Jane Barbara Hedges (born 6 April 1956) is a British Anglican priest. Considered a "trailblazer for women in the priesthood",Mark Nicholls, "Jane Hedges: A trailblazer for women in the priesthood", ''Eastern Daily Press''
16 April 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022. she served as Dean of Norwich from 2014 to 2022 and was appointed Acting

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...

from June 2022 until December 2022.

Early life and education

Hedges grew up in Hampshire and was educated at

Sarisbury Sarisbury is a village to the west of Park Gate within the borough of Fareham, Hampshire, in the south of England. Its focal point is Sarisbury Green (the two names are interchangeable) and the parish church of St Paul, formerly part of Titchf ...

Secondary School, leaving at the age of 16. After a year of college, she began working as a junior bank clerk when she felt the call to ordination. She continued her education with a general studies degree at the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

, where she was a member of

St John's College, Durham St John's College is a college of the University of Durham, United Kingdom. It is one of only two "recognised colleges" of the university, the other being St Chad's. This means that it is financially and constitutionally independent of the univer ...

, graduating with a

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 year ...

(BA) degree in 1978. She trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham from 1978 to 1980.

Career

Hedges felt called to the priesthood since the age of 17, at a time when women were not allowed to become priests She became made a

deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is, in modern times, a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited l ...

in 1980 and, as

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

laws on the ministry of women evolved, her career progressed with her ordination as

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in 1987 and as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1994. Hedges served as curate of the parish of Holy Trinity with St Columba in Fareham,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, from 1980 to 1983 and was a team vicar in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

from 1983 to 1988. In 1988 she became Stewardship Adviser in the Diocese of Portsmouth and in 1993 was appointed Canon Residentiary of Portsmouth Cathedral. From 2001 she served in the team ministry of

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

in the

Diocese of Exeter The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Provinc ...

, including as

rural dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...

. In 2006 she became

Canon Steward Canon ( el, κανονικός, translit=kanonikós) is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

and

Archdeacon of Westminster The Archdeacon of Westminster is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Chapter of the Royal Peculiar of Westminster Abbey in London. The holder of the post oversees relationships with the twenty-four parishes of which the Dean and Chapter ar ...

, and in 2013 she was appointed Sub-Dean of the Abbey. Her time there coincided with many notable events, including the

wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The groom was second in the line of succession to the British throne. The couple had been in a relationship si ...

, the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI and a memorial service for Nelson Mandela at which Desmond Tutu preached.

As dean

Hedges's installation as the Dean of Norwich was celebrated at a service held at

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedra ...

on 21 June 2014. She was the 39th Dean of Norwich and the first female Dean in the cathedral’s 900 year history. Despite speculation that she might become a bishop, Hedges continued in her role until in October 2021 she announced her intention to retire, effective 1 May 2022.Norwich Cathedral, "The Dean announces her retirement"
18 October 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2022. On 8 May 2022, it was announced that she had been appointed Canon Residentiary of Canterbury Cathedral; and would serve as Acting

from June 2022, following the retirement of Robert Willis. On 30 December 2022, she will move to the

Diocese of Newcastle The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne), as well as the area of Alston Moo ...

to become Interim Dean of Newcastle and will be installed on 22 January 2023.

Family

Hedges is married to Chris Hedges, a teacher, and has two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedges, Jane Barbara 1956 births Living people 21st-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Durham Alumni of Cranmer Hall, Durham Canons of Westminster Deans of Norwich