Reverend Professor Owen Chadwick 1916-2015
The Reverend Professor William “Owen” Chadwick, Honorary Fellow of St John’s and former Master of Selwyn College, has died at the age of 99.
Noted religious historian and Honorary Fellow of St John’s, the Reverend Professor Owen Chadwick has died aged 99.
Born in Bromley, Kent, in 1916, Reverend Chadwick was one of the leading figures in Church History in the 20th century. He came up to St John’s in 1935 to read first Classics and later History and Theology, receiving his BA in 1939. He was later awarded a DD, in 1955, and was elected as an Honorary Fellow of St John’s in 1964.
Alongside his academic successes, Chadwick, known by his friends as “WOC”, was a keen sportsman, heavily involved in rugby at both College and University level. He played for the University for three years, becoming Captain of the team in his final year as an undergraduate. He was also a member of the informal “British Lions” side which toured Argentina in the summer of 1936, winning all ten of their matches including a stunning 23-0 victory over Argentina’s national team.
After graduation, Chadwick sought ordination in the Church of England and studied at Cuddesdon College, Oxford, followed by a curacy in Huddersfield. During the Second World War, he served as Chaplain of Wellington College, Berkshire, where it was felt he could best support the war effort.
He returned to Cambridge in 1947 when Trinity Hall invited him to become a Fellow and then Dean of Chapel, and he married his wife Ruth in 1949. He was elected Master of Selwyn College in 1956 and remained in that post until 1983, making him the College’s longest serving Master to date. Reverend Chadwick also served as Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University from 1969-1971, a challenging time for the University that saw student unrest culminating in the protest at the Garden House Hotel in 1970.
Reverend Chadwick was elected Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History in 1958, and Regius Professor of Modern History in 1968, a position he held for 15 years. During this time, he was a prolific writer and leading figure in the field of religious history. His major work was a two-volume history of the Victorian Church, though he also wrote on topics as diverse as early monasticism, the Reformation, and the secularisation of Europe. He also co-edited a history of Christianity with his brother, Henry, which was commissioned by Oxford University Press.
In retirement, Reverend Chadwick continued to write, devoting himself principally to the church in his own lifetime. He was deeply preoccupied by the reactions of the churches and clergy to the rise of fascism during World War Two. His writing was described as bringing great clarity to an understanding of events and great complexity to an understanding of people.
Reverend Chadwick received a KBE in 1982, and was admitted to the Order of Merit in 1983 becoming the Order’s most senior non-Royal member.
In his later years, Reverend Chadwick’s interests spanned painting and music as well as religious writing, and he spent much of his time in Cley-Next-the-Sea, Norfolk, where he served as priest in charge in the parish church. He celebrated his 99th birthday in May 2015.
Reverend Professor William “Owen” Chadwick died on 17 July 2015, aged 99. He is survived by his two sons and two daughters.