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Winchester Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winchester Cathedral, is the cathedral of the city of Winchester, England, and is among the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of Winchester.

The cathedral as it stands today was built from 1079 to 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, most notably Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave in the Perpendicular Gothic style, an Early English retrochoir, and Norman transepts and tower. With an overall length of 558 ft, it is the longest medieval cathedral in the world. With an area of 53480 ft2, it is also the sixth-largest cathedral by area in the UK, surpassed only by Liverpool, St Paul's, York, Westminster (RC) and Lincoln.

A major tourist attraction, the cathedral attracted 365,000 visitors in 2019, an increase of 12,000 from 2018.

Earlier buildings
Though churches were recorded in Winchester as early as 164, the first Christian church can be traced back to c. 648, when King Cenwalh of Wessex built a small, cross-shaped building just north of the present building. This building, known as the Old Minster, became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Winchester in 662, a vast area stretching from the English Channel to the River Thames, the bishopric having been transferred from Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire by Bishop Wine. The design of this early church cannot be confirmed, for no trace other than ground plan exists today, but Wolstan mentions a gateway tower situated some distance from the west end. Wine died in c. 672, but one of his later successors, Swithun, would become one of the most famous Bishops of Winchester.

Whether Swithun himself oversaw any expansion of the Old Minster is unknown, but it is recorded in Acta Sanctorum that from 963 to 984, Bishop Æthelwold greatly expanded the church, the works being finished by the following Bishop, Alphege. The church was rededicated in 993, and consisted of a central tower, north and south aisles, transepts, crypt and an apse, and was briefly the largest church in Europe. Also on the site was the New Minster, in direct competition with the neighbouring Old Minster. The New Minster was begun by Alfred the Great but completed in 901 by his son Edward the Elder. These two monasteries existed side by side, the monks becoming virtually intertwined with one another. Swithun's body, which according to his wishes had been buried in the graveyard outside the church, was brought inside and housed in a magnificent shrine.

Norman cathedral
When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. William installed his friend and relative Walkelin as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later, in 1079, Walkelin began the construction of a huge new Norman cathedral, on a site just to the south of the Old and New Minsters, the site of the present building. The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. The following day, demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave. Work quickly progressed to the transepts and central tower, and these were certainly complete by 1100 when William Rufus was buried underneath the crossing tower. Work to the nave was probably interrupted in 1107 when the central tower fell,  but was restarted following reconstruction of the tower, and completed before the death of William Giffard, who was Bishop of Winchester from 1100 to his death in 1129. The standard of much of this building work was high, and thus much of it survives in the present building, most notably in the transepts which have an appearance almost as Walkelin left them. This building was monumental in size, more than 500 ft in length, and it still makes up the core of the present building.

Gothic expansions
The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop Godfrey de Luci started construction of a new Early English retrochoir. Luci died in 1204, but the work continued under successive bishops, eventually resulting in the demolition of the Norman apse. The next expansions and rebuilding took place the mid 14th century, when in 1346, Bishop Edington demolished the Norman west front and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave, but this was mostly carried out by his successors, most notably William of Wykeham and his master mason, William Wynford, who remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. This they achieved by encasing the Norman stone in new ashlar, recutting the piers with Gothic mouldings and pointed arches, and reorganising the three-tier nave into two tiers, by extending the arcade upwards into what was the triforium and extending the clerestory downwards to meet it. The wooden ceiling was replaced with a decorative stone vault. Following Wykeham's death in 1404, this remodelling work continued under successive bishops, and was completed c. 1420.

Wykeham's successor, Henry Beaufort (1405–1447) carried out fewer alterations, adding a chantry on the south side of the retrochoir, although work on the nave continued. From 1450 to 1528, under the leadership of Bishops William Waynflete, Peter Courtenay, Thomas Langton and Richard Foxe, major rebuilding and expansion was carried out on the Norman choir and Early English retrochoir. This work included the building of further chantry chapels in the retrochoir, the replacement of the Norman east end with a Perpendicular Gothic presbytery, and the extension of Luci's retrochoir into a Lady Chapel. Unlike the rebuilding of the nave some 100 years earlier, the Gothic presbytery was vaulted in wood and painted to look like stone, as at York Minster. After its progressive extensions, the east end is now about 110 ft beyond that of Walkelin's building.

Dissolution of the Monasteries
King Henry VIII seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of the new Church of England. The Benedictine foundation, the Priory of Saint Swithun, was dissolved. The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. Richard Pollard and Thomas Wriothesley came to dismantle the shrines and altar; the shrine of St Swithun was destroyed. The next year a new chapter was formed, and the last prior, William Basyng, was appointed dean. Mary I married Philip II of Spain here in 1554. The monastic buildings, including the cloister and chapter house, were later demolished, mostly during the 1560–1580 tenure of the reformist bishop Robert Horne.

17th – 19th centuries
The 17th century saw important changes to the interior, including the erection of a choir screen by Inigo Jones in 1638–39, the insertion of a wooden fan vault underneath the crossing tower (previously the tower was open to the church) and the destruction of much medieval glass and imagery by Parliamentarian soldiers in December 1642, including the near-complete destruction of the massive Great West Window by Cromwell and his forces. The window was put back together by the townspeople as a mosaic following the Restoration of the Monarchy, but it has never regained its original appearance as the damage was too great.

In the 18th century, many visitors commented on the neglect of the cathedral and the town; Daniel Defoe described the latter in about 1724 as "a place of no trade… no manufacture, no navigation".

Major restoration followed in the early 19th century under the direction of architect William Garbett and then John Nash. Jane Austen was buried in the north nave aisle in 1817, and many visitors continue to come today to see her final resting place.

20th century restoration
At the turn of the 20th century, Winchester Cathedral was in grave danger of collapse, and by the summer of 1905, the Dean, William Furneaux, was facing the imminent ruin of the building. Huge cracks had appeared in the walls, some of them large enough for a small child to crawl into, the walls were bulging and leaning, and stone fell from the walls. Furneaux brought in a leading architect of the age, Thomas G. Jackson. Jackson's prognosis was grim, and his survey showed the entire building was listing to the south-east, and sinking into the soft ground, most likely due to defects in the foundations. On his instructions, large sections of the building were shored up with timber. Initial estimates for the cost of the repair were £20,000 in 1905.

Jackson, acknowledging he was out of his depth, brought in engineer Francis Fox, whose company had completed projects such as the Mersey Tunnel. Jackson and Fox sunk a trench to the foundations of the east end and discovered the Normans had constructed the entire cathedral on a 'floating raft', consisting of a 15-inch-thick layer of beech trees, laid diagonally one on top of the other. Some of these beech trees were solid, but others had rotted and collapsed, and as they did so, the cathedral shifted and sank into the soft ground, which was not strong enough to support the enormous weight of the building, causing the cracks, bulges and leaning walls. Fox removed a layer of topsoil, and ten feet of clay, at which point they arrived at the raft. Below this was a solid layer of peat, about 8 feet thick, and below this at a depth of 16 to 24 feet below the cathedral floor, they encountered a more solid layer of gravel, which they intended to utilise as the new base for the foundations.

Jackson and Fox proposed to sink a series of trenches around the eastern end, about 50 in number, down to the gravel bed, and to build up to the raft with concrete and brick. However, the upper walls were so weak that digging under the foundations without supporting the walls could bring the structure down. Therefore, Fox began grouting the walls using the 'Greathead Grouting Machine' to fill in the cracks. When grouting was completed, a new problem was encountered. When the peat was dug through to reach the gravel bed, water rushed up to a height of fourteen feet. The peat had acted as a seal, and when it was broken, water from the nearby River Itchen flooded the trenches. Jackson ordered a powerful steam pump to remove the water from the trenches. This caused a rift between Fox and Jackson, as Fox thought the pumping could further destabilise the foundations and cause the collapse of the building. Pumping nevertheless began.

