Appointment: Dean of Christ Church, Oxford

The King has approved that The Reverend Canon Sarah Foot be appointed Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, from July 2023. Extracts from the Press Release from the Prime Minister’s Office, from Christ Church, and from the Diocese of Oxford, are reproduced below, herehere and here.


Prime Minister’s Office

Appointment of the Dean of Christ Church: 16 March 2023

The King has approved that The Reverend Canon Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Oxford, be appointed Dean of Christ Church, Oxford from 1st July 2023 in succession to the Very Reverend Martyn Percy.

Background

Canon Professor Foot has been the Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford since 2007. She was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge (BA; MA; PhD), served as a Lay Canon at Christ Church from 2007-2017, and as a Residentiary Canon since her ordination in 2017.

Previously, Professor Foot was a Research Fellow then Fellow and Tutor at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 1989-93, then successively Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Sheffield 1993-2007, where she was Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts 2005-7.

She served as Chair of the Board of Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford University 2011-14. She writes on women in religion, medieval monasticism, and the early history of the Church in England, and is currently working on a study of the life and work of the Venerable Bede.


Christ Church

Appointment of first female Dean of Christ Church the Rev Canon Professor Sarah Foot

The King has approved the appointment of Rev Canon Professor Sarah Foot PhD, FRHistS, FSA as Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Professor Foot is the first woman to be chosen for the role in Christ Church’s almost 500-year-long history.

Professor Foot is the Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford University and a priest serving as a Residentiary Canon at Christ Church. Her teaching and research have focused on women in religion, medieval monasticism and the early history of the English Church. She is currently working on a study of the life and work of the Venerable Bede.

[…]

An independent review of the governance of Christ Church, chaired by Dominic Grieve KC, is underway. Implementing subsequent changes to the governance and statutes of Christ Church will require the approval of the University, the Church of England, the Privy Council and Parliament. This is likely to be a lengthy process. Once it is complete Professor Foot intends to stand down to allow new leadership to take Christ Church forward under new statutes.

[…]

In addition to her Faculty position, Professor Foot has been serving since 2021 as Censor Theologiae of Christ Church. The holder of this role deputises in the Dean’s absence; since the Deanship became vacant, she has effectively fulfilled the role of Acting Head of House. She will take up her appointment as Dean in July 2023*.


Oxford Diocese

Appointment of first female Dean of Christ Church the Rev Canon Professor Sarah Foot

[…]

Notes for editors

  • Prof Foot was asked to become the Dean by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP. The Prime Minister recommends appointees to the Deanship of Christ Church to the King. The position of Dean is currently vacant.
  • Christ Church comprises both the Cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford and a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The Dean chairs both the Governing Body and Chapter of Christ Church and is responsible with the Governing Body for the college and with the Chapter for the running of Christ Church Cathedral.
  • The independent Governance Review of Christ Church is ongoing. Its purpose is to ensure that Christ Church’s statutes, by-laws and governance arrangements meet the needs of the institution. The full implementation of changes to the statutes is likely to take some years.

Notes

* Canon C21 requires that Deans to be in Holy Orders for at least 6 years before taking up their appointment; Professor Foot was ordained deacon on 1 July 2017.

Last updated: 18 March 2023 at 08:32.


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Cite this article as: David Pocklington, "Appointment: Dean of Christ Church, Oxford" in Law & Religion UK, 16 March 2023, https://lawandreligionuk.com/2023/03/16/appointment-dean-of-christ-church-oxford/

 

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