Canon Rev. George Champagné ( – 26 October 1828) was an Anglican clergyman who was

Canon of Windsor The Dean and Canons of Windsor are the ecclesiastical body of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Foundation The college of canons was established in 1348 by letters patent of King Edward III. It was formally constituted on the feast of S ...

from 1802–28.

Early life

Champagné was born into a family of

French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

exiles who established themselves in Ireland. He was the eldest son of the Very Rev. Arthur de Robillard Champagné,

Dean of Clonmacnoise The Dean of Clonmacnoise is based at Trim Cathedral, The Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Trim in the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare within the Church of Ireland. The incumbent is Paul Bogle. List of deans of Clonmacnoise *1561 William Flyn ...

, and Marianne Hamon, daughter of Colonel Isaac Hamon. His grandmother was Jane Forbes, daughter of Arthur Forbes - 2nd Earl Granard. He had three brothers: Lt.-Gen.

Forbes Champagné Lieutenant General Forbes Champagné (2 July 1754 – 23 October 1816) was a British Army officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and officiated as Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army from 1807 to 1811. Background Champagn ...

; Rev. Arthur Champagné, vicar of Castlelyons; and Gen. Sir

Josiah Champagné Gen. Sir Josiah Champagné (26 September 1755 – 31 January 1840) was a British military commander who was the fifth General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He was appointed in February 1799 until 1799. He was succeeded by Hay MacDowall. Backgro ...

. He had six sisters including Jane (wife of the

Earl of Uxbridge Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

), Henrietta (wife of Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes, 6th Baronet), and Marianne (wife of Sir Charles des Voeux, 1st Baronet). His paternal great-grandfather, the Chevalier Josias de Robillard, Seigneur de Champagné de Torxé,

Saintonge Saintonge may refer to: *County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast * Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province * Saintonge ware, a medieval pottery type produced in Saintes reg ...

, fled France after the 1685

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (18 October 1685, published 22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to prac ...

for Holland, where he joined William of Orange's army. He married Marie de la Rochefoucauld of the noble house of the same name. Their daughter Susanne married Henri de la Motte-Fouqué, baron de Saint-Seurin et de Tonnay-Boutonne, and was mother of

Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

. Their eldest son, Josias de Robillard, Champagné's grandfather, distinguished himself at a young age in service of Major-General Isaac de Monceau de la Melonière, who commanded a regiment of exiles in William's army during the Irish campaigns. Champagné was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

receiving his M.A. in the spring of 1773.

Career

He served as the Vicar of Stoke, Warwickshire (1777–1785), followed by Vicar of Nuneaton (1785–1802), and the Vicar of Twickenham (1802–18). Champagné was appointed to the third stall in

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...

in 1802, a position he held until 1828. In 1818, he gave the Dean and Canons some shares in the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially: The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

to be used as an endowment to purchase clothes or books amongst the pupils of the National School at Windsor. The endowment is still awarded and is known as the Champagne Gift.

Personal life

Champagné died on 26 October 1828.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champagne, George 1750s births 1828 deaths Canons of Windsor Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Christian clergy from County Offaly