In the spring of 1906, there were signs Fox was right – the cathedral was still moving and sinking, and this time, more rapidly than before. It was realised for the first time that there was a serious risk to lives. Fox made a site visit in March 1906 and became concerned because the water being pumped out was no longer clear but was cloudy, containing chalk. He ordered pumping stopped. The pump had disturbed a layer of chalk silt between the peat and gravel bed, which further destabilised the building. Jackson was against stopping pumping, as he could not see an alternative. Fox, however, summoned diver William Walker from London, who arrived in Winchester on 5 April 1906.

Walker, who was arguably the most experienced diver in the country at the time, had an extremely challenging job. His task was to descend into the flooded trenches in a primitive and immensely heavy diving suit and level the trenches, by removing the peat topsoil and then laying bags of cement to plug the water coming up from below. Walker's suit weighed 200 lb dry, and the trenches were cramped and pitch-black; Walker had to feel around with his hands. Additional challenges were that the water was full of bodies and graves, which made the water septic. Walker worked 6 to 7 hour shifts almost every day for six years to achieve this, diving under the majority of the cathedral building. When he had completed his work in 1911, the pump could be used safely to remove the water without disturbing the foundations. In 1911, flying buttresses were added along the length of the south nave to complete the work.

A special service was held on St Swithun's Day in 1912, attended by the King and Queen, to give thanks for the work of Jackson, Fox and Walker. Walker was later rewarded with the MVO and is credited with saving the cathedral from collapse. The total cost of the work was £113,000, equivalent in 2017 to nearly £9 million. Walker laid more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks.

21st century
In February 2000, a three-year project was completed to clean and conserve the nave and west front, which were last cleaned in 1897. For those three years, the nave had been covered with scaffolding both internally and externally. Following the removal of the scaffolding in early 2000, it was the first time the cathedral interior had been free of scaffolding since 1990. During August 2006, a near-catastrophic fire was narrowly averted, when a flying Chinese lantern got caught on the roof and began setting fire to it. Fortunately, no lasting damage took place and the fire was quickly extinguished. A spokesman for Hampshire Fire & Rescue said that had it not been spotted, the fire could have been similar in scale to the 1984 fire at York Minster, which almost completely destroyed the south transept.

In March 2011, a new single-storey extension in the corner of the north presbytery aisle was completed. Called the Fleury building after it was officially opened by the Abbot of Fleury from L'Abbaye de St-Benôit-sur-Loire in France, it was the first new extension on the cathedral building since the lady chapel was extended in the mid 16th century. The new building housed toilet facilities, storage and a new boiler, replacing a remote facility in the Wessex Hotel a short distance away. The new extension cost £820,000, which was raised by the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.

2012–2019 restoration
During September 2012, fundraising begins for a planned £19 million programme of repair and expansion. This project aimed to repair and conserve the ancient stained-glass windows of the presbytery clerestory, restore the wooden vault of the presbytery, replace the lead roof of the east end, rewire the building with a new sound system, and open a new exhibition on the Winchester Bible in the south transept triforium.

During the end of 2012, a high-level internal access scaffold was erected in the presbytery to enable close inspection of the vault and clerestory windows. The vault was subject to a detailed construction and paint analyses. The results of the inspection and analysis revealed severe corrosion in the windows, many of which had holes in and collapsed glass, and the failure of the lead roof above, which was causing degrading to the 16th-century wooden vault of the presbytery. A trial removal of the 1950s paint revealed the surviving 16th-century paint underneath on the nearly 200 roof bosses. In July 2013, a £10.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund allowed the restoration work to begin.

In 2014, a birdcage or suspended scaffold was installed below the vault in the presbytery, where it was expected to stay for four years. This scaffold allowed close contact with the vaults and clerestory windows to be repaired. The scaffold weighed 5 tonnes. Also in 2014, the south transept was removed of all of its items including 7,000 books from the library, to allow it to be restored and made ready for the new exhibition, Kings and Scribes, which was planned to open in the triforium at the end of the restoration project. The south transept was then filled with scaffolding and sealed off at the tower arch from the rest of the cathedral, which was expected to remain for nearly three years. In January 2015, a massive scaffolding frame began to be assembled in the Outer Close, which would be raised to cover the entire presbytery roof. In March 2015, a 300 tonne crane lifted the 27 tonne scaffolding frame to a height of 80 ft above the cathedral floor onto the roof. This scaffolding frame, which was moulded to the shape of the roof, was then covered with a waterproof layer to allow the lead underneath to be removed. Over the next few weeks, 54 tonnes of lead were removed from the roof, dating back as far as the early 19th century, and sent to Leicester to be recast. This stage of work was completed in May 2016 with the removal of the external scaffolding and the completion of the lead replacement. As part of the works to restore the south transept ahead of its use as an exhibition space, a statue was discovered on its gable end in 2017. The original statue, made of Caen stone, was in a very poor state of repair. Caen stone was too soft as an external stone, especially on the exposed roof ridge on the south transept, where it is exposed to the prevailing wind. The head had sheared off at the neck and several cracks were found elsewhere in the statue. The plinth supporting the statue was also in very poor condition. Examination of the statue revealed it dated back to c. 1330 to 1352. Thanks to a grant from The Radcliffe Trust, the statue was replaced with a newly carved life-sized figure of a medieval ecclesiastic clad in an alb, made of Portland stone. By February 2017, the cathedral were only £200,000 short of their fundraising goal, which had increased to £20.5 million. Also in February, a pit was created in the south transept floor to allow future insertion of a lift, thus allowing the exhibition on the south transept triforium to be accessible to all. Eight piles were inserted to a depth of 16.4 m below the floor to support the new lift.

In June 2017, the lift shaft and outer frame was installed, comprising 4 tonnes of steel rising 12.6 m from the floor. To enable this, the 12th-century groin vault of the south transept aisle was opened up in a world first. The lift shaft is entirely free standing, it does not exert any pressure on the vault or walls. By November, the final clerestory window had been reinserted. They had been removed beginning 2015 for restoration and were sent to Wells, Somerset for restoration. The Great East Window was also restored in this time but was so fragile, the conservation works were completed in-situ. Just as these window repairs were completed, conservation on eight windows in the north transept began, including the oldest stained-glass window in the cathedral, dating from 1330. A new oak mezzanine floor was installed in the triforium to prevent visitors from walking on the uneven floor. The glass lift was installed in the frame during this time, comprising 18 panels, the largest weighing some 550 kilograms.

Starting in January 2018, the birdcage installed in 2014 was slowly removed due to the completion of the vault and window repairs, allowing the vault and windows to be viewed for the first time in nearly four years. The stone reredos, dating from 1450 to 1476, called the Great Screen, was cleaned for the first time since 1890.

The entire project came to a close on 21 May 2019, with the opening of the Kings and Scribes exhibition in the south transept, the removal of all internal and external scaffolding, and the reopening of the south transept, which had been closed off for five years, some two and a half years longer than originally expected.

2024 independent review
In June 2024, some cathedral staff and volunteers were reported by the Hampshire Chronicle to have concerns about music at the cathedral. A senior member of the chapter, Mark Byford, resigned, and the bishop, Philip Mounstephen, commissioned an independent review of the events that had preceded this. The Chronicle said that there was "a storm over the departure of the director of music Andrew Lumsden and widespread concerns about the running of the music department". An article in The Critic said that "Sources in the Cathedral Close paint a picture of bullying, micro-management and control-freakery gone wild, with Lumsden the most recent victim".

Architecture
Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe and the longest in overall length. The building shows the development of the architectural building styles from the dramatic Norman work of the transepts, right through to the late Perpendicular Gothic work in the east end. The present building was begun in 1079 and was completed in 1532. It has a cruciform plan, with a long nave, transepts, central crossing tower, choir, presbytery and lady chapel. A variety of stone was used to build the cathedral, including Quarr limestone from the Isle of Wight, Bath stone or Oolite reused from demolished Old Minster, Caen stone from Normandy, ashlar, Beer stone and Purbeck Marble. The cathedral is 558 ft long, and the vaulting has a height of 78 ft. The central tower is 150 ft high.

