Janet Henderson

Janet Henderson (born c. 1957)^[1] is a Welsh clergywoman, who in 2012 became the first woman appointed to the post of Dean of Llandaff.

History

Henderson was born in Neath and grew up in Llandrindod Wells and Aberystwyth.^[2] She was educated at Ardwyn Grammar School Aberystwyth and Howell's School Llandaff, and went on to a career in nursing working at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge.^[3] She left nursing to study for ordination at Cranmer Hall at the University of Durham and in 1988, having obtained a first class honours degree in Theology^[4] she 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.^[5]

Henderson served a curacy at St Peter and Paul, in Wisbech, before moving to Nottingham were she served in the Bestwood Team Ministry, Bestwood. She was appointed lecturer in Worship at St John's College, Nottingham in 1993 and moved to the Cambridge Theological Federation in 1997 where she spent four years teaching worship and was Tutor and Director of Studies at Ridley Hall Theological College. In 2001, she left Ridley to become Priest-in-Charge at St Patrick’s, Nuthall and Dean of Women's Ministry in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.^[5] From 2004 she was also an honorary canon of Southwell Minster.^[3] In 2007 she became the first woman to be appointed archdeacon in the Province of York when she accepted the posts of Archdeacon of Richmond in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds and residentiary canon of Ripon Cathedral.^[6] Between 2009 and 2013 she served as a Director of St John's College Durham and a Trustee of St Michael's Hospice, Harrogate.^[7] In November 2012 she was appointed as Dean of Llandaff, the first woman Dean of Llandaff and the second woman Dean in Wales,^[8] and was installed in March 2013. Henderson held the position for just two months, resigning in early May, with no official explanation given.^[6]

Henderson is the co-editor of "Pastoral Prayers" ed. Deadman, Fletcher, Henderson and Lake, Mowbray Cassell, London, 1996. From 2010-2013 she blogged at Archdeacon in the Dales and from 2013 at Social Horizons.

References