St Giles in the Fields - Weldon Champneys - Baptism 1809 - COMPLETED

[pentangle]

I wondered if anyone had access to these records.  I have picked up a baptism on Familysearch for Weldon Champneys, parents John Weldon Champneys and Martha Merriman, baptism 13 September 1809.  Birth stated as 9 September 1803.  This is one of those Familysearch records which has been extracted from a Latter Day Saints member's tree so can only be regarded as unconfirmed.  If anyone can confirm that this is a correct entry I would be very grateful. 

Many thanks.

[dawnsh]

Hi pentangle

From the baptism register St Giles in the Fields

1809, Sept 13

Weldon Champneys of the Rev^d John Weldon
by Martha born Sept 9, 1803

Dawn

[pentangle]

Thanks Dawn.  Exactly the confirmation I was looking for.  This tree goes back a long way from here, but I wanted to make absolutely sure the starting point was correct.  I visited St Giles today and its a nice old church just in the shadow of Centre Point.  Interesting monuments and plaques inside, but unfortunately the churchyard was largely cleared of tombs.

Thanks again and best wishes,

Brett

[johnc146]

Hi

I am interested in Pentangle's enquiries re Weldon Champness. They were in Septmber, but I have only just discovered Rootschat!  The Weldon C who married Sarah Taylor in 1829 was a relative of mine.  I am fascinated by the identity of his name and that of the man who was baptised in St Giles Church in 1809 and went on to be a clergyman and Dean of Lichfield (d.1875).  (My relative was a silk weaver.)  Can Pentangle or anyone else shed light on how these two might be related (or not)?  There must surely be a common ancestry?

Johnc146

[johnc146]

Hi

Acknowledging Pentangle's kind personal reply (I don't have PM status on Rootschat yet).  We seem to be talking of three Weldon Champnesses.  One is the cleric 1807-75, another is the one born 1803 of interest to Pentangle, the third is "mine", who is also a Wm Weldon Champness.  The record of the banns of marriage (1829) of the last-named to Sarah Taylor have them as bachelor (not widower) and spinster.  Most censuses have his age as born around 1807/8. He was apprenticed to a silk weaver in 1820.  I wonder who were the parents of "my" Wm.W.Champness.

Johnc146

[pentangle]

Yes, these Weldon Champneys (or Champness) are a bit of an enigma are they not.  And there are more.  The first Weldon Champneys was born in 1736 and he was the grandfather of two of the subsequent Weldons.  His mother's maiden name was Weldon so that is where the name came from.  So I think there are three distinct people.

1. My Weldon Champneys, born 1803 who married Nancy Rawlins (1800-1828), had a daughter, Amelia Lavinia born 1824 and who seems to disappear from view after that.  He was described as a clerk in 1823 on his marriage certificate and an attorney in 1847 on his daughter's marriage cert.

2. William Weldon Champneys, who was the famous clergyman and Dean of Lichfield (1807-1875) who was cousin to my Weldon (their fathers were half brothers)

3. Weldon Champness - don't know much about him.  I think he was the person who married Sarah Taylor in 1829 because as you say, it states he was a bachelor so unlikely to be the same as my Weldon.  There are later census entries when he is described as a caretaker or a chapel keeper so again unlikely to be mine as its a bit of a come down from an attorney! Surname spelling varies between Champneys and Champness.  There is a death of a Weldon Champness in Shoreditch in 1886 which I am guessing is this one, and I have traced a christening of a Weldon Champness on 23/8/1807, born 22/7/1807 at Academy Chapel, Hoxton, London - parents William Champness and Mary.  I do not know the back ground of William and Mary though and have not bothered to look further as its not my line.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Brett

[johnc146]

Thank you Brett.  For "my" Wm Weldon C the scent seems to go cold, further back than the baptism in Hoxton 1807.

So there were more than two Weldon Cs!

I wonder if people in the 1800s perhaps tried to Claim relationship by using a well-known, and perhaps a well-to-do-sounding forename?  My Weldon was a silk weaver until, perhaps, that industry folded mid-century.  Then he took on the chapel-keeping job.

Helpful discussion, thanks. 

John