The Champneys, later Mostyn-Champneys Baronetcy, of Orchardleigh in the

County of Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, was a title in the

Baronetage of Great Britain Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

. It was created on 12 January 1767 for Thomas Champneys, subsequently

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...

from 1775 to 1776. He owned the Orchardleigh estate near

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

and other English properties. In 1771 he inherited from his uncle, Anthony Swymmer a sizeable plantation: Nutt's River, in the parish of St Thomas in the East, Surrey, close to

Morant Bay Morant Bay is a town in southeastern Jamaica and the capital of the parish of St. Thomas, located about 25 miles east of Kingston, the capital. The parish has a population of 94,410. During the nineteenth century, the parish was an area of sug ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. This estate produced sugar, rum and livestock, mainly cattle. In 1810, 241 slaves were counted as part of the property. By 1817 this had grown to a total of 260, 134 males and 126 females, including children. Leaving his wife and children in England, Champneys spent several years (1784–90) in Jamaica, joining the local Trelawney Militia as an artillery superintenden

and overseeing the Windward coastal for

in addition to being a magistrate in the parish of St Thomas in the East and St Davi
Surrey
His financial affairs deteriorated; his father-in-law, Cox & Kings, Richard Cox, stepped in and by the turn of the 19th century had mortgaged all Champneys' properties, his remaining manors of Orchardleigh and Frome Selwood, along with Nutt's River, foreclosing on the eventual bankruptcy. Champneys died in Orchardleigh in 1821. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Thomas, the second Baronet. Sir Thomas married Charlotte Margaret Mostyn, daughter of

Sir Roger Mostyn, 5th Baronet Sir Roger Mostyn, 5th Baronet (13 November 1734 – 26 July 1796) was a Welsh landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 38 years from 1758 to 1796. Early life and inheritance Mostyn was the son of Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baron ...

(see Mostyn baronets). In 1821 Sir Thomas assumed by

Royal Sign Manual The royal sign-manual is the signature of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive act (for example, an appointmen ...

the additional surname of Mostyn. In 1822 he undertook a legal action in Chancery to recover the Nutt's River plantation and lost. He stood as parliamentary candidate for Frome following the 1832 Reform Act, a violent episode. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1839. He lived at Orchardleigh and was buried at the church of St Mary the Virgin, on the estate. Cox and Co held the property until 1854. The Champneys family had been settled at Orchardleigh in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

since the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. The first Baronet's grandfather, John Champneys, was High Sheriff of Somerset in 1695, as was the first Baronet's father, Richard Champneys, in 1728. The name is now used for a large shopping development in Llandudno – Mostyn Champneys Retail Park. Google Maps (53.3195,-3.8177)

Champneys, later Mostyn-Champneys baronets, of Orchardleigh (1767)

*Sir Thomas Champneys, 1st Baronet (1745–1821) *Sir Thomas Swymmer Mostyn-Champneys, 2nd Baronet (1769–1839)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mostyn-Champneys Extinct baronetcies in the Baronetage of Great Britain

Champneys, later Mostyn-Champneys baronets, of Orchardleigh (1767)

See also

References