Sheila Watson (cleric)

The Venerable Sheila Watson (born 1954) is a cleric in the Church of England.

She grew up in a seaside town, graduated in classics at the University of St Andrews, took a preparatory year of theology at Oxford, and then returned to St Andrew's for a research degree. She entered the ministry in 1980, serving in three parishes in the North East England, London (where she also gained experience in the diocesan selection and training of clergy and laity at the Advisory Board of Ministry in Westminster) and Salisbury (where her husband Derek was Dean of Salisbury until his retirement in 2002). From 2002-2007 she was the Archdeacon of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford.

Succeeding Patrick Evans on his retirement, she was announced in January 2007 to be the next Archdeacon of Canterbury, the first woman in the post and only the second woman to be a Canon Residentiary at the cathedral. She was installed during Choral Evensong at the Cathedral on 28th April 2007.

Her husband is now Preacher of Lincoln's Inn. They are both keen cyclists.