The north and south transepts are the oldest unaltered sections of the present cathedral, constructed under the auspices of Bishop Walkelin from 1079 to 1098. They are massive in construction, some 209 ft in length across the crossing and the walls are 75 ft high. The transepts are divided into three sections of nearly equal height, featuring an arcade at ground level, triforium and clerestory. Both transepts have east and west aisles, each of which contains a small chapel. The windows in the transepts are mostly Norman, except for the clerestory and south gable of the south transept, which has had Decorated Gothic windows inserted, including a small rose window. The south transept aisle vault was pierced in the 2012-2020 restoration (see above) to allow installation of a lift up to the triforium. The central tower, which rises only one story above the steeply pitched roof of the nave, was rebuilt in the Norman style following its collapse in 1107. There are indications it was originally intended to be higher, the interior of the belfry stage is highly decorative, featuring dog-tooth carvings, which additionally indicates it was intended to be a lantern stage, potentially with a belfry stage above. Whether a further stage was planned or not is unknown, but a wooden fan vault was installed in 1635 to allow the installation of bells above, thus closing the upper stages of the tower off to the cathedral below. Underneath the tower is the choir, separated from the nave by a large and intricate wooden screen dating from the 1870s, by George Gilbert Scott. Behind the screen are the choir stalls and misericords, some of which date back to 1308, and are made out of carved oak.

The nave, originally built between c.1100 and c.1129, was remodelled into the Perpendicular Gothic style from 1346 to 1420, keeping much of the original Norman work by encasing it in new stone, and remastering the elevations, merging the previous three-tier structure as in the transepts into two. It is amongst the widest Gothic naves in the country and the longest nave of its kind in Europe. The nave has a spectacular stone vault, complete with hundreds of bosses. The nave aisles are also vaulted in stone and are rather narrow by comparison to the central nave, which gives both an impression of width and height. The nave, including the aisles, is 82 ft wide.

The east end of the cathedral was built in two stages. The older section is the retrochoir between the high altar and the lady chapel, which was constructed between 1202 and c. 1220 in the Early English Gothic style. This too has a stone vault, with numerous highly decorative chantry chapels of the various bishops of the age. It was said to have been used as a model for Salisbury Cathedral, whose construction began just as the retrochoir at Winchester was nearing completion. When this work was completed at Winchester, the original Norman apse was demolished. There are two great arches in the western wall of the retrochoir, which allow the view of the rear of the reredos to be seen. The retrochoir is unusual in that the central bays are only slightly higher than the aisles that surround them. The aisles are lit with large lancet windows.

The newer section of the east end is the presbytery east of the crossing and was built in the Perpendicular Gothic style from 1458 to 1520, It consists of four bays, with north and south aisles. Like the remodelled nave, this features two stages, rather than the three seen in the north and south transepts, the difference being the windows in the presbytery are larger than their counterparts in the nave. Unlike the nave, however, the presbytery is vaulted in wood, painted to look like stone. The vault has some of the most highly decorative and colourful roof bosses in the cathedral. The Lady Chapel was also greatly extended in this time during the time of Bishop Courtenay (1486–1492), given new bays to the east, with a large seven-light window. The vaulting of the western bay, which dates back to the time of the retrochoir, was also redone during Courtenay's time, which now features extremely intricate lierne star vaults. The southeast chapel of the retrochoir, adjoining the lady chapel, was also remodelled at this time, mostly by Courtenay's successor Thomas Langton, who gave it a pseudo fan vault and painted the vaulting blue. Unlike the rest of the cathedral, the coloured vault survives.

Underneath the cathedral is the crypt, an extensive Norman survivor, which extends underneath much of the eastern end of the building. The crypt has numerous sections and aisles. The crypt has a stone vault throughout and dates from the late 11th century, similar in date to the transepts. There is a prominent statue in the crypt by Antony Gormley of a life-sized man, which has stood in the crypt since the 1980s. The crypt often floods in winter due to the high water table.

Stained glass
Much of Winchester's stained glass was lost during the time of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector when the enormous Great West Window was smashed by Roundheads, as were many other windows in the lower levels of the building. The glass from the Great West Window was put back together with clear glass as a mosaic following the restoration.

As such, most of the surviving stained glass is in the upper levels of the cathedral, such as in the Great East Window, which was restored as part of the 2012-2020 restoration. The great east window dates from 1620s, and contains the work of Flemish craftsmen, whose work can also be seen in King's College Chapel in Cambridge. Much of the glass in the presbytery clerestory dates from 1404 to 1426, and was made by Thomas of Oxford. There is also a rose window in the gable of the north transept. The oldest stained-glass window in the cathedral is in the north transept, dating from 1330.

Vaults
Much of the cathedral building is vaulted, some using stone and other parts, wood. The oldest vaulted part of the building is the 11th-century crypt, which is vaulted in stone throughout. The nave and aisles are vaulted using Beer stone. The aisles of the presbytery, the lady chapel and the retrochoir are also vaulted in stone. The vaulting underneath the central tower and spanning the presbytery is vaulted in wood, painted to look like stone. Many of the chantry chapels have fan vaults. The highest vault in the cathedral is 78 ft above ground level. The transepts are not vaulted except for in the aisles, instead, they have 19th-century wooden ceilings.

Monuments and treasures
The cathedral has numerous monuments and treasures. These include the 12th-century Tournai font, the Morley Library, the Kings and Scribes exhibition and the Winchester Bible. The font is a rare survivor from a collection known as the Tournai fonts and dates back to c. 1150. It is one of only ten fonts of its kind in England. The font weighs 1.5 tonnes and is made from Carboniferous limestone from Belgium. It features unique carvings of the healings of Saint Nicholas. The font was gifted to the cathedral by Henry of Blois.

The Morley Library, housed in the triforium of the south transept, houses a collection of rare books, all of which were given to the cathedral by George Morley, Bishop of Winchester from 1662 to 1684. The books still rest on their original 17th-century carved shelves.

The Kings and Scribes exhibition is the culmination of a £20.5 million restoration of the transepts and east end, and displays hundreds of ancient artefacts, including skulls, weaponry and building stone, all displayed alongside 21st-century technology. Also in the exhibition is the famous Winchester Bible, which is considered to be the largest and best-preserved 12th-century Bible in England. The text, in the Latin of St Jerome, was handwritten on 468 sheets of calf-skin parchment, each measuring 23 by 15.75 inch. These sheets were folded down the centre, making 936 pages in all. The illustrations in the Bible sometimes used lapis lazuli which was both rare and extremely expensive, coming from Afghanistan. Other illustrations contain gold leaf or paint. The Bible is on display for the public to view as part of the Kings and Scribes exhibition, and is kept in a climate-controlled room on the ground floor of the south transept. The physical book cannot be read by the public, but it has been replicated digitally, and visitors can use large screens to read the digitised Bible.

The cathedral also has a very large number of ancient mortuary chests, including those of Alfred the Great, King Canute and his wife Queen Emma, William Rufus and King Egbert. The remains of these individuals were originally interred in the Old Minster, chief burial place of the Wessex ruling dynasty, but they are believed to have been transferred to Winchester's Norman cathedral after the minster was demolished in 1093 to make way for the new construction. Their bones were placed in chests, but these were heavily disturbed during the English Civil War, and the remains are today commingled, with several individuals found within each chest, and some individuals spread over multiple boxes.

Chantry Chapels
The cathedral building contains a large number of chantry chapels, often dedicated to the various Bishops of Winchester. These chantry chapels, which can be found mostly in the retrochoir but also the nave, are intricately designed. Famous chantry chapels include those of William Wykeham, William Wayneflete, Richard Fox and Henry Beaufort.

