The Reverend Francis John Stainforth (1797Who Was Who in British Philately
,

Association of British Philatelic Societies The Association of British Philatelic Societies, commonly known as the ''ABPS'', is the British national association of philatelic societies, regional philatelic federations, and specialist philatelic societies.Percy de Worms Percy George de Worms (3 November 1873 – 2 April 1941) was an English aristocrat and philatelist. Biography Early life Percy George de Worms was born on 3 November 1873. His paternal grandfather was Solomon Benedict de Worms (1801-1882), wh ...

in ''

The London Philatelist ''The London Philatelist'' was first published in January 1892
by

philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

, conchologist, and collector of books by women writers. He was the Perpetual Curate of

All Hallows Staining All Hallows Staining was a Church of England church located at the junction of Mark Lane and Dunster Court in the north-eastern corner of Langbourn ward in the City of London, England, close to Fenchurch Street railway station. All that remains ...

church in London, where Mount Brown compiled large parts of his catalogue. The church was believed to be the one mentioned by Charles Dickens in ''Dombey & Son''. ''

Alumni Cantabrigienses ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the University of Cambridge whic ...

'', philatelic sources, and Stainforth's death certificate all give his forenames as ''Francis John''. An 1894 work by the Rev. A. Povah records his name incorrectly as ''Frederick J''.

Early life and military career

Baptized on 14 December 1797, at St Peter-le-Poer in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, Stainforth was the son of Richard Stainforth, by his marriage to Maria, the eldest child of

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet (18 April 1740 – 11 September 1810) was an English merchant banker, a member of the Baring family, later becoming the first of the Baring baronets. Early life He was born at Larkbeare House near Exeter, so ...

, of Devon. In 1817 he joined the Bengal Cavalry as a Cadet and by 1825 had been promoted to captain. Resigning his commission in 1827, he was admitted to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, where he graduated BA in 1830 and was promoted to MA in 1833.'Stainforth, Francis John', in John Venn, ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'', vol. 4, p. 5 Stainforth had an older brother, George, born in 1796, who was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and was President of the

Cambridge Union Society The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debati ...

in 1816. He died at

Cadogan Place Cadogan Place is a street in Belgravia, London. It is named after Earl Cadogan and runs parallel to the lower half of Sloane Street. It gives its name to the extensive Cadogan Place Gardens, private communal gardens maintained for Cadogan reside ...

Belgravia Belgravia () is a Districts of London, district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' Tudor Period, during the ...

, on 24 August 1820, aged 24. On 23 January 1823, at

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tr ...

, Stainforth married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Dr Frazer, of London. She died young.

Church career

In 1830, Stainforth was ordained as a deacon of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, and in 1834 as a priest. In 1841 he became Curate of Camden Chapel,

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, in 1846 Curate of St Pancras, London, in 1852 Perpetual Curate of All Hallows', Staining. In October 1838 he married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of

Edward Southwell Ruthven Edward Southwell Ruthven (c. 1772 – 31 March 1836) was an Irish Repealer politician and member of the United Kingdom Parliament. He was a Member for Downpatrick 1806-7 and 1830–1832, MP for Dublin City (Repealer) 1832–1835 and ( Liberal ...

Origins of the Royal Philatelic Society

Stainforth met at the Rectory in 9 Mark Lane, which adjoined the church, on Saturday afternoons with a group of like-minded collectors to pool their knowledge. Apart from Mount Brown, these included Dr. Charles W. Viner,

Henry Haslett Henry Haslett (Died 8 November 1916 at Bexley)"Death of Mr. H. Haslett" in ''The London Philatelist'', Vol. XXV, November 1916, No. 299, p.233. was one of the small group who met regularly at the Rev. Stainforth's Rectory that formed the nucleus ...

Frederick Philbrick Frederick Adolphus Philbrick, KC (13 June 1835 – 25 December 1910)http://www.rpsl.org.uk/frederick_philbrick/index.html The collection of Frederick Philbrick by Dr. Andreas Hahn 1 March 2008Report of death in ''The Bulletin'', Fiscal Philate ...

William Hughes-Hughes William Hughes-Hughes D.L. (1817 – 7 January 1902) was an English barrister and founding member of The Philatelic Society, London. Early life William Hughes-Hughes was born in 1817, and was the son of William Hughes Hughes, a barrister of Li ...

and Sir Daniel Cooper.''The Stamp Lover'', Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1908, pp. 5-6. Stainforth in particular was said to have had a very fine collection which largely formed the basis for Brown's catalogue.Birch, Brian. ''Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers''. 9th edition. Standish, Wigan: 2008, p. 1362. The group that met at the church were thought to be the most serious British collectors of the day and have been credited with being the nucleus that eventually formed ''The Philatelic Society, London'', which subsequently became the

Royal Philatelic Society London The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its he ...

, the oldest philatelic society in the world. Stainforth was never a member of the Society as he died before it was formed in 1869. Melville, Fred J. ''Chats on Postage Stamps''. London: T. Fisher Unwin Ltd., 1920, pp. 122-123.

References

External links

* Susan Guinn-Chipman
Francis Stainforth Biography
Stainforth Library of Women's Writing,

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stainforth, Francis British philatelists 1797 births 1866 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests British East India Company Army officers