John Richardson Selwyn (20 May 1844 – 12 February 1898) was an

Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particul ...

who became the second

Bishop of Melanesia The Archbishop of Melanesia is the spiritual head of the Church of the Province of Melanesia, which is a province of the Anglican Communion in the South Pacific region, covering the nations of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. From 1861 until the inaugu ...

and then the second

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...

Life

Selwyn was born in

Waimate North Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake Ōmāpere, west of the Bay of Islands. It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-oldest surviving Eu ...

, New Zealand, the youngest son of

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (later ...

and his wife Sarah Harriet, the only daughter of Sir John Richardson. His father was the first

Bishop of New Zealand The Diocese of Auckland is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area stretching from North Cape down to the Waikato River, across the Hauraki Plains ...

and then

Bishop of Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Mi ...

, in whose memory Selwyn College, Cambridge was named. Selwyn 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, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, graduating in 1866. Like his father, Selwyn rowed for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and took part in the

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

s of

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...

and

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...

, both of which were won by Oxford. In 1864, with

Robert Kinglake Robert Alexander Kinglake (9 June 1843 – 10 June 1915) was an English rower and barrister. Kinglake was born at Taunton. He was the second son of John Alexander Kinglake, MP for Rochester, and his wife Louisa Rebecca Liddon, daughter ...

, he won the

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing club A rowing club ...

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

, beating

Edwin Brickwood Edwin Dampier Brickwood (1 December 1837 – 1906) was a British rower who won the Wingfield Sculls in 1861 and the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1859 and 1862. He also wrote about rowing. Brickwood was born in Luton, Bedf ...

and his brother in the final. Selwyn College Gatehouse Tower, Cambridge, UK - Diliff

Selwyn was ordained deacon by his father at

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

in 1869 and became a priest the following year. He served as curate of

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

Alrewas Alrewas ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. Geography The village is beside the River Trent and about northeast of Lichfield. It is located southwest of Burton-on-Trent. The parish is bounded ...

, Staffordshire from 1869 to 1870, then curate of St George's Church, Wolverhampton from 1870 to 1871, before promotion to Vicar of St George's. In 1873 Selwyn travelled to

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

, and four years later was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia. He made significant financial contributions to the construction of the ship ''Southern Cross'' No. 4, serving the

Melanesian Mission The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican missionary agency supporting the work of local Anglican churches in Melanesia. It was founded in 1849 by George Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand. History Bishop Selwyn's see was focused on New Zealand. ...

. Illness forced him to return to England in 1891. Selwyn was appointed the second

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

, in 1893. He held this position until he moved to Pau, France, at the beginning of 1898 on account of bad health. He died in Pau on 12 February 1898 within two weeks of his arrival and is buried there. From 1892 to 1895 he also served as an

Honorary Chaplain to the Queen An Honorary Chaplain to the King (KHC) is a member of the clergy within the United Kingdom who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the monarch of the United Kingdom. When the reigning monarch is female, Honorary Ch ...

. Selwyn married Clara Long-Innes and, after her death in 1877, Annie Catherine, eldest daughter of

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (23 December 18169 May 1878) was an Australian industrialist who improved the refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-Works in ...

, the Australian industrialist. The south-east window of the chapel of Selwyn College was dedicated to the memory of John Selwyn in 1900.Selwyn College 1882–1973: A Brief History
His son George Augustus Selwyn is buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge; he died in 1912, aged 16. Selwyn is listed in the calendar of saints of the

Church of the Province of Melanesia The Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACoM), also known as the Church of the Province of Melanesia and the Church of Melanesia (COM), is a church of the Anglican Communion and includes nine dioceses in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledoni ...

References

External links

*
Love in Self-Sacrifice, by B.T. Dudley (1877)
sermon at Selwyn's consecration

* ttps://archive.org/details/bishophohnselwyn00howuoft Bishop John Selwyn: A Memoir, by F. D. How(1899) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Selwyn, John Richardson 1844 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Anglican bishops in Oceania 19th-century Christian saints People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Masters of Selwyn College, Cambridge Cambridge University Boat Club rowers British male rowers Anglican bishops of Melanesia Anglican saints Honorary Chaplains to the Queen

Life

See also

References

External links