John Richardson Selwyn (20 May 1844 – 12 February 1898)
was an
Anglican priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
who became the second
Bishop of Melanesia and then the second
Master
Master, master's or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
In education:
*Master (college), head of a college
*Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline
*Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
of
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...
.
Life
Selwyn was born in
Waimate North
Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake Ōmāpere, west of the Bay of Islands.
It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-o ...
, New Zealand, the youngest son of
George Augustus Selwyn
George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was metropolitan bishop ...
and his wife
Sarah Harriet, the only daughter of
Sir John Richardson. His father was the first
Bishop of New Zealand
The Diocese of Auckland is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' ( Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area stretching from North Cape down to the Waikato River, ...
and then
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...
, in whose memory
Selwyn College, Dunedin and Selwyn College, Cambridge were named.
Selwyn was educated at
Eton College
Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, graduating in 1866. Like his father, Selwyn
rowed for
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
and took part in the
Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...
s of
1864
Events
January
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...
and
1866
Events January
* January 1
** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee.
** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published.
* January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
, both of which were won by Oxford. In 1864, with
Robert Kinglake, he won the
Silver Goblets
The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a Rowing (sport), rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs ...
at
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...
, beating
Edwin Brickwood and his brother in the final.
Selwyn was ordained deacon by his father at
Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...
in 1869 and became a priest the following year. He served as curate of
All Saints Church,
Alrewas
Alrewas ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England.
Geography
The village is beside the River Trent and about northeast of Lichfield. It is located southwest of Burton-on-Trent. The parish is b ...
, Staffordshire from 1869 to 1870, then curate of
St George's Church, Wolverhampton from 1870 to 1871, before promotion to Vicar of St George's. In 1873 Selwyn travelled to
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...
as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
, and four years later was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia.
He made significant financial contributions to the construction of the ship
''Southern Cross'' No. 4, serving the
Melanesian Mission.
Illness forced him to return to England in 1891. Selwyn was appointed the second
master
Master, master's or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
In education:
*Master (college), head of a college
*Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline
*Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
of
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...
, in 1893. He held this position until he moved to
Pau, France, at the beginning of 1898 on account of bad health. He died in Pau on 12 February 1898 within two weeks of his arrival and is buried there.
From 1892 to 1895 he also served as an
Honorary Chaplain to the Queen
An Honorary Chaplain to the King is a member of the clergy within the United Kingdom who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch of the United Kingdom. When the reigning mona ...
.
Selwyn married Clara Long-Innes and, after her death in 1877, Annie Catherine, eldest daughter of
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (23 December 18169 May 1878) was an Australian industrialist who improved the refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local sheep, pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-W ...
, the Australian industrialist.
The south-east window of the chapel of Selwyn College was dedicated to the memory of John Selwyn in 1900.
Selwyn College 1882–1973: A Brief History
His son George Augustus Selwyn is buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge; he died in 1912, aged 16.
Selwyn is listed in the calendar of saints of the Church of the Province of Melanesia
The Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACoM), also known as the Church of the Province of Melanesia and the Church of Melanesia (COM), is a church of the Anglican Communion and includes nine dioceses in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. ...
.
See also
*List of Cambridge University Boat Race crews
This is a list of the Cambridge University crews who have competed in The Boat Race since its inception in 1829.
Rowers are listed left to right in boat position from bow to stroke. The number following the rower indicates the rower's weight ...
References
External links
*
Love in Self-Sacrifice, by B.T. Dudley (1877)
sermon at Selwyn's consecration
* ttps://archive.org/details/bishophohnselwyn00howuoft Bishop John Selwyn: A Memoir, by F. D. How(1899)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selwyn, John Richardson
1844 births
1898 deaths
19th-century Anglican bishops in Oceania
19th-century Christian saints
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Masters of Selwyn College, Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club rowers
British male rowers
Anglican bishops of Melanesia
Anglican saints
Honorary chaplains to the King