Please note, on Saturday 27 July, York Minster will be closed for sightseeing until 1pm due to a Diocesan service.

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Learn more about the Chapter of York

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The governing body of York Minster is the Chapter. You can find out more about our Chapter members and their roles below.

The Dean and the Residentiary Canons are Chapter’s executive trustees.  They are required to live close to the Minster, and take their turn being ‘in residence’.  In each week of ‘residence’, they preside at the daily services of Morning and Evening Prayer. The Canon in Residence is also on hand to discuss pastoral enquiries, and may be required to chair committees or deputise for the Dean.

The non-executive trustees are unpaid volunteers, who generously contribute a substantial amount of time and bring essential, wide-ranging, expertise and experience to assist Chapter’s work.  All members of Chapter have an equal voice and the same one-member-one-vote decision-making power (the Dean, as Chair, has the casting vote should this be required).

 

Dean of York

The Very Revd Dominic Barrington

Dominic began his ministry as Curate in the Diocese of Southwark. He served as a University Chaplain at St Chad’s, Durham before becoming Priest in Charge, and subsequently Rector at St Peter & Paul with St Michael’s in Kettering in the Diocese of Peterborough.  After 20 years of ordained ministry in the Church of England, Dominic was appointed as Dean of St James Cathedral, Chicago in September 2015 serving his church community for seven years.  In July 2022, Dominic was announced as the 77th Dean of York.  He was installed in a service at York Minster on Saturday 12 November, 2022.

Canon Missioner

The Revd Canon Maggie McLean

As Canon Missioner, Maggie serves as an ambassador for York Minster, developing partnerships with Christian communities in the City of York, the Diocese of York, the Northern Province of the Church of England and with our link Dioceses in South Africa.

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Canon for Congregational Discipleship and Nurture

The Revd Canon Tim Goode

Tim is a member of the National Disability Task Group, which advises the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on disability issues. A member of the General Synod between 2015 – 2023, Tim led the first debate on disability at the General Synod in July 2022. He was a member of the Archbishops’ Council between 2020 – 2023. Tim was made an Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral in September 2020 and has been a trustee of the Churches Conservation Trust since November 2020.

 

 

Canon Precentor

The Revd Canon James Milne

James began his ordained ministry as Assistant Curate of St Mary Magdalene’s, Dundee, before serving as Rector of St Margaret’s, Lochee and as a Chaplain for NHS Tayside.  From 2009, he served as Rector of St Bride’s, Glasgow and Convenor of the Diocesan Development Team for Liturgy and Worship.  He also served on the Liturgy Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church, latterly as Convenor.  James was appointed Sacrist at St Paul’s Cathedral, London in 2015 and Precentor in 2019.  He was responsible both for The National Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Service of Prayer and Reflection following her death.  He is an Honorary Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee.  At York Minster, James leads and oversees the cathedral’s Music and Liturgy Team, and the planning and delivery of worship and music day-to-day, supporting the work of the Director of Music, the 40 choristers (20 boys and 20 girls) and the 12 adult singers of the world-renowned Choir of York Minster.

Lay Canon

Peter Collier

Peter Collier spent his working life in the law initially as a barrister, but then as a Circuit Judge, until retirement in 2018. He has been involved in ecclesiastical law for over 40 years, having been diocesan chancellor in several dioceses and is currently the Vicar-General for the Province of York. He is a member of the General Synod. He was Chair of the Cathedral Council from 2005 until 2022 and has a ministry as a Reader in the Minster.

Lay Canon

Alan Dunsmore

Alan is currently Chief Executive of Severfield plc, the UK’s largest structural steelwork contractor, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. He has held this role on an acting or permanent basis since March 2017 having previously served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer from 2010 onwards.  From 1995 until 2010, Alan held various finance roles at Smiths Group plc both in the UK and overseas.  He originally qualified as a chartered accountant in 1992 with Coopers and Lybrand (now part of Pricewaterhouse Coopers PwC).  Alan is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

 

Lay Canon

Lynne Tembey OBE

Lynne is a wife, mother and grandmother who has been privileged to share the word of God locally, nationally and globally in particular through leadership roles within the Mothers’ Union especially as President for the Northern Province and ultimately Worldwide President.  Lynne is passionate about speaking out on issues affecting individuals and family life such as domestic violence, gender based violence, female genital mutilation and safeguarding.  She says: “I have been encouraged, supported and guided through Church and Family being humbled by lives which have touched my own throughout my faith journey.  I believe our stories become God’s stories, by His grace we achieve the impossible.”

Lay Canon

Sir William Worsley

William Worsley is Chair of the Forestry Commission, the Howardian Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding National Beauty) and of Hovingham Estate. He was President of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and of the Country Land and Business Association. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and a member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters.

Lay Canon

Dr Eve Poole OBE

Eve chairs the Woodard Corporation, a group of Christian schools.  Previously she was Interim CEO at the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.  She was Third Church Estates Commissioner for England from 2018-2021 with a particular brief for cathedral governance, and the first female Chairman of the Board of Governors at Gordonstoun School from 2015-2021.  Eve received an OBE in the 2023 New Years Honours for services to education and gender equality.

Lay Canon

Jonathan Britton

Jonathan is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Accounting Officer of the Wonder Learning Partnership, an Educational Trust.  He is a passionate believer in our rural schools and communities, working to retain their heritage, values and distinctiveness.  In 2018 he was appointed as a National Leader of Education by the Minister of State for Schools, to lead school improvement at primary and secondary levels.  The Department of Education identified one of these schools as in the ‘top 100’ most improved school in the country.  As founder of the Wonder Trust, he now leads primary and secondary schools across North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Chapter Steward and Chief Operating Officer

David Colthup CBE

David Colthup was commissioned into the Green Howards in 1989 and over the following 33 years served in various locations around the world.  For more information please see here.

As Chapter Steward and Chief Operating Officer, David is the senior adviser to Chapter, responsible for overseeing the Minster’s complex and diverse day-to-day operations, leading and supporting a multi-disciplinary staff team delivering governance, security, safeguarding, HR, finance, retail, visitor welcome, events, learning, marketing, music, IT, historic collections and care of the buildings and land within the York Minster Precinct.

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