George Saxby Penfold (176913 October 1846) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

clergyman, Rector of several parishes and active as a visiting preacher. In 1825 the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

awarded him the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

. A pluralist, for much of his life Penfold held the living of more than one benefice at once.

Life

Baptised at

Epsom, Surrey Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The earliest ev ...

, on 27 November 1769, Penfold was the son of Hugh Penfold, gentleman, of Epsom, and his wife Susan, and was educated at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, where he matriculated on 13 June 1788, aged eighteen. He graduated BA in 1792 and proceeded to MA by seniority in 1814. On 3 June 1792, Penfold was ordained as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

of the Church of England by

James Cornwallis James Cornwallis (16 September 1701 – 1727) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1722 to 1727 as a supporter of the Whig government of Robert Walpole. Cornwallis was the second son of Charles Cornwallis, ...

, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, and on 29 May 1796 as a priest by John Douglas, bishop of Salisbury. In February 1797, Penfold gained his first

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

, as Rector of

Pulham Pulham is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in south-west England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, southeast of Sherborne. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had 105 dwellings, 103 households and a population of 269. ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. In 1815, he was also appointed as Vicar of

Goring-by-Sea Goring-by-Sea, commonly referred to simply as Goring, is a neighbourhood of Worthing and former civil parish, now in Worthing district in West Sussex, England. It lies west of West Worthing, about west of Worthing town centre. Historically ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, and held both of these positions until 1832. By 1823, he was also Minister of the Brunswick Chapel,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, and was becoming popular as a visiting preacher. In May of that year, in its series of "Sketches of Popular Preachers", ''

The European Magazine ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Rev ...

'' published an article on Penfold in which "Criticus" noted his strong and weak points as a speaker,Criticus, "Sketches of Popular Preachers: the Rev. George Saxby Penfold, A. M." in ''The European Magazine, and London Review'', May 1823
pp. 424–425
/ref> including the assertions – On 27 July 1823, Penfold preached a sermon at the

St Pancras New Church St Pancras Church is a Greek Revival church in St Pancras, London, built in 1819–22 to the designs of William Inwood, William and Henry William Inwood. The church is one of the most important 19th-century churches in England and is a Grade I ...

for the benefit of the

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

. A broadsheet advertising the sermon was issued. In 1825, Penfold was appointed as the first Rector of the newly built Christ Church, Marylebone."Penfold, George Saxby"
theclergydatabase.org.uk, accessed 21 November 2020 In December of the same year, the

conferred on him the degrees of Bachelor and

. In 1828, Penfold repeated the challenge of establishing a new parish when he was appointed as the first Rector of the newly built Trinity Church, Marylebone. In December 1831, he became Rector of

Kingswinford Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands (county), West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census. T ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, and retained both livings until his death. However, during 1832 he resigned as Rector of Pulham and as Vicar of Goring. In August 1846, Penfold conducted his last funeral as Rector of Trinity, the next funeral in the church being his own in October. At the time of his death, he was living at 15,

Dorset Square Dorset Square is a garden square in Marylebone, London. All buildings fronting it are terraced houses and listed, in the mainstream (initial) category. It takes up the site of Lord's (MCC's) Old Cricket Ground, which lasted 23 years until the ...

, Marylebone. He was laid to rest in the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosur ...

of his church in Marylebone.George Saxby Penfold
billiongraves.com, accessed 5 December 2020

Private life

On 12 September 1792, at

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, England. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. The churc ...

, George Saxby Penfold, then of

Bray Bray may refer to: Places France * Bray, Eure, in the Eure ''département'' * Bray, Saône-et-Loire, in the Saône-et-Loire ''département'' * Bray-Dunes, in the Nord ''département'' * Bray-en-Val, in the Loiret ''département'' * Bray-et-Lû ...

, near

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

, married Sarah Fleming, of

Westminster St James Westminster St James (or St James Piccadilly) was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish followed the building of the Church of St James, Piccadilly, in 1684. After several failed attempts, the ...

. A son called George Saxby Penfold died as an infant and was buried at Epsom on 9 September 1793. A Mr Hugh Penfold from Maidenhead had been buried there in November 1792. In 1839, in the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, a woman named Elizabeth Ballard was

transported for life Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

after cashing a forged cheque for £15 in Penfold's name. At the census of June 1841, Penfold and his wife were living in Dorset Square with eight servants. In his will dated 22 May 1846, Penfold left "to my dear wife Sarah Penfold" £1,000, to be paid to her at once, together with the lease of his house in Dorset Square and all his household effects, carriages, and horses at his houses in Middlesex, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire. He left other bequests to friends and relations. Penfold's widow died in December 1856 and was buried at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

, although she had said in her will of 1853 that she wished to join her husband's remains in Trinity Church.Last Will and Testament of Sarah Saxby Penfold
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 9 December 2020 In fact, no burials took place in the church vault after that of Sir Wathen Waller in 1853, which was the last.Burials in Trinity Church, in the Parish of St Marylebone (1829–1853)
Mary Poyyer, 15 Sept. 1829Jonathan Wathen Waller Bart., 7th January 1853
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 10 December 2020 In her will, in the name of Sarah Saxby Penfold, and two codicils, she left most of her estate to a nephew, Captain Frederick Charles Parson, and expressed the wish that he would "take upon himself the surnames and arms of Saxby Penfold".

Notes

External links

*Criticus
"Sketches of Popular Preachers: the Rev. George Saxby Penfold, A. M."
in ''

The European Magazine and London Review ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Rev ...

'', May 1823, pp. 424–425 {{DEFAULTSORT:Penfold, George Saxby 1769 births 1846 deaths Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Doctors of Divinity 18th-century English people 19th-century English Anglican priests English classical scholars People from Epsom