The first suffragan bishop was appointed for the Diocese of Winchester; the see's erection in 1904 and Boutflower's appointment in 1905 was in order to supplement the work of the suffragan bishops of Southampton and of Guildford — the latter, George Sumner, was ageing. The appointment of the only bishop of Dorking for that diocese was, functionally, an interruption in the See of Guildford; Boutflower took on suffragan duties in the north of the diocese. When Boutflower departed for missionary duty in Japan, Sumner was persuaded to resign the See of Guildford and John Randolph was appointed bishop suffragan of Guildford, succeeding Boutflower in duties and Sumner in his see.
