Typescript recollections made by Champion in the 1990s of his childhood and youth, 1910-30 of his life as a student in Germany, 1931-34 and of a visit to Baptist Churches in Germany in 1948
Papers of Dr Leonard Champion
This material is held atUniversity of Birmingham, Cadbury Research Library, Special Collections
- Reference
- GB 150 MS824
- Dates of Creation
- 1990s
- Language of Material
- English
- Physical Description
- 3 items
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Leonard George Champion (b c 1907) in Bristol was the son of a cabinet maker. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the furnishing department of Barton Warehouses in Bristol. However, through his membership of Horfield Baptist Church, he was given the opportunity to enter Bristol Baptist College in 1926 and train as a Baptist minister and he was awarded a degree in arts and theology from Bristol University in 1930 and a degree in theology from London University in 1931. In 1931, he was awarded two Baptist Union scholarships for further study at Heidelberg University where he did a doctoral thesis on blessings in Paul's Letters under Martin Debelius. He then served as a Baptist minister first at Minehead and then Rugby, becoming Principal at Bristol Baptist College in 1951, retiring in 1971. He also served as President of the Baptist Union.
He published over many years on both theological and historical subjects including his doctoral thesis 'Benedictions and doxologies in the Epistles of St Paul (Kemp Hall Press, 1934), The Church of the New Testament (Carey Kingsgate Press, 1951) 'Farthing Rushlight: the story of Andrew Gifford, 1700-1784' (Carey Kingsgate Press, 1961); 'Baptists and Unity' (Mowbray, 1962); 'Bristol and District Association of Baptist Churches, 1823-1973' being a history of the association (1973).
Access Information
Open, access to all registered researchers.
Acquisition Information
Presented by his daughter, January 2011
Other Finding Aids
Please see full catalogue for more information.
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Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.