1. Home

Daughters of God: Women at Durham Cathedral - Museum Exhibition

Various dates and times

21 October 2024 - 16 February 2025

Take a deep dive into the various roles women have played in the past and present at Durham Cathedral, as we mark 30 years since the first female priest was ordained.

This exhibition marks 30 years since women were allowed to become priests in the Church of England, and also ten years since they could become Bishops. Women have played an important role in the Christian church since earliest times: as saints, as benefactors, and supporting the work of the Church in all its forms.

Celebrating the women linked with Durham Cathedral this exhibition explores the parts they have played over the centuries, and how they have helped shape the Cathedral we know today.

On display everyday until 16 February 2025

Check the museum opening times, and book a ticket here.

What's on display...

Bishop Nickson Ring

In 1906, George Nickson was appointed the first Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow. 

When he died in 1949, he asked for his Bishops’ ring and cross to be passed on to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, to be held in trust for the use of future Bishops of Jarrow.

You can see the Bishops' ring as part of the exhibition. Look closely into the light purple amethyst to see an engraving of a tiny Mitre (bishops' hat) and very small carving of a chair, which is thought to depict 'Bede's Chair' an ancient wooden seat which you can see at St Paul's Church in Jarrow (believed to date from the time of Bede, but most likely an abbot’s chair).

Book tickets for the exhibition

The First Ordinations of Women

The book 39 Articles: The First Ordinations of Women to the Priesthood in the Diocese of Durham is from the first service at Durham Cathedral to include the Ordination of women as priests. It lists 38 candidates, with a 39th anonymous person to represent ‘the many women whose vocation the Church so long denied’. 

Listed among the candidates is Margaret Parker, who was the first female priest at Durham Cathedral in her role as a Minor Canon.

Book tickets for the exhibition

Learn about women at Durham Cathedral past and present

In a question and answer style section, read about the current roles that women play at Durham Cathedral, digging into questions such as; what brought them to ministry, what do they enjoy the most in their job and what their favourite part of the cathedral is...