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William Owen Chadwick (20 May 1916 – 17 July 2015) was a British
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 ...
priest, academic, rugby international,Owen Chadwick rugby profile
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writer and prominent historian of Christianity. As a leading academic, Chadwick became
Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History The Dixie Professorship of Ecclesiastical History is one of the senior professorships in history at the University of Cambridge. Lord Mayor of London in the 16th century, Sir Wolstan Dixie, left funds to found both scholarships and fellowships at ...
in 1958, serving until 1968, and from 1968 to 1983 was Regius Professor of History. Chadwick was elected
master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...
, and served from 1956 to 1983. In his obituaries, Chadwick was described as "one of the great religious historians of our time" by ''The Independent'', and as "one of the most remarkable men of letters of the 20th century" by ''The Guardian''.The Rev Owen Chadwick obituary
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 19 July 2015 (updated 20 July 2015).


Early life and education

Chadwick was born in
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, in 1916, the third of six children of John Chadwick, a barrister, and his wife Edith (née Horrocks). His father died in 1925. He was an elder brother of the Very Reverend Henry Chadwick, also a distinguished professor and historian of the early Church, and a younger brother of Sir John Chadwick
KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
, a diplomat whose senior posting was as
British Ambassador to Romania The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Romania is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Romania, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Romania. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to Romania''. ...
. His eldest brother was sent to
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, but Chadwick was educated at
Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...
from 1929 to 1935. He was school captain and captain of the
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
team. He then studied classics at
St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
. He received three
Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
in rugby playing as hooker for
Cambridge University R.U.F.C. The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, sometimes abbreviated "CURUFC", is the rugby union club of the University of Cambridge. The team plays Oxford University RFC in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium every December. ...
in the annual
Varsity Match A varsity match is a fixture (especially of a sporting event or team) between two university teams, particularly Oxford and Cambridge. The Scottish Varsity rugby match between the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh at Murray ...
against
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1936, 1937 and 1938 (as captain). In 1936, during his first year at Cambridge, he was selected to tour with a British Lions team in their third trip to Argentina. Although no caps were awarded on this tour, Chadwick did play in the one match against the full
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
side, playing in his favoured position of hooker in a 23–0 victory. The British team won all ten of its matches. During the 1937/38 season, Chadwick played for invitational touring side, the
Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...
. Chadwick graduated with a
First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
in History in 1938. Having been influenced by
Martin Charlesworth Martin Percival Charlesworth (18 January 1895 – 26 October 1950) was a classical scholar. He was born in Eastham, then in Cheshire, the son of Rev Ambrose Charlesworth, the curate of the parish, and Alice Whish. He was educated at Birkenhead ...
and
Martin Niemöller Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller (; 14 January 18926 March 1984) was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and for his widely quoted 1946 poem " First they ca ...
in 1938, he took a First in theology at Cambridge in 1939. He then attended
Cuddesdon College Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay min ...
(a theological college) and was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
in 1940 and 1941, respectively. He served as a
curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
at St John's Church in
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
for two years and was then chaplain of
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...
in Berkshire until the end of the Second World War. He also played rugby during the war, for
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
, and for an England team that played against New Zealand.


Cambridge career

After the war, he was made chaplain and
Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...
of
Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...
, in 1947, and then Dean of Chapel. He became a university theology lecturer in 1949 and published his first book on the 5th-century monk
John Cassian John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman ( la, Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, ''Ioannus Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern c ...
in 1950. In 1958 he was named
Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History The Dixie Professorship of Ecclesiastical History is one of the senior professorships in history at the University of Cambridge. Lord Mayor of London in the 16th century, Sir Wolstan Dixie, left funds to found both scholarships and fellowships at ...
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 ...
. He then became an honorary fellow at
St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
, in 1964. A few years later, in 1968, he was elected to the position of Regius Professor of Modern History, an ancient
chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
, which he held until 1982, and was President of the
British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
during the early 1980s. As
vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...
from 1969 to 1971, he guided Cambridge through turbulent times in the late 1960s, including the Garden House riot in 1970. He was also elected president of Cambridge University RFC in 1973. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was suggested as a potential
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, but is thought to have declined the offer of a bishop's mitre more than once. He chaired the Archbishops' Commission on Church and State (1966–1970), known as the Chadwick Commission, which recommended that Parliament should pass the regulation of the church to a
General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...
rather than
disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular stat ...
. He was
Hensley Henson Lecturer in Theology Hensley may refer to: People with the surname: * Hensley (surname) People with the first name: * Hensley Henson (1863–1947), English bishop * Hensley Koeiman (born 1956), Curaçaoan politician * Hensley Meulens (born 1967), Dutch baseball playe ...
at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in 1975–76, and Ford Lecturer in English History at Oxford in 1980–81. He retired as Regius Professor and master of
Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...
, in 1983. He had become a fellow of the
British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
in 1962, and was its president from 1981 to 1985. He was also a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1978 to 1994, and was
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
from 1984 to 1994. Owen Chadwick served as a member of the
Historical Manuscripts Commission The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (widely known as the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and abbreviated as the HMC to distinguish it from the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England), was a United Kingdom Royal Com ...
for a period prior to 1992.


