Jessica Martin (born 8 April 1963) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest. Since 2025, she has served as Dean of Chelmsford.

Life and career

Martin was born on 8 April 1963 in

Kingston-upon-Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

. She attended Woking Girls' Grammar School, before studying at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

, where she received her BA in 1986. She obtained a PhD in the

Faculty of English Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

at Cambridge in 1993, with a doctoral thesis titled "

Izaak Walton Izaak Walton (baptised 21 September 1593 – 15 December 1683) was an English writer. Best known as the author of ''The Compleat Angler'' (1653), he also wrote a number of short biographies including one of his friend John Donne. They have been ...

and his precursors: a literary study of the emergence of the ecclesiastical Life". She was a postdoctoral fellow at

Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge Lucy Cavendish College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1965 as a women's college and since 2021 has admitted both women and men. The college is na ...

between 1994 and 1998, and was College Lecturer in English and a Fellow of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

from 1999 to 2010. She was ordained in 2004, serving as a priest alongside her work as a lecturer, until in 2010 she became the vicar of

Hinxton Hinxton is a village in South Cambridgeshire, England. The River Cam runs through the village, as does the Cambridge to Liverpool Street station, Liverpool Street railway, though the village has no station. Hinxton parish's southern boundarie ...

Duxford Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area. History The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of t ...

and

Ickleton Ickleton is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. The village is beside the River Cam, close to where a southern branch of the Icknield Way crossed the river. The eastern and ...

South Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 162,119 at the 2021 census. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambri ...

, close to the

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

border. She also served on the

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

's senior staff, contributing to the Church of England's reflections on sexuality, and became a canon of

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

in 2016, with special responsibility for learning. After her appointment as Dean of Chelmsford was announced on 28 June 2024, she was installed as Dean on 5 January 2025.

Personal life

She is married to the author

Francis Spufford Francis Spufford FRSL (born 1964) is an English author and teacher of writing whose career has shifted gradually from non-fiction to fiction. His first novel '' Golden Hill'' received critical acclaim and numerous prizes including the Costa Bo ...

, and has two daughters.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Jessica 1963 births Living people Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Provosts and Deans of Chelmsford