The Archdeacon of Brecon is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church in Wales Diocese of Swansea and Brecon. The archdeacon is the senior priest with responsibility over the area of the archdeaconry of Brecon, which comprises the five rural deaneries of Brecon, Builth, Crickhowell, Hay and Maelienydd.
The first recorded archdeacons of Brecon occur soon after the Norman Conquest in the Diocese of St David's, based in a fortified palace at Llan-ddew. However, no territorial titles are recorded until after c. 1125. Following the disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920, the Archdeaconry of Brecon was separated from St David's diocese in 1923 to become the new Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, and subdivided into the present two archdeaconries of Brecon (redefined) and Gower.
1115–1120 Elias1120–1148 Jordan1174–1176 Gerald of Wales (de Barri)1203–1208 Gerald de Barri (the younger)1253 John1259 Roger of Christchurch1274 John de Fecham1274 Henry de Villa Amlof1278–1303 Adam Bareth1328 Philip ap Hywel1345, 1366 Gruffudd ap Rhys1389–1408 Morgan ab Einion1408 Richard Gyldesford1408–? Roger Stafford1437–1456 David Chirbury (previously Bishop of Dromore, 1431)1504–1523 William Walter1523–?1540 Richard Fetherston (hung, drawn and quartered for papacy, 1540)1554–1559 John Blaxton1559–1560 George Constantine1560–? William Downeham1567-? William Blethyn (died 1590) (also Bishop of Llandaff, 1575)1643–1671 William Nicholson (also Bishop of Gloucester, 1660)1671–1704 Timothy Halton (also Archdeacon of Oxford, 1675) ?1704–1708 Roger Griffith1708–1736 Joseph Stephensc.1720 Richard Davies1736–1759 Thomas Payn1759–1763 Thomas Eynon1763–1805 Edward Edwards1805–1859 Richard Davies (the younger)1859–1875 Richard Payne Davies 1875–1895 Henry de Winton 1895–1907 (ret.): William Bevan (father of Edward)1907–1923 (res.): Edward Bevan (afterwards Suffragan Bishop of Swansea, 1915)1923: Archdeaconry redefined as part of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon1923–1939 (ret.): Church Jones 1939–1947 (ret.): Henry Stewart 1947–1955: Richard Cole-Hamilton 1955–1969 (ret.): William Wilkinson 1969–1978 (ret.): Thomas Griffiths 1979–1987 (res.): Owain Jones (afterwards Archdeacon of Gower, 1987)1987–1994 (ret.): Wynford Rees 1994–1999 (res.): Brian James1999–2003 (ret.): Elwyn Crebey John2002–2013 (ret.): Randolph Thomas2013–present: Alan Jevons