Jacqueline Humphreys, a Barrister at St John’s Chambers in Bristol, has been appointed as the new Chancellor for the Diocese of Worcester. The appointment was made by Bishop John following the approval of the Lord Chancellor.
Jacqueline has been the Deputy Chancellor for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham since 2012 and takes over in our diocese from Charles Mynors who is stepping down from the role at the end of the year. She is due to be sworn into the role early in January with a formal service of welcome when possible later in the year.
As a Barrister, Jacqueline specialises in family law; in particular, financial remedy cases. She also practises in charity law and ecclesiastical law and co-authored the Case Law Resource Guide for the Northern Ireland Charity Commission in 2011. She was Acting Chancellor of the diocese of Southwell and Nottingham for a year.
She has published several articles on both ecclesiastical and family law and her latest is ‘The Role of the Faculty System in Achieving Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030’ which will be published in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal in 2021.
On her appointment, Jacqueline said:
“I am delighted to be called to serve as Chancellor for the diocese of Worcester. I look forward to working with all those involved in the conservation and development our beautiful buildings to resource the mission of the Church. I am particularly excited to see how our buildings can achieve the Church of England’s national commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2030, whilst continuing to serve people in need across the Diocese.”
Bishop John said:
“I’m delighted that Jacqueline has agreed to become our new Chancellor: she brings a wealth of experience of ecclesiastical law to the post. She has a deep understanding of the importance of ensuring our buildings be valued but appropriately adapted so they can continue to be fit to serve the communities of our diocese for hundreds of years to come. I am looking forward very much to working with her.”
The Chancellor is the independent judge of the Consistory Court of the Diocese, who undertakes several legal duties on behalf of the Bishop. The main element of the role is to determine applications for faculties (i.e. permission) to undertake works to church buildings and churchyards. The Diocesan Chancellor is assisted by the Deputy Chancellor, works closely with the Diocesan Registrar and is advised by the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the care of church buildings (DAC).
The Current Chancellor for the Diocese, Charles Mynors, said:
“After 23 years, I shall miss working with the Diocese of Worcester, but I am happy to know that it will be in safe hands. The coming years are likely to be a period of considerable change, and I have every confidence that Jacqueline will provide the necessary judicial wisdom to ensure that it is properly managed.”
Jacqueline worships at St Martin’s Church in Knowle, Bristol. She is married to the Revd Dr Simon Taylor, and they have two children. She enjoys theatre, dance, hillwalking, archaeology, novels and designing embroidered textiles.
