Richard Crosbie Aitken Henderson is a clergyman who has served with the Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 and the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

. Until 31 January 2011 he was Bishop of Tuam, Killala, and Achonry.

Born on 27 March 1957, he was educated at Westminster

Westminster School

The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...

 and Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

, initially studying botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

 and earning a doctorate with a thesis on "The Genetics and Applications of Copper Resistance in Yeast". He was ordained in 1987 and began his ecclesiastical career in the Diocese of Oxford

Diocese of Oxford

-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...

 as curate

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 of Chinnor

Chinnor

Chinnor is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about southeast of Thame. The village is a Spring line settlement on the Icknield Way below the Chiltern escarpment...

 with Emmington

Emmington

Emmington is a village about southeast of Thame in Oxfordshire.-History:Emmington is mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086. It says "William Peverel holds 10 hides in Emmington. Land for 5 ploughs. Now in demesne are 2 ploughs and six slaves and 10 villans and 4 bordars with 5 ploughs. There are...

 and then held incumbencies

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 in the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. He was Dean

Dean (religion)

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 of Ross

Cathedral Church of St. Fachtna

The Cathedral Church of St. Fachtna, Ross is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Rosscarbery, County Cork in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....

 from 1995 to 1998 when he was elected bishop.. In 2007 his wife Anita was received into the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. In January 2011 he retired as bishop to return to parochial ministry in England, becoming Team Vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 in the Heart of Eden

Appleby-in-Westmorland

Appleby-in-Westmorland is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, in North West England. It is situated within a loop of the River Eden and has a population of approximately 2,500. It is in the historic county of Westmorland, of which it was the county town. The town's name was simply Appleby, until...

 and an Honorary Assistant Bishop within the Diocese of Carlisle

Diocese of Carlisle

The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...

 in March 2011.

On his election as bishop, it was reported that "Dean Henderson has a passion for working with his hands, mostly in woodwork and engineering metal work. He plays piano, organ and recorder, especially the music of J S Bach, reads English literature and a wide range of technical books, and enjoys gardening and building. He has taught music in Darjeeling, been an indoor plant decorator, a self-employed cabinet maker and biotechnology adviser to Andry Montgomery Ltd, which mounts trade exhibitions'."