Selwyn College, Cambridge

Chadwick was elected
Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
of
Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...
, in 1955. Installed in 1956, Chadwick was the longest-serving Master of Selwyn by the time he retired after 27 years, in 1983. During his time as master, Selwyn became a full college of Cambridge University, in 1958 (though it had been founded back in 1882), and it ceased to require its students to be communicant members (
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 ...
s) of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
. As Master of Selwyn, Chadwick completed several major building projects, including the new Cripps Court (not to be confused with the similarly named Cripps at
Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...
). Selwyn College was not the first
Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...
college to admit women students alongside men, but it adopted the practice relatively early on in 1976. Under Chadwick's years as Master, the numbers of fellows and postgraduates at Selwyn were doubled, greatly increasing the research output of the college. Chadwick took a keen interest in College sports, and was elected to membership of the
Hermes Club Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (1 ...
.


Books

Chadwick wrote about such issues as the formation of the
papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
in the modern world; about
Lord Acton John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he w ...
; about the Protestant
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in the 16th century; about the Church of England in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and about the secularisation of
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
in thought and culture. He participated in the debate about the role of
Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust The papacy of Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) began on 2 March 1939 and continued to 9 October 1958, covering the period of the Second World War and the Holocaust, during which millions of Jews and others were murdered by Adolf Hitler's Germany. Bef ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. With his brother, Henry, Chadwick edited the ''Oxford History of the Christian Church'' (1981-2010), to which he contributed three of its twelve volumes: "The Popes and European Revolution" (1980); "A History of the Popes 1830–1914" (1998); and "The Early Reformation on the Continent" (2003). Chadwick was awarded the
Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...
in 1981. Owen Chadwick was also General Editor of the Penguin (formerly Pelican) ''History of the Church'', to which he contributed the third volume (''The Reformation''), the seventh (''The Christian Church in the Cold War'', 1992) and the last two chapters of the sixth ("A History of Christian Missions", second edition 1986). His brother Henry wrote the first volume in the series (''The Early Church'', 1967). Among Chadwick's other books are: * ''John Cassian: A Study in Primitive Monasticism'' (1950) * ''The Founding of Cuddesdon'' (1954) * ''From Bossuet to Newman'' (1957) * ''The Sayings of the Fathers'' (1958) * ''Mackenzie’s Grave'' (1959) (on a bishop sent to the Zambesi in the 19th century) * ''Victorian Miniature'' (1960) (based on parallel diaries of the squire and parson at
Ketteringham Ketteringham is a village and civil parish located in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 169 in 70 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 178 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local governmen ...
in Norfolk covering several decades of the early 19th century) * ''The Victorian Church'' (in two volumes, 1966 and 1970) * ''The Secularization of the European Mind in the 19th Century'' (1975) (based on his
Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...
in 1973–74) * ''Newman'' (in the OUP's "Past Masters" series; 1983) * '' Hensley Henson: A study in the Friction between Church and State'' (1983) * ''A History of Christianity'' (1995) * ''The Early Reformation on the Continent'' (2001)


Honours

Chadwick was appointed
Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(KBE) in the 1982
New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
. As a priest he did not receive the
accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...
and so remained styled as "The Revd Owen Chadwick" rather than "Sir Owen Chadwick". He was appointed to the
Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
(OM) on 11 November 1983. A memorial to him and his brother was unveiled at Westminster Abbey on 2 February 2018.


Personal life

Chadwick married Ruth Hallward in 1949; she died before him, in January 2015. He was survived by two sons and two daughters. Chadwick died at the age of 99 on 17 July 2015. After retiring, Chadwick lived with his wife in Newnham, in Cambridge, but also spent time in
Cley next the Sea Cley next the Sea (, , is a village and civil parish on the River Glaven in England, English county of Norfolk, England, Norfolk, north-west of Holt, Norfolk, Holt and east of Blakeney, Norfolk, Blakeney. The main A149 road, A149 coast road ...
in Norfolk, where he was
priest in charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent. Such priests are not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, but simply hold a ...
.


References


Further reading

* Worden, Blair, Derek Beales, and Geoffrey Best, eds. ''History, Society and the Churches: Essays in Honour of Owen Chadwick.'' (1985).


External links


Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 29 February 2008 (video)
*
Reverend Professor Owen Chadwick (1916 -)
Tonbridge School {{DEFAULTSORT:Chadwick, Owen 1916 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Barbarian F.C. players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England British historians of religion Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players Chancellors of the University of East Anglia English Anglican theologians English historians English rugby union players Fellows of Selwyn College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Dixie Professors of Ecclesiastical History Historians of the Catholic Church Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Masters of Selwyn College, Cambridge Members of the Order of Merit Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of history People educated at Tonbridge School Presidents of the British Academy Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society Rugby union hookers Rugby union players from Bromley Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Regius Professors of History (Cambridge)