Kathleen Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow

"Kathleen Richardson" redirects here. For other uses, see Kathleen Richardson (disambiguation).

Kathleen Margaret Richardson, Baroness Richardson of Calow, OBE (born 24 February 1938^[1]) is a British Methodist minister. Created a life peer in 1998,^[2] she served as a crossbench member of the House of Lords until 2018.

The Reverend and Right Honourable The Baroness Richardson of Calow OBE
Member of the House of Lords
In office 3 August 1998 – 20 December 2018
Nominated by	Tony Blair
Appointed by	Elizabeth II
President of the Methodist Conference
In office 1992–1993
Vice President	Dr Edmund Marshall MP
Preceded by	Ronald W. C. Hoar
Succeeded by	Brian Beck
Personal details
Born	Kathleen Margaret Fountain (1938-02-24) 24 February 1938 (age 87)
Nationality	British
Education	St Helena School, Chesterfield
Alma mater	Stockwell College Deaconess College, Ilkley Wesley House, Cambridge
Known for	First woman president of the British Methodist Conference

Early life and education

Richardson was born on 24 February 1938 to Francis and Margaret Fountain. She was educated at St Helena School, an all-girls secondary school in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. She then attended Stockwell College of Education, where she completed a Certificate in Education. She trained for ordained ministry at the Deaconess College in Ilkley and at Wesley House in Cambridge.^[3]

Ministry and activism

Richardson was made a deaconess in 1961 and ordained as a presbyter in 1980.^[3]

Richardson was the first woman to become a chair of district within the British Methodist Church. Later she became the first female President of the Methodist Conference (leader of the British Methodist Church and successor to John Wesley), serving a one-year term from 1992 to 1993.^[4] She was the moderator of the Free Churches Federal Council from 1995 to 1999.^[2]

As a peer, Richardson was active in the House of Lords from 3 August 1998 until her retirement on 20 December 2018. She sat on the crossbenches and was a member of the Committee On Religious Offence.^[5]

She is a patron of Methodist Homes (MHA).^[6] Richardson is also a patron of a right to die organization, My Death, My Decision. It wants to see a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including giving people the legal right to a medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish ^[7]

Personal life

In 1964, she married Ian David Godfrey Richardson. Together they have had three daughters.^[3]

Honours

In the 1996 New Year Honours, Richardson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to the Methodist community".^[8] On 3 August 1998 she was made a life peer as Baroness Richardson of Calow, of Calow in the County of Derbyshire.^[9][10]