Owen Chadwick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Owen Chadwick
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William Owen Chadwick
20 May 1916 Bromley, England
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| Died | 17 July 2015 (aged 99) Cambridge, England
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| Alma mater | University of Cambridge, St John's College, Cambridge |
William Owen Chadwick (born May 20, 1916 – died July 17, 2015) was a famous British Anglican priest, teacher, and writer. He was also a very important historian who studied the history of Christianity.
Owen Chadwick was a leading academic at Cambridge University. He became the Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History in 1958. Later, from 1968 to 1983, he was the Regius Professor of History. He was also chosen as the head of Selwyn College, Cambridge, serving from 1956 to 1983.
Newspapers described him as "one of the great religious historians of our time" and "one of the most remarkable men of letters of the 20th century." This shows how highly people thought of his work.
Contents
Early Life and School
Owen Chadwick was born in Bromley, Kent, England, in 1916. He was the third of six children. His father passed away when Owen was nine years old. His younger brother, Henry Chadwick, also became a well-known professor and historian.
Owen went to Tonbridge School from 1929 to 1935. He was a great student and leader, becoming the school captain. He also captained the school's rugby team.
University and Rugby Career
After school, Owen Chadwick studied classics at St John's College, Cambridge. He was a talented rugby player. He played as a hooker for Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the yearly Varsity Match against Oxford University. He played in this important game three times: in 1936, 1937, and 1938, when he was captain.
In 1936, during his first year at Cambridge, he was chosen to play for the British Lions team. They went on a tour to Argentina. Even though official "caps" (awards for playing for your country) weren't given on this tour, Owen played in a match against the main Argentina team. The British team won all ten of their matches on that tour. He also played for the Barbarians, another famous invitational rugby team.
Owen Chadwick finished his history degree with top honors in 1938. He then studied theology and also earned top marks in 1939. He went to Cuddesdon College to train as a priest. He became a deacon in 1940 and a priest in the Church of England in 1941.
He worked as a curate (a junior priest) in Huddersfield for two years. After that, he was a chaplain at Wellington College until the end of World War II. During the war, he continued to play rugby for teams like Blackheath and even for an England team against New Zealand.
Life and Work at Cambridge
After the war, in 1947, Owen Chadwick became a chaplain and Fellow at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He then became a university theology lecturer in 1949. His first book, about a monk named John Cassian, was published in 1950.
In 1958, he was named the Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University. This is a very important teaching position. He also became an honorary fellow at St John's College, Cambridge, in 1964.
A few years later, in 1968, he was chosen as the Regius Professor of Modern History. This is a very old and respected academic position. He held this role until 1982. He was also the President of the British Academy from 1981 to 1985.
Owen Chadwick served as the vice-chancellor of Cambridge University from 1969 to 1971. During this time, he helped guide the university through some difficult student protests. He was also elected president of the Cambridge University rugby club in 1973.
In the 1960s and 1970s, some people thought he might become the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the main leader of the Church of England. However, it is believed he turned down offers to become a bishop more than once. He led a group called the Chadwick Commission (1966–1970). This group suggested that the British Parliament should give more power to the General Synod to manage church matters.
He also gave important lectures at Oxford University in 1975–76 and 1980–81. He retired from his main teaching roles and as head of Selwyn College in 1983. He was also a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and the chancellor of the University of East Anglia from 1984 to 1994.
Leading Selwyn College
Owen Chadwick was chosen as the Master (head) of Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1955. He officially started in 1956 and served for 27 years, making him the longest-serving Master of Selwyn. He retired in 1983.
During his time as Master, Selwyn College became a full college of Cambridge University in 1958. Before this, it had been founded in 1882 but had a special status. Also, the college stopped requiring its students to be members of the Church of England.
As Master, Owen Chadwick oversaw several big building projects, like the new Cripps Court. Selwyn College was one of the earlier colleges at Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge universities) to welcome women students alongside men, starting in 1976. Under his leadership, the number of teachers (fellows) and postgraduate students at Selwyn doubled. This greatly increased the research done at the college. Owen Chadwick was also very interested in college sports.
His Books and Writings
Owen Chadwick wrote many books about the history of Christianity. He explored topics like the development of the papacy (the office of the Pope) in the modern world. He also wrote about the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He studied the Church of England and how Europe became more secular (less religious) in its thinking and culture. He even discussed the role of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust during World War II.
He worked with his brother, Henry, to edit the Oxford History of the Christian Church. Owen wrote three of its twelve volumes himself. These included books about the Popes and the European Revolution, a history of the Popes from 1830–1914, and the early Reformation in Europe. He won the Wolfson History Prize in 1981 for his work.
Owen Chadwick was also the main editor for the Penguin History of the Church series. He wrote volumes on The Reformation and The Christian Church in the Cold War.
Some of his other important books include:
- John Cassian: A Study in Primitive Monasticism (1950)
- Mackenzie’s Grave (1959) – about a bishop sent to Africa in the 19th century.
- Victorian Miniature (1960) – based on diaries from a squire and parson in Norfolk.
- The Victorian Church (in two volumes, 1966 and 1970)
- The Secularization of the European Mind in the 19th Century (1975)
- A History of Christianity (1995)
Awards and Honours
Owen Chadwick received several high honors. In 1982, he was made a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). Because he was a priest, he kept his title "The Revd Owen Chadwick" instead of becoming "Sir Owen Chadwick."
On November 11, 1983, he was given the Order of Merit (OM). This is a very special award given by the British monarch for outstanding service. A special memorial for him and his brother was revealed at Westminster Abbey in 2018.
Personal Life
Owen Chadwick married Ruth Hallward in 1949. She passed away in January 2015, just a few months before him. He was survived by his two sons and two daughters. Owen Chadwick died on July 17, 2015, at the age of 99.
After he retired, Owen Chadwick and his wife lived in Newnham, in Cambridge. He also spent time in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, where he served as a priest.
See also
In Spanish: Owen Chadwick para niños