Organ
The earliest recorded organ at Winchester Cathedral was in the tenth century; it had 400 pipes and could be heard throughout the city. This first organ required two men to play it, and 70 men to blow it. The present organ has its core dating back to 1851, when a very large instrument was built by Henry Willis and Sons for the Great Exhibition, held at The Crystal Palace, London. The then Cathedral organist, Samuel Wesley, visited the exhibition and was impressed by its size and tone. He recommended to the Dean & Chapter that they purchase the instrument for Winchester. The purchase was completed for £2,500, and the instrument was installed at Winchester three years later, in 1854, after being reduced in size slightly. The instrument, as installed, had four manuals and 49 stops.

It was modified in 1897 and 1905, and completely rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1937 and again in 1986–88. Organists at Winchester have included composer Richard Browne (1627–1629); Christopher Gibbons whose patronage aided the revival of church music after the Interregnum, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the composer of sacred music and Martin Neary, who arranged the music for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey.

The organ in its present form contains more than 5,500 pipes and 79 stops. The main organ case is underneath the tower arch adjoining the north transept.

Choir
The cathedral has several choirs. Its main choir is internationally recognised and currently consists of 22 boy choristers between the ages of 8 and 13, in addition to 12 adults, known as Lay Clerks. This choir sings six services per week during term time, and all the boys are educated at The Pilgrim School, located in the Cathedral Close.

The Cathedral Girls' Choir was founded in 1999 and is made up of 20 girls between the ages of 12 and 17, who are educated across Hampshire. The girls' choir sing a weekly Sunday service with the Lay Clerks during term time and unite with the boys for the major festivals of Christmas and Easter.

The Cathedral Chamber Choir is formed of 30 professional adult singers from across Hampshire, and provide choral music for school holidays when the boy and girl choirs are on break, except for Easter and Christmas. The choir regularly performs at concerts.

Additionally, there is a volunteer choir formed of members of the congregation, known as the Cathedral Nave Choir, formed of 40 adults. The Nave Choir sing one service per month. There are also two further youth choirs, one called the Junior Choir, and the other called the Youth Choir. The Junior Choir is a mixed choir of boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 13. There is no audition process for the Junior Choir, unlike all the other choirs. The Youth Choir is similar to the Junior Choir, but is for boys and girls over the age of 14, and requires an audition process.

Bells
Bells have rung out from the Cathedral since Saxon times. It is recorded that King Cnut gave two bells to the Old Minster where he was buried in 1035, though neither of these bells survive. By the middle of the 17th century, following conversion of the tower from a lantern into a tower suitable for bells, seven bells were installed in a very large oak frame made by John Williams.

This frame was strengthened and extended several times, and by 1883, there were eight bells installed, the largest bell weighing some 32 long cwt (1,626 kg). Four of these bells were cast by Richard Phelps in 1734, which were the third, fifth, seventh and tenor bells. The second bell was cast by Theodore Ecclestone in 1742, with treble cast by Robert Wells in 1772 and the fourth and sixth cast by James Wells in 1814.

In 1891, the tenor bell cracked and was recast by Mears & Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1892 to a slightly lighter weight of 30 long cwt (1,524 kg). At the same time, the bells were augmented to ten with two new trebles, also by Mears & Stainbank, hung in a new extension frame. The existing bells were also rehung at the same time. In 1921, the bells were augmented to twelve with the addition of two new treble bells, cast by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, to give Hampshire and the Diocese of Winchester its first ring of twelve bells. The new bells were dedicated to the fallen of Winchester in the First World War. This peal of twelve was not to last long, however, as the bells were taken down in 1936 and sent to John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, Leicestershire, for complete recasting.

The bells were intended to be recast for the coronation of Edward VIII, and the inscription on the tenor bell makes note of this. However, by the time the metal had cooled, the bells tuned and rehung in Winchester, Edward had abdicated, and his brother George VI became king. As a result, the inscription 'Edwardi Octavi' was crossed out, and 'Georgi Sexti' was etched in by hand. The new Taylor bells were a heavier peal of twelve, with the tenor bell weighing some 35 and a half long hundredweight (1,806 kg). The heaviest eight bells were rehung back in the original 1734 oak frame, with the four treble bells hung in a new metal extension. All twelve bells received new fittings, including cast iron headstocks and ball bearings. The new bells were an immediate success, considered far superior to the ring they replaced, being described in The Ringing World as "a truly magnificent peal".

In 1967, a redundant bell from St Lawrence's Church in Winchester was transferred to the cathedral and hung in a new cast iron metal frame as a semitone bell, called a flat sixth. This extra bell enabled a lighter peal of eight to be rung when the natural sixth was substituted for the 'new' flat sixth, thus avoiding using the heaviest bells. This bell weighs 6 and a half long cwt (340 kg) and was cast by Anthony Bond in 1621, thus making it the oldest bell in the cathedral tower. This bell celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2021.

By 1991, restoration was required again, though this time it was the tower that required attention. It was found in a survey that the great wooden frame, which was not attached to any of the tower walls as modern frames are, was moving and shifting on the belfry floor during the ringing, and that was damaging both the tower and the floor. Additionally, the floor beams were rotting, and the louvre boards were damaged. Ringing was suspended indefinitely. The resulting restoration involved lowering all 13 bells (the ring of twelve plus the ex-St Laurence bell) to the ringing chamber where they were hung on a special scaffold. With the frame clear of bells, it was hoisted up clear of the belfry floor, suspended from massive steel girders dug into the tower walls. The floor was repaired with new beams replacing some very severely rotted ones, and the newly strengthened bell frame lowered back onto it and the bells rehung. At the same time, it was decided to augment the bells to the world's first diatonic ring of fourteen, with two new treble bells cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1992, and a third extra bell to become a sharp fourth, to be used in much the same way as the ex-St Laurence bell - to provide a lighter peal of ten without using the three tenor bells. A new frame was provided for the lightest seven bells, constructed of iroko, replacing the metal frame provided in the 1937 recast.

No major work has been carried out on the bells since 1992. They remain the only diatonic peal of fourteen change ringing bells in the world. The eight largest bells continue to be hung in John William's 1734 oak frame, which is one of the largest surviving frames of its kind.

In 2021, new timber shafted clappers were supplied for the two largest bells by the original founders, John Taylor & Co, which has increased the resonance of the two heaviest bells in the cathedral.

Cultural connections
Nowadays the cathedral draws many tourists as a result of its association with Jane Austen, who died in Winchester on 18 July 1817. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, and she was buried in the north aisle. The inscription on her tombstone makes no mention of her novels, but a later brass tablet, paid for from the proceeds of her first biography, describes her as "known to many by her writings". There is also a memorial window in her honour by C E Kempe.

Having spent three years in the city as a child, the novelist Anthony Trollope borrowed features of the cathedral and the city for his Chronicles of Barsetshire. In 2005, the building was used as a film set for The Da Vinci Code, with the north transept used as the Vatican. Following this, the cathedral hosted discussions and displays to debunk the book.

Winchester Cathedral is possibly the only cathedral to have had popular songs written about it. "Winchester Cathedral" was a UK top ten hit and a US number one song for The New Vaudeville Band in 1966. The cathedral was also the subject of the Crosby, Stills & Nash song "Cathedral" from their 1977 album CSN. Liverpool-based band Clinic released an album titled Winchester Cathedral in 2004. In 1992, the British rosarian David Austin introduced a white sport of his rose cultivar "Mary Rose" (1983) as "Winchester Cathedral".

When he was posted to England during the First World War, Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, visited the cathedral and had an initial experience of the presence of God.

The cathedral is the starting point of the 34-mile-long St Swithun's Way, a Long-distance footpath which was opened in 2002 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

The cathedral and surrounding area have been used multiple times as a filming location for The Crown, a popular Netflix historical drama series based on the monarchy during the time of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The interior has been used as a substitute for both Westminster Abbey (for the funeral of Lord Louis Mountbatten in Season 4) and St Paul's Cathedral (for Sir Winston Churchill's funeral in Season 3, and for Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding rehearsals and subsequent wedding in Season 4).

Each November and December since 2006, the Cathedral grounds have hosted the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market.

