Justin Champion (1960 – 10 June 2020Professor Justin Champion, 1960 - 2020
''Royal Holloway, University of London''. Retrieved 19 June 2020) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and educator. He was head of the Department of History at

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

(RHUL) between 2005 and 2010.

Early life and education

Champion was born in Gloucester, where his father was a designer for a local aircraft manufacturer. His father won a scholarship to study at Cambridge, where he read English and became president of the Junior Common Room at King's College. This experience left an enduring impression on the young Champion who went on to study at

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

, Cambridge. Champion progressed to study his PhD at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, completing his thesis in 1989. Of his time at Cambridge, one contemporary described how Champion 'cut a distinctive figure – the vigorous stride, the mane of golden blond hair, a frank and direct manner. He seemed rather different from and more engaging than the rest of the 17th-century research crowd'.

Career

Upon completing his PhD, Champion worked at the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hous ...

, London. In 1990, he moved to La Sainte Union as lecturer in Early Modern History. He was appointed to a lectureship at

Royal Holloway Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

in 1992. His research and teaching interests included the history of early modern ideas,

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

and

irreligion Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and a ...

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...

Biblical criticism 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 ...

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

, the history of

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

and

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

, and the use of

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

in the study of history. Champion was a strong proponent of public history. He presented or appeared in several TV and radio shows about British history, including the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

drama documentary ''The Great Plague'' in 2001, the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

documentary series ''Kings and Queens'' in 2003 and the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

programme ''Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls - Act One: At Court'' in 2012. He made history features for BBC Radio 3 and 4 on the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the

execution of Charles I The execution of Charles I by beheading occurred on Tuesday, 30 January 1649 outside the Banqueting House on Whitehall. The execution was the culmination of political and military conflicts between the royalists and the parliamentarians in Eng ...

, the history of duelling and the history of friendship. He was (2014–17) President of the

Historical Association The Historical Association is a membership organisation of historians and scholars founded in 1906 and based in London. Its goals are to support "the study and enjoyment of history at all levels by creating an environment that promotes lifelong lea ...

and a member of its Committee of Public History. The Historical Association awarded Champion the Medlicott Medal in 2018 for outstanding services to the study of history in 2018. During his time as the head of the history department at Royal Holloway, the college began offering a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

programme in Public History in partnership with external heritage and media institutions. Champion stepped down as the head of the history department at Royal Holloway in 2010, but continued to teach at the college. He was working on the thought and influence of Thomas Hobbes' radical criticism of public religion and its relationship with the early Enlightenment at the time of his death.

Death

Champion was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014. He died on 10 June 2020, aged 59, in the Princess Alice Hospice in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up Ar ...

Selected publications

*''Republican Learning. John Toland and the crisis of Christian culture, 1696-1722'' (Manchester University Press, 2003) *''John Toland Nazarenus 1718'' (edited) (Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 1999) *"Bibliography and Irreligion: Richard Smith’s ‘Observations’", ''The Seventeenth Century'' X (1995) *"John Toland: The Politics of Pantheism", ''Revue de Synthèse'' 4 ser (1995). *"Relational Databases and the Great Plague" in ''History and Computing'' (1993) *"Legislators, Impostors and the Politic Origins of Religion: English Theories of Imposture from Stubbe to Toland" in RH Popkin, S Berti (eds.) ''Heterodoxy, Spinozism and Freethought'' (Klewer, 1996) *''Europe’s Enlightenment and National Historiographies'' Europa (1993) *''London’s Dreaded Visitation: The Social Geography of the Great Plague 1665'' (London: Historical Geography Research Monograph No. 31, 1995) *''Epidemic Diseases in London'' (edited) (London, 1993) *''The Pillars of Priestcraft Shaken: The Church of England and its Enemies 1660–1730'' (Cambridge, 1992)

References

External links

Faculty webpage

MA in Public History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Justin Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London 2020 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge 1960 births