Hilary Jane Williams, Baroness Williams of Oystermouth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Paul; born 1957), is an English

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

theologian and writer. Williams was born on 4 March 1957 in

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, India, one of five sisters.Archbishop of Canterbury - Jane Williams
/ref> Her father, Geoffrey Paul, former

Bishop of Bradford The Bishop of Bradford is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Leeds, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after Bradford, a city in West Yorkshire. Upon the creation of the ...

, was then serving as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

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 particu ...

Palayamkottai Palayamkottai (also Palayankottai) is a neighbourhood in Tirunelveli City, incorporated within the Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation. It is situated on the east bank of the Thamirabarani river, with the exception of its downtown area, whi ...

and later

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

.BBC - Religions - Christianity: Dr Rowan Williams
/ref> Her father was a member of the faculty and later became the principal of the

Kerala United Theological Seminary Kerala United Theological Seminary (KUTS) is run by the Church of South India with an ecumenical outlook. It was founded in 1943, and is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University), West Bengal. KUTS is located in Kannammoola in T ...

at Kannammoola, where she spent part of her childhood. She studied theology at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

, and then worked in theological publishing and education. For three years she wrote a Sunday readings column for the ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'' (published by

SPCK The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) is a UK-based Christian charity. Founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray, it has worked for over 300 years to increase awareness of the Christian faith in the UK and across the world. The SPCK is th ...

as ''Lectionary Reflections'') and now works part-time for Redemptorist Publications, as a visiting lecturer at King's College London. She is assistant dean and lecturer at

St Mellitus College St Mellitus College is an English theological college established in 2007 by the Diocese of London and the Diocese of Chelmsford of the Church of England. It has campuses in Earl's Court, Chelmsford, Liverpool and Plymouth, with growing links wit ...

(formerly St Paul's Theological Centre) in London. Williams has been married since July 1981 to

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...

, who was appointed as the 104th

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

in 2002. They have a daughter named Rhiannon (born 1988) and a son named Pip (born 1996).Instruments of Communion - Archbishops of Canterbury - Biography
/ref> Following her husband's retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury and his subsequent peerage, Williams is entitled to the style and title of Lady Williams of

Oystermouth Oystermouth (a corruption of the Welsh name ''Ystum Llwynarth'' or ''Ystumllwynarth'') is a village (and former electoral ward) in the district of Mumbles, Swansea, Wales. It is part of the Mumbles community (civil parish). Description The ...

Bibliography

* ''Bread, Wine and Women: the ordination debate in the Church of England'' (with Sue Dowell), Virago, London, 1994. * ''Perfect Freedom (Borders)'', Canterbury Press, Norwich, 2001. * ''Lectionary Reflections: Year C'', SPCK, London, 2003. * ''Lectionary Reflections: Year A'', SPCK, London, 2004. * ''Lectionary Reflections: Year B'', SPCK, London, 2005. * ''Approaching Christmas'', Lion, Oxford, 2005. * ''Angels'', Lion, Oxford, 2006. * ''Who Do You Say That I Am? Exploring Images of Jesus'' (Church Times Study Guides), Canterbury Press, Norwich, 2006. * ''The Fellowship of the Three: Exploring the Trinity'' (Church Times Study Guides), Canterbury Press, Norwich, 2006. * ''The Mighty Tortoise: Exploring the Church'' (Church Times Study Guides), Canterbury Press, Norwich, 2006. * ''Moving Mountains'' (Church Times Study Guides), Canterbury Press, Norwich, 2007. * ''Approaching Easter'', Lion, Oxford, 2006. * ''A Christian Funeral: A Guide for the Family'', Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, 2006. * ''Marriage, Mitres and Being Myself'', SPCK, London, 2008. * ''Lost for Words? A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three-Year Cycle'', Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, 2009. * ''Lectionary Reflections: Years A, B & C'', SPCK, London, 2011. * ''Faces of Christ: Jesus in Art'', Lion, Oxford, 2011. * "Why Did Jesus Have to Die?"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jane 1957 births 21st-century Anglican theologians Women Christian theologians 21st-century English theologians Academics of King's College London Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Williams of Oystermouth English Anglican theologians Living people Spouses of life peers Writers from Thiruvananthapuram Staff of St Mellitus College