Character Profile: Matthew Causton

Matthew Causton is a trainee Anglican priest – a curate – serving several rural parishes including Tillingham, alongside experienced vicar David Thorne. He is one of the key characters in A Little Treat on Honey Street. Here is a character profile...

Matthew Causton, Tillingham's curate, in his signature off-duty blue and white checked shirt

He spent ten years as an IT whiz kid in some major companies before attending theological college because the Diocesan Director of Ordinands (the person who advises people who think they might have a vocation and ultimately selects who will go forward for training) thought he was too worldly… or not worldly enough. Matt can’t remember now.

He’s friendly and an engaging speaker and writer; his ‘Theology and a Pint’ group at the Tillingford Arms is very popular and he has a popular social media feed called “The digital vicar’ with 179,000 followers. He's a popular choice for chair of Tillingham's village community shop committee.

He’s stocky with light brown hair and warm, hazel eyes. He doesn’t have a runner’s physique and yet he has taken part in several marathons and Tough Mudders. His real athletic passion is cricket and having been captain of the Durham University team as a student, he is an invaluable member of the Tillingham team.

He takes his vocation seriously and explains to Laura that being a priest isn’t an act he puts on for the benefit of other people when he’s wearing his dog collar. Being an Anglican he’s allowed to marry, and he certainly has his eye on one particular girl who’s just arrived in Tillingham – if only he could shake off the competition.