Chauncy Maples (1852 – 2 September 1895) was a British clergyman and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

missionary who became Bishop of Likoma, with a diocese in East Africa.

Early life

Born at Bound's Green in 1852, he was the son of Frederick Maples, a solicitor, and his wife Charlotte Elizabeth Chauncy. He was educated at

Eagle House School Eagle House School is a coeducational preparatory school near Sandhurst in Berkshire, England. Founded in 1820, it is one of the country's oldest preparatory schools. History Eagle House was founded in 1820 at Brook Green, Hammersmith. In 1 ...

and Charterhouse School. Coached by James Bowling Mozley, he entered the University of Oxford at the second attempt. Maples matriculated in 1871 at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

. In early 1874, suffering some poor health, he dropped out of his course for a time, and read with

William Wolfe Capes William Wolfe Capes (1834–1914) was a notable Hereford scholar. Life Capes attended St Paul's School, London, and the Queen's College, Oxford, where he matriculated in 1851, graduating B.A. in 1856, and becoming a Fellow there. Ordained in 1868, ...

Liphook Liphook is a large village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) west of Haslemere, bypassed by the A3 road, and lies on the Hampshire/West Sussex/Surrey borders. It is in the civil parish of Bramsh ...

. In 1874 also, he encountered

Edward Steere Edward Steere (1828 – 26 August 1882) was an English Anglican colonial bishop in the 19th century. Life Steere was educated at London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a ...

; he associated with Steere in late 1874 and early 1875, and became interested the Universities' Mission to Central Africa (UMCA). He graduated B.A. in 1875, and M.A. in 1879. After graduation he worked in Liverpool with

John Eyre John Eyre may refer to: Politicians *John Eyre (died 1581), Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Salisbury *John Eyre (died 1639), MP for Cricklade * John Eyre (1659–1709), MP for Galway Borough, son of the above *John Eyre (died 1745), MP for ...

. He was ordained deacon, and had a curacy at

St Mary Magdalen's Church, Oxford St Mary Magdalen is a Church of England parish church in Magdalen Street, Oxford, England, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It is one of the city's ancient parish churches and is a Grade I listed building. Worship Worship at St Mar ...

African missionary

In 1876 Maples sailed for

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

for UCMA. He was ordained priest by Steere at Kiungani in September of that year. There he set up clinics and schools for formerly enslaved people. In 1877 he was transferred to

Masasi Masasi is one of the six districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Lindi Region, to the east by the Newala District, to the south by the Ruvuma River and Mozambique and to the west by Nanyumbu District N ...

, on the African mainland. The Masasi mission did not thrive under Maples. Steere promoted Charles Janson over him in 1881, after a sex scandal involving a woman in Maples' household. In a complex local situation, Maples supported Matola I of the

Yao people The Yao people (its majority branch is also known as Mien; ; vi, người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China and Vietnam. They are one of the 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities in China and reside in ...

, who was on good terms with the Anglican missionaries. In 1882 Steere died on Zanzibar, and Janson died on an inland mission with

William Percival Johnson William Percival Johnson (12 March 1854 in St Helens, Isle of Wight – October 1928 in Liuli, Tanganyika) was an Anglican missionary to Nyasaland. After education at Bedford School (1863–1873) and graduation from University College, Oxfor ...

to reach the east side of

Lake Nyasa Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fre ...

. The Masasi mission was destroyed by a raid that year, by

Ngoni people The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in the present-day Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni and Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The d ...

. Maples moved east to

Newala Newala is one of the five districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Masasi District, to the east by the Tandahimba District, to the south by Newala Town, and to the north by the Tandahimba and Masasi ...

Charles Smythies Charles Alan Smythies (6 August 18447 May 1894) was a British colonial bishop in the 19th century. Life Smythies was born in Colchester, the son of the Rev. Charles Norfolk Smythies, vicar of St-Mary-at-the-Walls there, and his wife Isabella T ...

in 1886 transferred Maples to the Anglican mission on Likoma Island, as Archdeacon of Nyasa.

Bishopric and death

In 1895 Maples received recognition, as missionary and promoter of the UMCA. He was consecrated as Bishop of Likoma, in St Paul's Cathedral, on 29 June 1895. His predecessor

Wilfrid Hornby Wilfrid Bird Hornby was an Anglican colonial bishop at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. Born on 25 February 1851 and educated at Marlborough and Brasenose College, Oxford he was ordained in 1876. In 1880 he went on the ...

was by title Bishop of Nyasaland. On his return journey, his boat capsized on

during a storm on 2 September; Maples and the lay missionary Joseph Williams were drowned. The 18 African men and boys aboard swam safely ashore, but Maples was pulled down by the weight of his

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...

.''The steamer parish: the rise and fall of missionary medicine'' - Page 95 Charles M. Good - 2004 "Both missionaries perished two and one-half miles from shore despite rescue efforts by the African crew. All eighteen African men and boys swam safely ashore (CA 19 9o1 124). Maples tried swimming to save himself but was dragged down by his wet cassock."

Legacy

Chauncy Maples, 1952, jubilee celebrations

In recognition of his role in East Africa, in 1901 the ship SS ''Chauncy Maples'', the first steamship on Lake Nyasa (now

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fr ...

), was named after Maples. The ship continues to serve as a floating hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maples, Chauncy English Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in Malawi Deaths due to shipwreck 19th-century English Anglican priests 1895 deaths 1852 births Anglican bishops of Likoma People educated at Eagle House School