The Rt Revd Libby Lane became the Church of England’s first woman bishop at a service in York Minister on 26 January 2015. She serves as the Bishop of Stockport in the Diocese of Chester.
Born on 8 December 1966, Bishop Libby grew up in Glossop, Derbyshire and came to a strong Christian faith in her pre-teens.
After school in Manchester and university at Oxford, Bishop Libby trained for Church of England ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham. She was ordained in 1993 serving her curacy in Blackburn, Lancashire. Bishop Libby has also served as chaplain in a hospital and in further education in the Diocese of York.
In the Diocese of Chester Bishop Libby served as a Vicar in Stockport, and was the Vicar of St Peter’s Hale and St Elizabeth’s Ashley from April 2007 to January 2015. She had previously worked as a Family Life Officer as part of a Social Responsibility team and served as an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands, advising and supporting those considering a vocation to ministry in the church. She served as a Bishop’s Selection Advisor for many years and is also a former Dean of Women in Ministry.
She is one of eight clergy women from the Church of England who were elected as Participant Observers in the House of Bishops – as the representative from the dioceses of the North West.
Her husband, George, is also a priest; they were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together. George is Coordinating Chaplain at Manchester Airport, licensed in the Diocese of Manchester. They have two grown up children in higher education.
Bishop Libby’s interests have included being a school governor, encouraging social action initiatives and learning to play the saxophone. She supports Manchester United and enjoys reading and doing cryptic crosswords. She has an interest in the arts and contemporary culture.