Weldon Champneys (26 August 1839''London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917'' – 9 May 1892) was an English clergyman and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

who twice won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta. Champneys was born in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, the son of the Very Rev William Weldon Champneys (rector of St Mary Whitechapel then

Dean of Lichfield The Dean of Lichfield is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Lichfield Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and S ...

) and his wife Mary Ann, fourth daughter of the

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

and

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

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 style, Neoclassical and other styles during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Hi ...

. His brother

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 Hal ...

was an architect and author and his brother Sir Francis Champneys, 1st Baronet, a doctor. Francis Champneys was bow in Woodgate's infamous

coxed four A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

in 1868 when the cox jumped overboard. He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford. He rowed bow in the

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

crew in the 1861 Boat Race. Also in 1861 he partnered

Walter Bradford Woodgate Walter Bradford Woodgate (20 September 1841 – 1 November 1920) was a British barrister and oarsman who won the Wingfield Sculls three times, and various events at Henley Royal Regatta including the Silver Goblets five times and the Diamond C ...

to win Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta. The pair repeated their success in 1862. Champneys took holy orders and in 1881 was vicar of

Haslingden Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels' or 'valley growing with hazels'. At the time of the 2011 census the town (including Helmshore) had a population of 15,96 ...

rural dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...

for Whalley and proctor in convocation for the Archdeaconry of Blackburn.British Census 1881 RG11 4138/13 p 20 He was honorary canon of Manchester Cathedral. Champneys married Frances Sophia Feilden in Kensington on 1879. Champneys died at

at the age of 52.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champneys, Weldon 1832 births 1892 deaths English male rowers 19th-century English Anglican priests Oxford University Boat Club rowers Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford

See also

References