Papers of Dr Leonard Champion

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

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).

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Presented by his daughter, January 2011

Please see full catalogue for more information.

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 Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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.

The Baptist Historical Society has a recording and transcript of a conversation between Champion and Dr Roger Hayden made as part of its Oral History Project.