Dawson Dawson-Walker (20 December 1868 – 28 January 1934) was a British Church of England clergyman, classicist, theologian and academic. From 1911 to 1919, he was Principal of St John's College, Durham. From 1919 to his death in 1934, he was Van Mildert Professor of Divinity at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

and a

Canon Residentiary A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

Early life and education

Dawson-Walker was born on 20 December 1868 to Richard Felvus Walker. His family were Wesleyan Methodists and he was brought up in this denomination of Christianity. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School, a private school in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, Yorkshire. Having been awarded a scholarship, he studied

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He was awarded a first class in the

Honour Moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ' ...

in 1889 and a second class in '' Literae Humaniores'' in 1891. He therefore graduated from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1891. It was during his degree, that he moved from Methodism to

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

. In 1901, he completed a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

(BD) degree from Oxford. In 1905, he completed a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

(DD) degree from Oxford and was awarded a DD '' ad eundem'' by

Career

In 1894, Dawson-Walker was ordained in the Church of England at Ripon Cathedral by William Boyd Carpenter, Bishop of Ripon. He served his curacy at Bradford Parish Church in

, Yorkshire. He then joined

as a lecturer in

. In 1898, he was appointed a tutor in theology. In 1901, he became a chaplain at

County Hospital, Durham Rushford Court is a student hall and former hospital in Durham, England. It opened in 1853 as County Hospital, and closed as a hospital in 2010 after services were moved to Lanchester Road Hospital on the outskirts of the city. In 2018, after e ...

and censor of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham. In 1909, he was appointed Examining Chaplain for ordination candidates in the Diocese of Durham. From 1910 to 1919, he was Professor of

Biblical Exegesis Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

at Durham University. From 1911 to 1919, he was additionally Principal of St John's College, Durham. In 1918, he became chaplain to the Corporation of Durham. He maintained a personal interest in the development of his students during and after his time as principal. In 1919, he was appointed Van Mildert Professor of Divinity at

and a

. These two appointments and his chaplaincy of the Corporation of Durham, meant that he crossed community boundaries and connected town, gown and the clergy.

Personal life

Dawson-Walker fell within the Evangelical tradition of the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church. In 1899, he married Mary Maud Jane Featherston. Together, they had three sons.

Selected works

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References

{{authority control 1868 births 1934 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests British classical scholars 20th-century English theologians Evangelical Anglican theologians People educated at Bradford Grammar School Clergy from Bradford Academics of Durham University Converts to Anglicanism from Methodism Principals of St John's College, Durham