Arthur Sutton Valpy (28 March 1849 – 15 June 1909) was a canon of

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

Early life and education

Valpy was a descendant of Richard Valpy and his wife Emily Anne Sutton. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

(which he left in 1864) and at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...

, where he was awarded a Master of Arts degree in 1876 and was made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He was ordained deacon at York in 1873, and priest the following year, serving curacies at

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, 1873 to 1875, and at Kensington, 1875 to 1878.

Appointments

Valpy was Rector of Farnborough from 1878 to 1882. He served as warden to the Church of England Soldiers' Institute and acting chaplain to the forces as

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

and as Rector of Holy Trinity, Guildford. He was appointed Canon Residentiary of Winchester in 1895. In December 1901, Valpy and his wife left London for South Africa, where he acted as Archdeacon of Kimberley and Rector of St Cyprian's Church during 1902.

Valpy as artist and his influence on English style

Canon Valpy has been credited with having injected "new life and a lightness of touch" in English style, as documented in interiors he painted in water-colours now preserved in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London. "This inspired churchman", comments Carolyn McDowell, "put together a collection of 18c furniture, decorated his plain walls with clusters of low hung watercolors and prints, used a pretty chintz loose cover on the chairs, replaced indiscriminate clutter with a few well chosen ornaments and placed piles of books lying around for reading, rather than for show". Over the mantel in his Drawing Room is a pre-raphaelite portrait by

Rossetti The House of Rossetti is an Italian noble, and Boyar Princely family appearing in the 14th-15th century, originating among the patrician families, during the Republic of Genoa, with branches of the family establishing themselves in the Kingdom o ...

, revealing that he was "a very astute purchaser". Valpy's name appears in an address book belonging to James McNeill Whistler in the 1870s. Valpy inherited

Champneys Champneys is an English country house and its associated estate near Tring, Hertfordshire. The mansion is run as a destination spa by a business using "Champneys" as the brand name for a group of spa resorts and day spas. History The earlies ...

a country house estate at Wigginton. He rebuilt the house in 1874 later selling it to Lady Rothschild between 1900 and 1902.Hertfordshire Genealogy Champneys
Accessed 18 January 2015

In memoriam

The beautifully carved wooden altar from St Edward's Church, Kenilworth, in Kimberley, South Africa, now at St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley, bears an inscription in memory of "Arthur Sutton Valpy, Canon of Winchester, England, who fell asleep 15 June 1909. While in charge of S. Cyprian’s Kimberley, he assisted S. Edward’s in every way. R.I.P".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valpy, Arthur Sutton 1849 births 1909 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Archdeacons People educated at Eton College People from Dacorum (district) Winchester Cathedral