (again)
• 12 January 1406–bef. 1414 (d.): Eudo de la Zouche
• 2 December 1412 (royal grant): Roger Wodehele (ineffective)
• 13 March 1414 – 18 April 1429 (exch.): Thomas Rodborne
• 18 April 1429–bef. 1452 (d.): Clement Denston
• 24 May 1452–bef. 1462: John Wiggenhall
• bef. 1462–bef. 1479 (d.): John Selot
• 9 September 1479–aft. 1483: Nicholas Goldwell
• bef. 1484–bef. 1493 (d.): John Jeffreys
• 3 December 1493–bef. 1497 (d.): Thomas Shenkwyn
• 14 December 1497–bef. 1514 (d.): John Finneys
• 3 April 1514 – 1517 (res.): William Stillington (became Archdeacon of Norwich)
• 17 February 1517 – 1522 (res.): Thomas Larke (became Archdeacon of Norwich)^{[N 2]}
• 9 April 1522–bef. 1537 (d.): Richard Woleman^[4] (also Dean of Wells from 1529)
• 21 September 1537 – 1570 (d.): Miles Spencer^[5]

Early modern

• 2 March 1570–bef. 1576 (d.): Thomas Aldrich^[6]
• March 1576 – 1593 (res.): John Still (became Bishop of Bath and Wells)^[7]
• 15 June 1593–?: Tertullian Pyne^[8]
• 6 October 1599–bef. 1621 (d.): Cuthbert Norris^[9]
• 27 December 1621–bef. 1652 (d.): Theophilus Kent^[10]
• 7 August 1660 – 1667 (res.): Anthony Sparrow (became Bishop of Exeter)^[11]
• 5 December 1667 – 27 May 1693 (d.): John Spencer (also Dean of Ely from 1677)^[12]
• 14 June 1693 – 30 January 1727 (d.): Nicholas Clagett^[13]
• 16 March 1727 – 20 November 1741 (d.): Brampton Gurdon^[14]
• 24 November 1741 – 14 October 1784 (d.): John Chapman^[15]
• 20 October 1784 – 14 July 1823 (d.): John Gooch^[16]
• 21 July 1823 – 4 May 1862 (d.): George Glover^[17]

Transferred to Diocese of Ely by Order in Council, 19 April 1837.^[18]

Late modern

• 1862–1869 (res.): Lord Arthur Hervey (became Bishop of Bath and Wells)^[19]
• 1869–1900 (res.): Frank Chapman, Vicar of St James's, Bury St Edmunds (until 1873), Rector of Stowlangtoft (1878–1881)^[20][21]
• 1901–12 May 1902 (d.): Arthur Livingstone^[22][23]
• 1902–30 August 1921 (d.): George Hodges,^[24] Vicar of St James's, Bury St Edmunds (until 1912), then a canon residentiary of St Edmundsbury Cathedral^[25]

Suffolk and Sudbury archdeaconries were erected into the new Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich on 23 January 1914.

• 1921–1930 (ret.): William Farmiloe, Canon Missioner^[26]
• 1930–1932 (res.): Eric Buckley, Rector of Polstead (became Archdeacon of Ipswich)^[27][28]

The Ipswich archdeaconry was created from the archdeaconries of Suffolk and of Sudbury by Order-in-Council on 22 December 1931; Buckley transferred to the new archdeacony.^[29]

• 1932–1945 (ret.): Maxwell Maxwell-Gumbleton, assistant bishop (until 1934), then Bishop suffragan of Dunwich (previously Bishop of Ballarat)^[30][31]
• 1945–1962 (res.): Hugh Norton, Rector of Horringer with Ickworth (until 1958), then a canon residentiary of the cathedral (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[32][33]
• 1962–16 March 1968 (d.): Harry Barton, Rector of Sudbury (until 1967)^[34][35]
• 1968–1970 (res.): David Maddock, Bishop suffragan of Dunwich^[36][37]
• 1970–25 October 1983 (d.): Kenneth Child, Rector of Great and Little Thurlow with Little Bradley (until 1980)^[38][39]
• 1984–1991 (ret.): Donald Smith (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[40][41]
• 1991–1994 (res.): Richard Garrard (became Bishop suffragan of Penrith)^[42][43]
• 1994–2006 (ret.): John Cox (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[44][45][46]
• 2006 – 1 August 2009 (d.): David Brierley^[47][48]
• February 2010 – present: David Jenkins^[49][50]