Janet Henderson (born 1957) is a Welsh
Anglican priest and former nurse. In 2012, she became the first woman appointed to the post of
Dean of Llandaff
Dean of Llandaff is the title given to the head of the chapter of Llandaff Cathedral, which is located in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is not an ancient office – the head of the chapter was historically the Archdeacon who appears in this ...
.
Early life
Henderson was born in
Neath
Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historica ...
and grew up in
Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys ...
and
Aberystwyth. She was educated at
Ardwyn Grammar School Aberystwyth and
Howell's School Llandaff
, image = Ysgol Howell, Llandaf 01.JPG
, image_size =
, caption =
, coordinates =
, motto = Nurturing Excellence
, established = 1860
, closed =
, type = Independent day school
, rel ...
. She went on to a career in nursing working at
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge, England, with strong affiliations to the University of Cambridge. Addenbrooke's Hospital is based on the Cambridge Biomedical ...
,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...
.
She left nursing to become an Anglican priest. She studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
and trained for ordination at
Cranmer Hall, Durham
Cranmer Hall is a Church of England theological college based at Durham, England. Cranmer Hall forms part of St John's College, Durham which is a recognised college of Durham University. It stands in the Open Evangelical tradition.
Cranmer Ha ...
. In 1988, she graduated from
Durham University with a
first class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variat ...
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
(BA) degree.
Religious life
In 1988, Henderson was ordained an Anglican deacon at Ely Cathedral. She later became one of the Church of England's first women priests, ordained at Southwell Minster in 1994.
She served a curacy at St Peter and Paul, in
Wisbech
Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles (8& ...
, before moving to Nottingham, where she served in the Bestwood Team Ministry,
Bestwood
Bestwood Estate is a large council estate located to the north of the city of Nottingham, England. Based on the 2011 census, its population is 4,719. There is also a ward of the City of Nottingham called Bestwood, which at the time of the 2011 ...
. She was appointed lecturer in Worship at
St John's College, Nottingham
St John's College, Nottingham, founded as the London College of Divinity, was an Anglican and interdenominational theological college situated in Bramcote, Nottingham, England. The college stood in the open evangelical tradition and stated that ...
in 1993 and moved to the
Cambridge Theological Federation
The Cambridge Theological Federation (CTF) is an association of theological colleges, courses and houses based in Cambridge, England and founded in 1972. The federation offers several joint theological programmes of study open to students in memb ...
in 1997 where she spent four years teaching worship and was Tutor and Director of Studies at
Ridley Hall
Ridley Hall is a theological college located on the corner of Sidgwick Avenue and Ridley Hall Road in Cambridge (United Kingdom), which trains men and women intending to take Holy Orders as deacon or priest of the Church of England, and member ...
Theological College. In 2001, she left Ridley to become Priest-in-Charge at St Patrick’s,
Nuthall
Nuthall is a village and civil parish located in Nottinghamshire, England, neighbouring Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, Kimberley, Watnall, Cinderhill and Basford, Nottingham, Basford. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 6,3 ...
and
Dean of Women's Ministry in the
Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, headed by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. It covers all the English county of Nottinghamshire and a few parishes in South Yorkshire. It is b ...
.
From 2004 she was also an honorary canon of
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...
.
In 2007 she became the first woman to be appointed as an archdeacon in the Province of York when she accepted the posts of
Archdeacon of Richmond
The Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven is an archdiaconal post in the Church of England. It was created in about 1088 within the See of York and was moved in 1541 to the See of Chester, in 1836 to the See of Ripon and after 2014 to the See of ...
in the
Diocese of Ripon and Leeds
The Diocese of Ripon (Diocese of Ripon and Leeds from 1999 until 2014) was a former Church of England diocese, part of the Province of York. Immediately prior to its dissolution, it covered an area in western and northern Yorkshire as well as ...
and residentiary canon of
Ripon Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, commonly known as Ripon Cathedral, and until 1836 known as Ripon Minster, is a cathedral in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. Founded as a monastery by monks of the Irish tradition in the 660s, it ...
.
Between 2009 and 2013 she served as a Director of St John's College Durham and a Trustee of
St Michael's Hospice, Harrogate
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
. In November 2012 she was appointed as
Dean of Llandaff
Dean of Llandaff is the title given to the head of the chapter of Llandaff Cathedral, which is located in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is not an ancient office – the head of the chapter was historically the Archdeacon who appears in this ...
, the first woman Dean of Llandaff and the second woman Dean in Wales,
and was installed in March 2013. Henderson held the position for just two months, resigning in early May, with no official explanation given.
Since 2013, she has served as the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Manager at Saint Michael's Hospice,
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...
.
Henderson is the co-editor of ''Pastoral Prayers'' (ed. Deadman, Fletcher, Henderson and Lake, Mowbray Cassell, London, 1996). From 2010 to 2013 she blogged at Archdeacon in the Dales and from 2013 at Social Horizons.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Janet
Archdeacons of Richmond
Deans of Llandaff
Living people
Welsh nurses
Alumni of Cranmer Hall, Durham
Staff of St John's College, Nottingham
Staff of Ridley Hall, Cambridge
People from Neath
1957 births