Historian Tom Holland is made Canon Historian at Salisbury Cathedral

Historian and broadcaster Tom Holland has been appointed the first Canon Historian in an English cathedral, at a service at Salisbury Cathedral this week.

During the Evensong service on Monday 2nd June, four lay canons were installed into the College of Canons at Salisbury Cathedral, by invitation of the Right Reverend Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury.

The College of Canons is part of the Cathedral’s extended family and meets twice a year to provide feedback on policy decisions made by Chapter, the Cathedral’s governing body, and on Cathedral activities.

Historian Tom Holland takes his place in the Coombe & Harnham stall in the Cathedral Quire. As an award-winning biographer and broadcaster, Tom is the author of Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom, and Dominion, exploring why Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world. He is co-presenter of the podcast The Rest is History, which gets over 19 million downloads each month, and has written several TV documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, on subjects ranging from ISIS to dinosaurs. Tom is also a trustee of the British Library and the British Museum.

Taking up her place in the Hurstborne & Burbage stall, Judith Davey Cole is the Chief Executive of The Girls’ Brigade. Non-executive roles include being Chair of the Methodist Safeguarding Committee and Vice Chair of Thirtyone:eight, the Christian safeguarding agency. She is also a member of the Diocese of Winchester’s Safeguarding Advisory Panel. Judith has held senior leadership roles at organisations including ActionAid and Deloitte and is a member of Chapter at Salisbury Cathedral.

Nigel Salisbury, taking up his place in the Loders stall, has been a member of the Cathedral community since coming to live in the Close with his family in 1999. He has been chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance and remains a trustee of the Church of England Clergy Stipend Trust. Nigel serves as a steward at the Cathedral and has previously been a member of the Cathedral Council, the Friends Council and College of Canons, before being appointed as senior non-executive member of Chapter in 2023.

Taking up the Wilsford & Woodford stall, Lucinda Herklots has been a lay member of the Cathedral Chapter since 2019 and chairs the Cathedral’s Nominations Committee and HR and Remunerations Committee. Prior to retirement, she was Diocesan Secretary for the Diocese of Salisbury. Lucinda also serves as a steward of the Cathedral, has previously been a member of the College of Canons and Friends Council and, until last year, was an elected governor of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

The Dean of Salisbury, The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, said, “Tom Holland’s erudition, wit, and dazzlingly wide range of interests have won him a massive audience; he writes with intelligence and insight on the overwhelming impact that Christian faith has had on our world; he is a son of Wiltshire and long-time supporter of Salisbury: we are delighted to welcome him as our first Canon Historian. Nigel, Judith and Lucinda are first-rate colleagues on the Chapter, the Cathedral’s trustee body. Their contribution to the Cathedral has been enormous, and I am thrilled that it will now extend to the life of the College”.

The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Revd Stephen Lake, said, “I am delighted that Tom, Nigel, Judith and Lucinda have accepted the invitation to join the Cathedral’s College of Canons. With Tom as our first Canon Historian and Nigel, Judith and Lucinda bringing their perspectives and experience as Chapter members their installation will ensure that a range of voices from across the diocese are represented”