Rawdon Baptist College, or simply Rawdon College, was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

institution in West Yorkshire that trained missionaries.

Location

Rawdon College is on Woodlands Drive in

Rawdon, West Yorkshire Rawdon is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It sits on the River Aire and on the A65 south of Yeadon. The northern parts of the village are part of the Guiseley and Rawdon ...

. It is set in woodlands looking over the

River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...

, and was built specifically for use as a residential college. Robert Milligan sold the land to the Baptists, and then gave back half the purchase price. The college was designed by the architect J. H. Paul of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. The buildings were in

Tudor Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

style, with the library, classroom and principal's residence in the central building, and student apartments on each side. The cost was more than £12,000.

History

Rawdon College replaced the Horton Academy of

Little Horton Little Horton (population 17,368 - 2001 UK census) is a ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the de Horton family, who were once Lords of the Manor. The population a ...

, Bradford, which the Yorkshire and Lancashire Baptists had founded in 1804, using an adapted weaving shed as its premises. Horton and Rawdon were both run by the Northern Baptist Education Society. Rawdon College was opened on 4 September 1859 in a ceremony attended by 700 people. The president of the meeting was Sir Francis Crossley, of Halifax. Sir

Titus Salt Sir Titus Salt, 1st Baronet (20 September 1803 in Morley – 29 December 1876 in Lightcliffe), was a manufacturer, politician and philanthropist in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, who is best known for having built Salt's Mill, a ...

, the industrialist who created Saltaire, was present. The purpose of the college was to identify and train evangelistic preachers. At first students were prepared to take degrees at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. James Aeworth was head of Horton and then Rawdon College from 1836 to 1853. William Medley taught at Rawdon from 1869 to 1908, and was the most significant philosopher at the college. He was the author of ''Christ the Truth. An Essay towards the Organization of Christian Thinking'' (1900). Rawdon was affiliated to the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

in 1904. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918)

Midland Baptist College New Connexion of General Baptists was a revivalist offshoot from the Arminian Baptist tradition, one of two main strands within the British Baptist movement. Formed in 1770, whilst the New Connexion owes its existence to Daniel Taylor (Baptist past ...

was closed and Rawdon acquired most of its assets. At the start of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

(1939–1945) the college had 30 men, but there were only four in 1944, so the college closed until 1946. In 1961 Rawdon was merged with Manchester College to create the new Northern Baptist College, which was based in the Manchester premises. Between 1964 and 1975 the college was used to house students of the Trinity and All Saints' Teacher Training College. In 1980 the college building was converted into 18 domestic residences. The site, containing other buildings, is known as Larchwood. In September 2010 a blue plaque was erected on Woodlands Drive to commemorate the former college.

Alumni

Carey Bonner Carey Bonner, Rev (1 May 1859 – 16 June 1938) was a Baptist minister who served as the General Secretary of the National Sunday School Union from 1900 until 1929 and as Joint Secretary of the World Sunday School Association. Biography Bonner ...

(1859–1938) was General Secretary of the National Sunday School Union from 1900 until 1929 and Joint Secretary of the World Sunday School Association. He trained as a missionary at Rawdon * H. E. Crudgington (1852–1931) was a Baptist missionary from Ireland who was active in the Congo region before the Congo Free State was established. He was trained at Rawdon. * George Howells (1871–1955) was a Welsh academic and writer, Principal of Serampore College, India from 1907 to 1932. He was lecturer in Hebrew at Rawdon Baptist College from 1932 to 1935 * David Syme Russell (1916–2010) was a distinguished theologian and author, a Principal of Rawdon College * Charles John Sutherland (1931–2020) Baptist Minister, Royal Airforce Chaplain, and Wiltshire Fire Brigade Chaplain.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT: Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in the United Kingdom