David Lawrence Edwards (20 January 1929 – 25 April 2018) was an
Anglican priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
, scholar and church historian. He served as the
Dean of Norwich
The Dean of Norwich is the head of the Chapter of Norwich Cathedral in Norwich, England. The role is vacant since Jane Hedges' retirement on 1 May 2022.
List of deans
Early modern
*1538–1539 William Castleton (last prior)
*1539–1554 J ...
,
Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons
The Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, also known as the Speaker's Chaplain, is a Church of England priest who officiates at services held at the Palace of Westminster and its associated chapel, St Mary Undercroft. The Chaplain ...
, Sub-Dean at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
and
Provost of Southwark, and was a prolific author.
Education
Edwards was born in Cairo, where his father was an inspector of schools. He was educated at
The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's ...
, and
Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took a
BA in 1952 and
MA in 1956.
[Biography of David L. Edwards](_blank)
Retrieved 24 December 2010
Academic career and ministry
Edwards was elected a Fellow of
All Souls College, Oxford, for a seven-year period from 1952 to 1959. He spent the academic year of 1953–54 studying at
Westcott House, Cambridge
Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activity is training people for ...
, and was ordained deacon in 1954. He served as a tutor at
Westcott House (1954–55) and he was ordained priest in 1955.
In 1955 Edwards began his ordained ministry as an assistant curate at
St John's, Hampstead
St John-at-Hampstead is a Church of England parish church dedicated to St John the Evangelist (though the original dedication was only refined from St John to this in 1917 by the Bishop of London) in Church Row, Hampstead, London.
History
Ha ...
, and also began his work with the
Student Christian Movement as its secretary, remaining in both positions until 1958.
Edwards was assistant curate of
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...
(1958–66), editor for the
Student Christian Movement Press (1959–66) and General Secretary of the
Student Christian Movement (1965–66).
From 1966 until 1970, Edwards was the Dean of
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
. He was also a Six Preacher of
Canterbury Cathedral (1969–76).
Edwards was a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
of
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
and the
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
St Margaret's, Westminster
The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...
(1970–78). He was additionally
Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons
The Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, also known as the Speaker's Chaplain, is a Church of England priest who officiates at services held at the Palace of Westminster and its associated chapel, St Mary Undercroft. The Chaplain ...
(1972–78) and Sub-Dean of
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
(1974–78). He was Chairman of the Churches' Council on Gambling (1970–78) and of
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...
(1971–78). He was the
Dean of Norwich
The Dean of Norwich is the head of the Chapter of Norwich Cathedral in Norwich, England. The role is vacant since Jane Hedges' retirement on 1 May 2022.
List of deans
Early modern
*1538–1539 William Castleton (last prior)
*1539–1554 J ...
from 1978 to 1983 and the
Provost of Southwark from 1983 to 1994.
Edwards was for many years the principal reviewer and leader writer for the
Church Times
The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays.
History
The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...
.
Edwards retired to
Winchester, becoming an honorary chaplain at
Winchester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
in 1995. He died on 25 April 2018.
Honours
In 1990 the
Archbishop of Canterbury,
Robert Runcie
Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been Bishop of St Albans. He travelled the world widely ...
, conferred upon Edwards the
Lambeth degree
A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 (25 Hen VIII c 21) (Eng) as successor of the papal legate in England. The degrees conferred most commonl ...
of
Doctor of Divinity. He wore the academic dress of his former
headmaster
A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...
,
Fred Shirley, (who had himself been a
Doctor of Divinity) and of whom Edwards wrote a biography, ''F. J. Shirley: An Extraordinary Headmaster'' (1969).
Also in 1990, he was appointed an honorary fellow of the South Bank Polytechnic (later South Bank University and now called
London South Bank University
London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough ...
).
In the
1995 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1995 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other co ...
,
Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to the Church of England."
Writings
Edwards wrote more than 60 books, including:
*''Christian England'' (London: Collins, 1981–84; Fount, 1982–85)
**vol. 1: ''Its story to the Reformation''
**vol. 2: ''From the Reformation to the 18th century''
**vol. 3: ''From the 18th century to the First World War''
The most recent include:
*Roger Bowen with David L. Edwards ''et al'', ''A guide to preaching'' (SPCK International Study Guide 38, London : SPCK, 2005)
*''Poets and God: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Herbert, Milton, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake'' (London: Darton Longman & Todd, 2005)
*''What Anglicans believe in the twenty-first century'' (London: Continuum, 2000, new expanded edn 2002, updated edn 2004)
*''The Church that could be'' (London: SPCK, 2002)
*''After death?: past beliefs and real possibilities'' (London: Continuum, 1999, new edn 2001)
*''A concise history of English Christianity: from Roman Britain to the present day'' (London: Fount, 1998)
*''The great Christian centuries to come'' (Durham: St Mary's College, University of Durham, 1998)
*''Christianity: the first two thousand years'' (London: Cassell, 1997)
*''What is Catholicism? An Anglican responds to the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church'' (London: Mowbray, 1994)
References
Edwards, Very Rev. David Lawrence ''Who's Who 2018'', December 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, David L
1929 births
2018 deaths
Deans of Norwich
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at The King's School, Canterbury
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford
Canons of Westminster
Provosts and Deans of Southwark
Annihilationists
Alumni of Westcott House, Cambridge