Public access
In common with many other Anglican cathedrals in the United Kingdom, an admission fee has been charged for visitors to enter the cathedral since March 2006. Visitors may request an annual pass for the same price as a single admission.

Dean and chapter
As of 2 January 2021:

 * Dean — Catherine Ogle (since 11 February 2017 installation)
 * Vice-Dean, Canon Chancellor and Pastor — Roland Riem (Vice-Dean since 2012; Canon Pastor since end of June 2005; Chancellor since before 2011)
 * Canon Missioner - Dr Tess Kuin Lawton (since 2021)
 * Canon Precentor and Sacrist — Andy Trenier (since 15 September 2019)

Burials

 * Saint Birinus—his relics were eventually translated here
 * Walkelin, first Norman Bishop of Winchester (1070–1098)
 * Henry of Blois (or Henry of Winchester), Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey (1126–1129) and Bishop of Winchester (1129–1171)
 * Richard of Ilchester, Bishop of Winchester (1173–1188) and medieval English statesman
 * Godfrey de Luci, Bishop of Winchester (1189–1204)
 * Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester (1205–1238) and Chief Justiciar of England (1213–c.1215)
 * Henry Beaufort (1375–1447), Cardinal and Bishop of Winchester (legitimised son of John of Gaunt and Lord Chancellor of England under Henry V and Henry VI)
 * Izaak Walton, author of The Compleat Angler (9 August 1593 – 15 December 1683)
 * John Ecton, Queen Anne's Bounty official, legal compiler and author, died at Turnham Green, Middlesex, on 20 August 1730 —his will, bearing date 7 July 1730, was proved at London, 8 September 1730, by his widow, Dorothea Ecton, noting that he desired to be buried in Winchester Cathedral
 * Jane Austen (1817)

Displaced in mortuary chests

 * Cynegils, King of Wessex (611–643)
 * Cenwalh, King of Wessex (643–672)
 * Egbert of Wessex, King of Wessex (802–839)
 * Ethelwulf, King of Wessex (839–856)
 * Eadred, King of England (946–955)
 * Eadwig, King of England and later Wessex (955–959)
 * Cnut or Canute, King of England (1016–1035) and also of Denmark and Norway
 * Emma of Normandy, wife of Cnut and also of Æthelred the Unready of England
 * William II 'Rufus', King of England (1087–1100)—not in the traditional tomb associated with him, which may in fact be that of his nephew Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen of England

Also

 * Harthacnut, King of England (1040–1042) and also of Denmark
 * Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1072)

One of the mortuary chests also refers to a king 'Edmund', perhaps either Edmund I, grandson of Alfred, or Edmund Ironside, (d. 1016). However, both are reported as buried at Glastonbury Abbey in most accounts, including the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Originally buried at Winchester

 * Edward the Elder, King of England (899–924)—later moved to Hyde Abbey
 * Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (875–899)—moved from Old Minster and later to Hyde Abbey

title: Winchester Cathedral


text:
Bridgeton, New Jersey

Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland County and is located on the Cohansey River near Delaware Bay in the South Jersey region of the state.

As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 27,263, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 1,914 (+7.6%) from the 25,349 recorded at the 2010 census,  which in turn reflected an increase of 2,578 (+11.3%) from the 22,771 counted in the 2000 census. Bridgeton and Vineland are the two principal cities of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses those cities and all of Cumberland County for statistical purposes and which constitutes a part of the Delaware Valley (i.e. the Philadelphia metro area).

As of 2020, Bridgeton had the 13th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey with an equalized rate of 4.598% compared to 3.089% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.

History
Similar to other areas near rivers and the bay, this area was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. At the time of European contact, Lenape Native Americans lived in the area. The tribe followed a seasonal pattern of cultivation and hunting and fishing. The state-recognized Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey maintain a cultural center here, serving a community of 12,000 in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

The first recorded European settlement in what is now Bridgeton was made by 1686 when Richard Hancock established a sawmill here. Settlers established a pioneer iron-works in 1814. Bridgeton was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1845, from portions of Deerfield Township. Bridgeton city was incorporated on March 1, 1865, replacing both Bridgeton Township and Cohansey Township. The city was named for its location at a bridge on the Cohansey River and is said to be a corruption of "bridge town".

After the American Civil War, Bridgeton's industrial base and commercial centrality in this area of high agricultural production, along with its high profile as an educational center (it was home to the South Jersey Institute, the West Jersey Academy, and two notable academies for women), made it the most prosperous town in the state. Bridgeton was home to glass factories, sewing factories, metal and machine works and other manufacturers, most notably, the Ferracute Machine Works, which was founded and operated by Oberlin Smith, an inventor and philanthropist credited with inventing the first device for magnetic recording, and now in the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.

Bridgeton Historic District covers a quarter of the city and includes more than 2,000 properties. These range from the early Federal architecture to the 1920s, including many structures eligible for individual listing and some documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) during the 1930s. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and is the largest such district of any municipality in New Jersey.

Although it is visually dominated by large Victorian homes and a downtown area constructed from the 1880s to the 1920s, the district, besides many neighborhoods of gingerbreaded "doubles" that were essentially working-class housing, includes several notable structures dating from the 18th century and early Federal period. One of these is Potter's Tavern, said to have been built in the 1750s, but restored to its appearance in 1776 when it was home to The Plain Dealer, considered New Jersey's first newspaper.

A second is Brearley (Masonic) Lodge, founded by General James Giles in 1795, and still active. A third is the so-called "Nail House" (c. 1815; second build c. 1855), administrative home of the Cumberland Nail & Iron Works that established Bridgeton's industrial prowess in the early nineteenth century. The first Cumberland National Bank building (1816), which was only the second bank chartered in New Jersey, is now part of the Bridgeton Library. There is also the David Sheppard House (1791), recently restored with assistance from the Garden State Historic Trust and home to the Cousteau Coastal Center of Rutgers University since 2008.

Bridgeton straddles the tidal Cohansey River and is located near the center of the Delaware Bay lowlands. It derives its name from the original movable bridge that offered the option of regular overland travel on the "King's Highway" across the Cohansey watershed region for the first time in 1716. The name is believed to have been changed from Bridge-towne to Bridgeton in 1816–1817 due to a printing error on documents published by the Cumberland Bank.

Bridgeton is home to numerous large municipal parks. The largest of these, consisting of pinelands, wetlands and lakes, as well as the original raceway system that provided waterpower to the mills, was formed out of the property owned and managed by the Cumberland Nail & Iron Works until 1899. Long considered a recreational area for the region even under ownership by the Iron Works, the property was finally purchased in 1902–1903 by the city and preserved in perpetuity as the Bridgeton City Park. It includes three major lakes: Mary Elmer Lake, Sunset Lake, and East Lake. Bridgeton Park encompasses about 1500 acre. It now includes the Cohanzick Zoo, New Jersey's oldest zoo, which is free to the public.

The city suffered an economic downturn in the 1980s with the loss of its remaining manufacturing sector jobs in glass and textiles. Agricultural employment, however, has continued to attract immigrant workers largely from Mexico but also Guatemala, creating new challenges and opportunities for revitalization. A significant minority of Bridgeton residents and their children speak Zapoteco, either as their only language or alongside Spanish.

Downtown Bridgeton includes an art gallery, second hand stores, a makerspace, and the headquarters of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation. The makerspace, called STEAMWorks, was opened as a collaborative project between the city and the local Cumberland County College, run by the college the space offers specialized equipment and software to the public at a membership based pricing system, as well as workshops and a limited set of certification courses, no involvement with the college is required.

Bridgeton Main Street declared its downtown a Culinary Arts district and is highlighting downtown activity through the food and cooking-related retail sector. Bridgeton Main Street Association is the oldest Main Street Association in the state, founded in 1990.

In 2008, Rutgers opened the Cousteau Coastal Center of its Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences in the former David Sheppard House, a base from which it coordinates cutting-edge ecological research and develops modules for environmental learning at all educational levels from elementary school upward.

