Rowan Williams
was born in Swansea in 1950 in a Welsh-speaking family from the Swansea Valley. He was educated at Dynevor Secondary School, then at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studied Theology. After research in Oxford (on Russian Christianity), he spent two years at Mirfield before returning to Cambridge in 1977, where he spent nine years in academic and parochial work. He and Jane Paul were married in 1981, and have two children, Rhiannon (born 1988) and Pip (born 1996). Jane now teaches at Trinity College, Bristol. From 1986 - 1992, Rowan Williams was Professor of Theology at Oxford. During the 80's Rowan and Jane were able to spend brief periods teaching theology and travelling in India (where Jane grew up) and Southern Africa.

Rowan has written a number of books on the history of theology and spirituality and published collections of articles and sermons - as well as a book of poems in 1994. He has been involved in various commissions on theology and theological education, the Dearing Working Party on Church Schools, and chaired the group that produced the report 'Wales: a Moral Society?' in 1996.