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Courting Controversy: Hensley Henson, Bishop of Durham

@ Durham Cathedral

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Herbert Hensley Henson, Dean 1912-18 and Bishop 1920-39, has long been regarded as a controversial public figure – a self-described ‘heretick’, a campaigner against women’s suffrage and ordination, a Bishop at times at odds with his own diocese. This archive-focused workshop offers an opportunity to view original materials from Durham Cathedral’s Henson Papers, including unpublished journals and letters.

Participants will be able to explore how Henson courted controversy in Church affairs, political discussion, and local industrial disputes. The workshop will showcase Henson’s responses to regional and national events, such as the First World War, alongside more personal, self-reflective entries in an effort to better understand the man behind the public figure.

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