South Woods State Prison, which opened near Bridgeton in 1997, is the largest state prison in New Jersey and provides a range of employment.

Bridgeton is home to the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, an entry point for startup food manufacturers that allows a new company or entrepreneur to work with a specialized team from Rutgers University to develop, test, brand, and package their product.

Geography
Bridgeton is located about one hour away from Philadelphia, and 50 minutes away from Wilmington, Delaware. It is also about one hour away from Atlantic City and Cape May. Bridgeton is divided into three sections, Northside, Southside and Hillside.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 6.49 square miles (16.82 km2), including 6.23 square miles (16.13 km2) of land and 0.27 square miles (0.69 km2) of water (4.10%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include East Lake.

Bridgeton borders the Cumberland County municipalities of Fairfield Township, Hopewell Township and Upper Deerfield Township.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bridgeton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of 2015, 32.0% of residents were living in poverty. The poverty rate was 13.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 35.6% for Black residents, 33.7% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 66.3% for American Indian residents, 32.9% for other race residents and 29.9% for two or more races residents.

Residents in the town include numerous immigrants from the south of Mexico, whose Amerindian languages include Zapotec, Nahuatl, and Mixtec.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 25,349 people, 6,265 households, and 4,304 families in the city. The population density was 4102.5 /sqmi. There were 6,782 housing units at an average density of 1097.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 32.64% (8,274) White, 35.49% (8,996) Black or African American, 1.38% (350) Native American, 0.60% (153) Asian, 0.05% (12) Pacific Islander, 25.71% (6,518) from other races, and 4.13% (1,046) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.58% (11,046) of the population.

Of the 6,265 households, 40.4% had children under the age of 18; 32.7% were married couples living together; 27.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. Of all households, 25.8% were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was 3.85.

27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 135.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 151.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $31,044 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,412) and the median family income was $38,750 (+/− $2,233). Males had a median income of $31,202 (+/− $3,369) versus $31,031 (+/− $2,158) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $12,418 (+/− $1,023). About 26.3% of families and 27.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.4% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 22,771 people, 6,182 households, and 4,179 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,659.8 PD/sqmi. There were 6,795 housing units at an average density of 1,092.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 38.88% White, 41.84% African American, 1.19% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 13.67% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.49% of the population.

There were 6,182 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.49.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 130.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,923, and the median income for a family was $30,502. Males had a median income of $28,858 versus $22,722 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,917. About 22.7% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Portions of Bridgeton are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. The city was selected in 1983 as one of the initial group of 10 municipalities chosen to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the 6.625% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in January 1986, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in December 2023.

The UEZ program in Bridgeton and four other original UEZ cities had been allowed to lapse as of January 1, 2017, after Governor Chris Christie, who called the program an "abject failure", vetoed a compromise bill that would have extended the status for two years. In May 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that reinstated the program in these five cities and extended the expiration date in other zones.

Bridgeton is home to Ardagh Group, one of the largest glass production facilities in the state. In 2016, Ardagh Group, Glass – North America became ISO 14001 certified, which recognizes efforts to minimize their impact on the environment, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and work toward continuous environmental improvement.

Crime
Bridgeton has consistently had violent crime rates above the national average. It is among the highest in the state, along with Camden, Atlantic City, Newark, and Trenton. In 2015, NeighborhoodScout, a real estate analytics firm, ranked it as the 25th most dangerous city in America. A 2019 report in the Asbury Park Press listed Bridgeton at fifth on its list of the state's ten most dangerous cities. In 2022, based on data from FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Bridgeton had 203 violent crimes, ranked ninth highest among all municipalities in the state.

Local government
The City of Bridgeton is governed within the Faulkner Act system of municipal government, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under Mayor-Council plan A, as implemented on July 1, 1970, based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a five-member City Council. Council members are elected at-large in non-partisan elections and serve concurrent four-year terms of office in balloting held as part of the November general election. Based on the results of an ordinance passed in June 2011, Bridgeton's non-partisan elections were shifted from May to November, which took effect with the November 2014 general election.

The mayor exercises executive power of the municipality and appoints department heads with council approval. The mayor may remove department heads subject to council disapproval by $2/3$ of all members, prepares the budget. The mayor has veto over ordinances, subject to override by $2/3$ of all members of the council. The mayor exercises executive power of the municipality. Up to ten departments may be created under the mayor's direction. A business administrator assists the mayor in budget preparation and administers purchasing and personnel systems. By ordinance, the business administrator may supervise administration of departments, subject to mayor's direction. The City Council exercises legislative power of municipality and approves appointment of department heads. The council may disapprove removal of department heads by $2/3$ vote of all members and can override the mayor's veto by $2/3$ of all members. The council selects one of its own members to serve as its president.

, the Mayor is Albert B. Kelly, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026. Members of the City Council are Council President Edward Bethea, Rosemary DeQuinzio, James Curtis Edwards, David Gonzalez and Marian King, all of whom are serving concurrent terms of office that end December 31, 2025.

Marian King was appointed to fill the seat that had been held by Samuel W. Feinstein. King served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

Federal, state, and county representation
Bridgeton is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections South Woods State Prison is located in Bridgeton. City officials opposed a plan announced in 2007 that would move over 1,000 prisoners from Riverfront State Prison in Camden to South Woods.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 8,699 registered voters in Bridgeton, of which 2,816 (32.4%) were registered as Democrats, 772 (8.9%) were registered as Republicans and 5,104 (58.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 81.6% of the vote (4,125 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 17.6% (891 votes), and other candidates with 0.7% (37 votes), among the 5,088 ballots cast by the city's 9,034 registered voters (35 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 56.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 77.9% of the vote here (4,238 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 20.4% (1,111 votes), with 5,440 ballots cast among the city's 8,986 registered voters, for a turnout of 60.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 66.0% of the vote here (3,044 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received 33.6% (1,552 votes), with 4,615 ballots cast among the city's 7,978 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 57.8.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 62.7% of the vote (1,513 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 35.9% (867 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (33 votes), among the 2,499 ballots cast by the city's 8,320 registered voters (86 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 30.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 67.2% of the vote here (1,806 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 24.1% (647 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.4% (118 votes), with 2,687 ballots cast among the city's 8,524 registered voters, yielding a 31.5% turnout.

Education
Bridgeton's public schools are operated by Bridgeton Public Schools, which serve students in preschool through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 6,313 students and 511.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Geraldine O. Foster Early Childhood Center (308 students in PreK), Broad Street School (936; K-8), Buckshutem Road School (686; K-8), Cherry Street School (558; K-8), ExCEL School (enrollment not listed; K-8), Indian Avenue School (668; K-8), Quarter Mile Lane School (744; PreK-8), West Avenue School, (552; K-8) and Bridgeton High School (1,560; 9-12). Students from Downe Township and some students from Lawrence Township attend the district's high school for ninth through twelfth grades as part of sending/receiving relationships; Other students from Lawrence Township are sent to Millville Senior High School.

Students are also eligible to attend Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Millville, serving students from the entire county in its full-time technical training programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Previously the school (formerly Cumberland County Technical Education Center) was a part-time school in Deerfield Township, and it had a Bridgeton postal address. It moved to its current location and became full time in 2016.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 71.95 mi of roadways, of which 46.36 mi were maintained by the municipality, 20.62 mi by Cumberland County and 4.97 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 49 and Route 77 are the main highways serving Bridgeton. County Route 552 also traverses the city.

Public transportation
NJ Transit offers service on the 410 route between Bridgeton and Philadelphia, and the 553 route between Upper Deerfield Township and Atlantic City.

There is also a shuttle along Landis Avenue to Vineland and a local shuttle that circulates between Bridgeton and Upper Deerfield Township.

Airports
Bucks Airport is located 3.5 mi northeast of the central business district of Bridgeton. Li Calzi Airport, which was located 2.3 mi south of the central business district of Bridgeton, closed in 2008.

