Edna Mary Hunneysett was born in 1940, near Stratford-upon-Avon, but in her infancy, the family returned to a farm on the North Yorkshire moors where she spent her childhood.
After bringing up eight children, she began her academic career in 1990. She graduated with a BA(Hons) degree in Theology in 1995, followed by an MA with Distinction in 1998.