The Reverend Margaret Millson arrived in Cornwall in September 2001 to be licensed as the Priest-in-charge of the United Benefice of St Tudy, St Mabyn and Michaelstow. She and her husband Alan moved into the Rectory at St Tudy and felt immediately at home.
“It
was as if we were meant to come here,” she said.
“I think everything I’ve done in my life has been working towards
coming here.”
Originally from
Manchester, Margaret grew up in Tyldesley in Lancashire.
She met Alan at a ball at the end of her first year at college in
Salisbury - Alan was doing his National Service as a medic in the RAMC, she was
training to be a teacher. They will
have been married for forty years in September
2002.
Before St Tudy
Rectory their home was at Scunthorpe in north Lincolnshire where Margaret taught
RE at a large comprehensive school, although she has taught all ages from
pre-school to youth training. Alan
worked at the steel works until he decided on a complete change of career at age
40 – he went back to college, gained a degree and became a hospital senior
social worker.
Changes of
lifestyle obviously run in their marriage!
Margaret has
always had a deep and abiding faith, but never imagined that she would become a
priest “because,” she says
“it was something women just could not do in the Church of England!”
However, she was
one of the first batch of women to become ordained.
“I did the
course part time over three years.
It was hard work, fitting it in between being a wife and mum, teaching,
running the home etc.”
In 1986 she
completed her training at Lincoln Theological College as a deaconess.
In 1987 she became a deacon and in 1994 was ordained as a priest and
worked as a non-stipendiary minister in Scunthorpe.
They have one
daughter, Jonna, who is married to Martin.
They live quite nearby at St Cleer with their children Charlotte and Ben
and number three on the way. Martin
and Jonna run “Waypoint 1” Marine Electronics Ltd at Plymouth and Alan works
for them part time as credit controller. He
also finds time to ring church bells and play golf.
Margaret likes classical music, singing (she’s joined the Allen Valley
Singers), reading – and they both really enjoy being grandparents.
She says she’s always available – but the idea of having Mondays and Fridays off has not yet become a complete reality. They are both “people” people and hope to stay as long as possible in this special part of the world. We are very lucky to have them.
E-mail Reverend Margaret Millson