Places of interest

 * Old Broad Street Presbyterian Church and Cemetery, the church was completed in 1795; the cemetery is the burial site of six U.S. Congressman, and a Governor of New Jersey
 * Potter's Tavern – Revolutionary War-era tavern where local patriots met and The Plain Dealer newspaper was published
 * "7 Sisters" – oldest row of commercial buildings in Bridgeton
 * New Sweden Farmstead Museum, open-air museum in City Park
 * Old Brearly Lodge F&AM No.2-Oldest functioning Masonic lodge in New Jersey

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Bridgeton include:

 * Jonathan Adler (born 1966), designer
 * Ryquell Armstead (born 1996), football running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL
 * Radcliffe Bailey (born 1968), contemporary artist noted for mixed-media, paint, and sculpture works that explore African-American history
 * Newton Bateman (1822–1897), academic, educational administrator, and editor
 * Markquese Bell (born 1999), American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.
 * Robin Bernstein (born 1953), Florida businesswoman who has been confirmed as United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic
 * Ella Reeve Bloor (1862–1951), radical labor organizer
 * Frank L. Bodine (1874–c. 1930), architect who practiced in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and in Orlando, Florida, in the first four decades of the twentieth century
 * Charles Brown (1797–1883), member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
 * Lester R. Brown (born 1934), environmentalist, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute
 * Benjamin Champneys (1800–1871), Pennsylvania State Representative, Pennsylvania State Senator and Pennsylvania Attorney General from 1846 to 1848
 * Nadia Davy (born 1980), track and field athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica, who was a bronze medalist in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
 * Braheme Days Jr. (born 1995), shot putter who won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics
 * Lucius Elmer (1793–1883), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1843 to 1845
 * Charles Ewing (1780–1832), politician who served as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court
 * Douglas H. Fisher (born c. 1948), New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture, member of the New Jersey General Assembly who represented the 3rd Legislative District and served on the Bridgeton City Council from 1990 to 1992
 * James Galanos (1924–2016), fashion designer
 * Goose Goslin (1900–1971), Baseball Hall of Fame left fielder who played for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers, in a career that ran from 1921 to 1938
 * Edward Everett Grosscup (1860–1933), chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee from 1911 to 1919 and Treasurer of the State of New Jersey from 1913 to 1915
 * James G. Hampton (1814–1861), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1845 to 1849
 * Charles L. Harris (1834–1910), Union Army Brigadier General
 * Charles Hill (1936–2021), diplomat and academic
 * Alfred Ellet Hitchner (1882–1959), college football pioneer who was head coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team in 1904
 * George Jamison (born 1962), NFL linebacker who played for the Detroit Lions
 * Harvey Johnson (1919–1983), served as head coach for the National Football League's Buffalo Bills
 * Benjamin F. Lee (1841–1926), religious leader and educator, who was the president of Wilberforce University from 1876 to 1884
 * Carwood Lipton (1920–2001), commissioned officer with the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, who was portrayed by Donnie Wahlberg in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers
 * Frank LoBiondo (born 1946), Congressman who represents New Jersey's 2nd congressional district
 * Brison Manor (1952-2023), defensive lineman who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, from 1977 to 1984
 * Bloomfield H. Minch (1864–1929), President of the New Jersey Senate
 * Rube Oldring (1884–1961), professional baseball player who played outfield in the MLB from 1905 to 1918 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees
 * Harold E. Pierce (1922–2006), dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon
 * Steve Rammel (born 1968), retired U.S. soccer forward who played two seasons in Major League Soccer
 * Floyd Reid (1927–1994), running back who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers from 1950 to 1956
 * Jerame Reid (1978–2014), killed by Bridgeton police officers
 * Celeste Riley (born 1960), Clerk of Cumberland County, who was the first woman to represent the 3rd Legislative District
 * Charles C. Seabrook (1909-2003), executive who was an earlier pioneer in frozen food.
 * Elias P. Seeley (1791–1846), 11th Governor of New Jersey in 1833
 * Oberlin Smith (1840–1926), engineer and inventor
 * John J. Spoltore (1921–1973), Republican Party politician who served as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee in 1973 after having served four years as Mayor of Bridgeton in the mid-1950s
 * Thomas Whitaker Trenchard (1863–1942), lawyer and a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court between 1906 and 1941, who was presiding judge in the Lindbergh kidnapping trial of Richard Hauptmann
 * Aharon Wasserman (born 1986), entrepreneur and software designer
 * Melinda Watts (born 1978), urban contemporary gospel artist and musician
 * Dominique Williams (born 1990), running back for the Calgary Stampeders
 * Shana Williams (born 1972), former track and field athlete who competed in the long jump
 * Jason Winrow (1971–2012), offensive guard who played for the New York Giants
 * H. Boyd Woodruff (1917–2017), soil microbiologist who discovered actinomycin and developed industrial production by fermentation of many natural products, including cyanocobalamin (a synthetic form of Vitamin B12), the avermectins and other important antibiotics

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bridgeton, New Jersey


text:
Cedarville, New Jersey

Cedarville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lawrence Township, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 702.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 2.277 mi2, including 2.236 mi2 of land and 0.041 mi2 of water (1.81%).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 776 people, 275 households, and 189 families in the CDP. The population density was 347.1 /mi2. There were 300 housing units at an average density of 134.2 /mi2. The racial makeup was 79.77% (619) White, 10.05% (78) Black or African American, 1.29% (10) Native American, 0.39% (3) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 5.67% (44) from other races, and 2.84% (22) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.05% (78) of the population.

Of the 275 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18; 52.0% were married couples living together; 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.7% were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.30.

25.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.6 males.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 793 people, 276 households, and 208 families living in the CDP. The population density was 134.9 /km2. There were 306 housing units at an average density of 52.0 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.75% White, 8.83% African American, 1.77% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 2.52% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.04% of the population.

There were 276 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87, and the average family size was 3.26.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,500, and the median income for a family was $48,021. Males had a median income of $35,833 versus $25,962 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,446. About 2.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cedarville include:
 * Mercedes Mota (1880–1964) educator, writer, developed public education in the Dominican Republic with her sister Antera Mota y Reyes. Attended Pan-American Exposition (Buffalo, NY 1901) as the bearer of a message about Dominican women. A brief dissertation on the feminine intellectual life in Santo Domingo, and her words aroused great interest. She was only a little over twenty years old. After raising her nieces and nephews in New York City, she lived in Cedarville from the 1940s until her death.
 * Ephraim Bateman (1780–1829) represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1826 to 1829 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1815 to 1823.
 * Benjamin Franklin Howell (1844–1933) represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district from 1895 to 1911.
 * Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson (1878–1937), neurologist who described hepatolenticular degeneration, a copper metabolism disorder affecting the liver and central nervous system, that would later be called Wilson's disease.

title: Cedarville, New Jersey


text:
Commercial Township, New Jersey

Commercial Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,669, a decrease of 509 (−9.8%) from the 2010 census count of 5,178, which in turn reflected a decline of 81 (−1.5%) from the 5,259 counted in the 2000 census.

Commercial Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 27, 1874, from portions of Downe Township. The township was named for its shellfish industry.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 34.41 square miles (89.13 km2), including 31.91 square miles (82.66 km2) of land and 2.50 square miles (6.47 km2) of water (7.26%).

Laurel Lake (2010 Census population of 2,989 ), Port Norris (population of 1,377 as of 2010 ), and Mauricetown are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Commercial Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baileytown, Bivalve, Buckshutem, Haleyville, Lores Mill, North Port Norris and Shell Pile.

The township borders Downe Township, Maurice River Township, Millville and the Delaware Bay.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,178 people, 1,880 households, and 1,337 families in the township. The population density was 161.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,115 housing units at an average density of 65.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 83.72% (4,335) White, 10.24% (530) Black or African American, 0.35% (18) Native American, 0.52% (27) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.53% (79) from other races, and 3.65% (189) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% (316) of the population.

Of the 1,880 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18; 42.9% were married couples living together; 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.9% were non-families. Of all households, 22.4% were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.14.

