Sir Francis Henry Champneys, 1st Baronet, FRCP (25 March 1848, London – 30 July 1930, Nutley, Sussex, England) was an eminent obstetrician known for raising the status of midwives in the early twentieth century, by his campaigning for their training and certification and for supporting the founding of the

History of Medicine Society Founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, the History of Medicine Society (formally "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, is one of the oldest History of Medicine societies in the world and is one of the four founder committees ...

in 1912.

Early years

Champneys was born in the rectory of St Mary's, Whitechapel on 25 March 1848. His father was William Champneys, then rector of St Mary's, later Canon of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

and later Dean of Lichfield from 1868 to 1875, and his mother, Mary Anne, was daughter of the goldsmith and silversmith

Paul Storr Paul Storr (baptised 28 October 1770 in London – 18 March 1844 in London) was an English goldsmith and silversmith working in the Neoclassical and other styles during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His works range from ...

(his cousins thus including Rev.

Vernon Storr Vernon Faithfull Storr (4 December 1869 – 25 October 1940) was an Anglican priest, most notably Archdeacon of Westminster from 1931 to 1936. Early life and education The son of Edward Storr (1840–1878), Indian Civil Service (a descendant of ...

, Archdeacon of Westminster from 1931 to 1936, Rev.

Frank Utterton Rev Canon Frank Ernest Utterton (baptised 4 October 1844 – 19 April 1908) was Archdeacon of Surrey from 1906 until 1908, then the second most senior post in the Diocese of Winchester. The son of Bishop John Sutton Utterton and Eleanor, daug ...

Archdeacon of Surrey The Archdeaconry of Surrey is the ecclesiastical officer in charge of the archdeaconry of Surrey, a subdivision of the Church of England Diocese of Guildford in the Province of Canterbury. History The whole archdeaconry was historically in the d ...

from 1906 to 1908, the artists Rex Whistler and Laurence Whistler, and the academic

Michael Lindsay, 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker Michael Francis Morris Lindsay, 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker (24 February 1909 – 13 February 1994), was a British peer and academic. Education and life in China Lindsay was the son of Sandie and Erica Lindsay, née Storr. On his mother's si ...

). Amongst his six siblings were the architect and author

Basil Champneys Basil Champneys (17 September 1842 – 5 April 1935) was an English architect and author whose most notable buildings include Manchester's John Rylands Library, Somerville College Library (Oxford), Newnham College, Cambridge, Lady Margaret Hall, ...

and the rowing clergyman

Weldon Champneys Weldon Champneys (26 August 1839''London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917'' – 9 May 1892) was an English clergyman and rower who twice won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta. Champneys was born in Whitechapel, ...

. As a child and before the invention of perforation, Champneys would spend Sunday afternoons cutting sheets of stamps. He was awarded a scholarship to be educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

, one of the ancient public schools of England, and later

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

. He then, in 1871, became a medical student at St Bartholomew's Hospital, qualifying in 1888.Stanford
Stanford.edu. Retrieved on 5 June 2014.

Career

Champneys was a fellow of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society and was elected president of its successor organisation, the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...

, in 1912. He supported Sir William Osler in the founding of

The History of Medicine Society at The Royal Society of Medicine, London Founded by Sir William Osler in 1912, the History of Medicine Society (formally "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), London, is one of the oldest History of Medicine societies in the world and is one of the four founder committees ...

, in the same year.

Legacy

Champneys particularly championed raising the status of

midwives A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; con ...

and was the main driving force of the

Midwives Act 1902 {{Infobox UK legislation, short_title=Midwives Act 1902, parliament=, year=, citation=2 Edw. VII c. 17, royal_assent=31 July 1902, commencement=1 April 1903, status=Repealed The Midwives Act 1902 ( 2 Edw. VII c. 17) was an Act of Parliament of the ...

, which he did by being the first chairman of the Central Midwives’ Board from 1902 until his death in 1930. The act required midwives to be trained and examined in a maternity hospital. They then had to be on the register of the central midwives board.Francis Henry Champneys
hymntime.com He was the crown nominee from 1911 to 1926 of the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...

. Champneys was created a baronet in 1910.

Music

Champneys was an amateur musician, studying under Charles Wesley at Winchester. Whilst at Brasenose, Champneys composed a number of glees and madrigals, founding at the same time, a glees club. Later, he was to study music under

John Goss (composer) Sir John Goss (27 December 1800 – 10 May 1880) was an English organist, composer and teacher. Born to a musical family, Goss was a boy chorister of the Chapel Royal, London, and later a pupil of Thomas Attwood, organist of St Paul's Cathedr ...

and held various musical positions between 1880 and 1913.

Personal life and death

Champneys married Virginia Julian Dalrymple (1850-1922), daughter of Sir John Warrender Dalrymple, on 12 September 1876. He died on 31 July 1930 at age 83 years at his Nutley home and was succeeded by his son,

Weldon Dalrymple-Champneys Sir Weldon Dalrymple-Champneys, 2nd Baronet (7 May 1892 – 14 December 1980) was a British physician who was a leading figure in the public health service. Career Weldon Champneys was the only surviving son of Sir Francis Champneys, 1st Baron ...

, who also became a physician. Weldon never had children and the baronetcy therefore ended.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champneys, Francis 1848 births 1930 deaths People from Whitechapel People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford English gynaecologists Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine People from Wealden District