Who was Archbishop of Canterbury at Victoria's coronation?

William Howley was Archbishop of Canterbury at Queen Victoria’s coronation on 28 June 1838. He presided over the service in Westminster Abbey, just over a year after Victoria became queen.

Howley had held the Canterbury see since 1828, succeeding Charles Manners-Sutton. Before that, he had been Bishop of London. His tenure placed him at the centre of major religious and political controversies, including Catholic emancipation and the Great Reform Act, which many bishops opposed.

Victoria’s coronation was a grand public occasion, with processions through London and enormous crowds. Yet the service itself was poorly rehearsed and became famous for ceremonial mistakes. One mishap involved the elderly peer Lord Rolle, who stumbled while approaching the queen; Victoria later recorded the event in her journal.

John Sumner is the key likely mix-up: he succeeded Howley as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1848 and later crowned Victoria’s son Edward VII in 1902. Edward White Benson and Charles Longley held the office later still, so neither was present as Canterbury’s archbishop in 1838.