25.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $45,323 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,873) and the median family income was $46,790 (+/− $10,373). Males had a median income of $42,297 (+/− $6,069) versus $31,391 (+/− $5,851) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,242 (+/− $2,315). About 18.0% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 5,259 people, 1,873 households, and 1,367 families residing in the township. The population density was 162.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,171 housing units at an average density of 66.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 82.98% White, 13.42% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.86% of the population.

There were 1,873 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $34,960, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $35,030 versus $21,610 for females. The per capita income for the township was $14,663. About 13.0% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Commercial Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving a one-year term.

, members of the Commercial Township Committee are Mayor Warren "Mike" Vizzard (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2025; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Fletcher Jamison (D, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023) and Joseph E. Klaudi (R, 2024).

After Mayor Judson Moore resigned from office in March 2016, Ronald Sutton was named as mayor to replace Moore and Fletcher Jamison shifted to deputy mayor.

In the November 2013 general election, Moore became the first candidate to win election running as an independent, while Ronald Sutton was elected to fill the vacant seat of Bill Riggin, who had resigned from office.

Federal, state and county representation
Commercial Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,183 registered voters in Commercial Township, of which 1,004 (31.5%) were registered as Democrats, 568 (17.8%) were registered as Republicans and 1,608 (50.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.6% of the vote (983 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 41.1% (701 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (23 votes), among the 1,726 ballots cast by the township's 3,270 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 52.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 55.0% of the vote (1,032 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 41.7% (781 votes), with 1,875 ballots cast among the township's 3,151 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50.2% of the vote (849 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received 49.2% (832 votes), with 1,690 ballots cast among the township's 2,931 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 57.7.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.9% of the vote (691 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.4% (413 votes), and other candidates with 2.7% (31 votes), among the 1,191 ballots cast by the township's 3,031 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 46.5% of the vote (475 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 43.6% (446 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (61 votes), with 1,022 ballots cast among the township's 3,017 registered voters, yielding a 33.9% turnout.

Education
The Commercial Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 529 students and 42.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Haleyville-Mauricetown Elementary School with 368 students in grades Pre-K–5 and Port Norris Middle School with 166 students in grades 6–8.

Students in ninth through twelfth grades for public school attend high school in Millville together with students from Lawrence Township and Maurice River Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Millville Public Schools under which students attend Memorial High School for ninth grade and half of the tenth grade and Millville Senior High School for half of the tenth grade through the twelfth grade.

Students are also eligible to attend Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland, serving students from the entire county in its full-time technical training programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents.

Transportation
, the township had a total of 77.15 mi of roadways, of which 44.08 mi were maintained by the municipality and 33.07 mi by Cumberland County.

County Route 553 is the most significant road serving Commercial Township.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Commercial Township include:

 * Helen Gandy (1897–1988), secretary to J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for 54 years
 * Elden H. Johnson (1921–1944), United States Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II
 * Henry C. Loudenslager (1852–1911), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1893 to 1911
 * Larry Milbourne (born 1951), second baseman who played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball
 * Dallas Lore Sharp (1870–1929), author and university professor

Points of interest

 * Caesar Hoskins Log Cabin

title: Commercial Township, New Jersey


text:
Deerfield Township, New Jersey

Deerfield Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland--Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses those cities and all of Cumberland County for statistical purposes and which constitutes a part of the Delaware Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,136, an increase of 17 (+0.5%) from the 2010 census count of 3,119, which in turn reflected an increase of 192 (+6.6%) from the 2,927 counted in the 2000 census.

Deerfield Township was formed as a precinct on January 19, 1748, and was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Bridgeton Township (March 3, 1845) and Upper Deerfield Township (February 23, 1922). The township was named for Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 16.88 square miles (43.72 km2), including 16.84 square miles (43.62 km2) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of water (0.22%).

Rosenhayn (2010 population of 1,098 ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Deerfield Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Carmel and Garton.

Deerfield Township borders Fairfield Township, Millville, Upper Deerfield Township and Vineland in Cumberland County; and Pittsgrove Township in Salem County.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 3,119 people, 1,089 households, and 810 families in the township. The population density was 186.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of 68.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 73.23% (2,284) White, 12.06% (376) Black or African American, 2.12% (66) Native American, 1.35% (42) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 7.41% (231) from other races, and 3.85% (120) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.08% (439) of the population.

Of the 1,089 households, 30.8% had children under the age of 18; 56.6% were married couples living together; 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.6% were non-families. Of all households, 20.2% were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.24.

24.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $68,571 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,904) and the median family income was $73,566 (+/− $9,367). Males had a median income of $46,309 (+/− $5,147) versus $31,574 (+/− $6,302) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,799 (+/− $3,131). About 3.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 2,927 people, 1,013 households, and 785 families residing in the township. The population density was 173.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,065 housing units at an average density of 63.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 78.20% White, 13.05% African American, 1.54% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 3.04% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.94% of the population.

There were 1,013 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the township the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $45,365, and the median income for a family was $47,225. Males had a median income of $34,196 versus $25,147 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,468. About 6.3% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Deerfield Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor.

, members of the Deerfield Township Committee are Mayor Abigail Perlstein O'Brien (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends December 31, 2022), Deputy Mayor Brian L. Casper (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), Anthony A. Brago (R, 2023), Anthony Lamanteer (R, 2025) and Dominick Patitucci (R, 2024).

After being tied on election day at the November 2014 general election with 362 votes, Democratic incumbent Frank Spatola Jr. was re-elected with 366 votes, edging Republican challenger Jason P. Scythes by three votes once provisional ballots were counted. At the township's January 2015 reorganization meeting, Sparacio was sworn in using a conference call as he was stationed outside the country as part of his service with the Air National Guard.

Federal, state and county representation
Deerfield Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,087 registered voters in Deerfield Township, of which 552 (26.4%) were registered as Democrats, 522 (25.0%) were registered as Republicans and 1,013 (48.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.4% of the vote (698 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 45.7% (597 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (12 votes), among the 1,325 ballots cast by the township's 2,125 registered voters (18 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 52.0% of the vote (744 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 46.1% (659 votes), with 1,431 ballots cast among the township's 2,066 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 51.0% of the vote (665 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 47.5% (619 votes), with 1,303 ballots cast among the township's 1,847 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 70.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.4% of the vote (532 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.7% (274 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (8 votes), among the 831 ballots cast by the township's 2,015 registered voters (17 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 45.8% of the vote (445 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 42.8% (416 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.9% (67 votes), with 971 ballots cast among the township's 2,070 registered voters, yielding a 46.9% turnout.

Education
The Deerfield Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Deerfield Township School. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 278 students and 29.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.5:1.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Cumberland Regional High School, which also serves students from Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Shiloh Borough, Stow Creek Township and Upper Deerfield Township. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,124 students and 82.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. The high school district has a nine-member board of education, with board seats allocated to the constituent municipalities based on population, with each municipality assigned a minimum of one seat; Deerfield Township has one seat on the board.

Cumberland County Technical Education Center is a public countywide school in Millville. Previously it was a part-time school in Deerfield Township. It moved to its current location and became full time in 2016.

Transportation
, the township had a total of 51.26 mi of roadways, of which 10.45 mi were maintained by the municipality, 38.21 mi by Cumberland County and 2.60 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

New Jersey Route 56 is the main highway providing access to Deerfield Township. County Route 552 also traverses the township.

Points of interest

 * Temple Beth Hillel Beth Abraham synagogue, formerly Beth Hillel synagogue, a Classical Vernacular synagogue constructed in 1909 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
 * Southwind Vineyard & Winery

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Deerfield Township include:

 * Joseph W. Chinnici (1919–2007), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 1st legislative district from 1972 to 1988
 * Joseph Bloomfield Leake (1828–1918), attorney and an Iowa state senator who entered the Union Army during the American Civil War
 * Frank LoBiondo (born 1946), politician who served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2019
 * Al McCoy (1894–1966), boxing world middleweight champion from 1914 to 1917

title: Deerfield Township, New Jersey