(1947 - 2001, North London Collegiate 1954 - 1965)
"I came to realise that I was part of a struggle, and out of that, discovered a growing confidence and the conviction that here at last was something worth fighting for." Barbara Baisley, writing in the school magazine
Barbara Baisley left North London Collegiate School in 1965, having studied there for eleven years. She was one of the first women to be ordained into the Anglican priesthood and spent her life working hard to pave the way for females dedicated to God.
Having graduated from art school and studied at theological college, she was ordained deaconess in September 1982 and was made a Deacon, the ‘first rung' of Holy Order, in 1991. She secured a position as Assistant Chaplain at the University of Warwick and later became Chaplain from 1987 to 1993. During her time as Chaplain, in 1990, Barbara was appointed as the Diocesan Adviser for Women's Ministry, in which she had the responsibility of speaking and acting on behalf of women Deacons and of supporting them. She went on to become a ‘Bishop's Selector', a national post for determining candidates for ordination training, and held various posts in the Diocese and nationally. In 1992, Barbara obtained a scholarship to Harvard University and spent a semester in Massachusetts, exploring the way in which the Episcopal Church had adjusted to ordained women.
Barbara Baisley was herself ordained into the priesthood in April 1994. She was among the first group of women to do so in her diocese. The following year, in 1995, she was elected to General Synod, the national assembly of the Church of England.
She had been diagnosed with cancer in 1986, and unfortunately this recurred in 1990, leading to her early retirement in 1997. However, she upheld her position as a ‘Bishop's Selector' and as Inspector for Theological Colleges and Courses and continued to carry out vocational work in the diocese. In April 2000, Barbara was involved in North London Collegiate School's 150th anniversary celebration service at St Pauls Cathedral, and in November of that year published "No Easy Answers", which confronts the issues of dealing with cancer.
Sadly, in September 2001 Barbara passed away, having dedicated her life to her family, to the advancement of women in the Church and to God.
Written and researched by Kirstie Conway