Biography of John Champneys 1495-1556
In 1495 John Champneys was born to Robert Champneys of Chew Magna in Somerset.
In or before 1515 John Champneys (age 20) and Margaret Murfyn were married.
In 1515 [his wife] Margaret Murfyn died.
In or after 1515 John Champneys (age 20) and Merial Barret were married.
Before 1523 Andrew Judde (age 30) and [his former sister-in-law] Mary Murfyn were married.
In 1523 [his former sister-in-law] Mary Murfyn died.
Before 1528 [his former brother-in-law] Edward Maurfyn and Alice Squier Baroness North were married.
In 1528 [his former brother-in-law] Edward Maurfyn died.
In 1534 John Champneys (age 39) was elected Lord Mayor of London.
In 1534 [his wife] Merial Barret died.
On 03 Oct 1556 John Champneys (age 61) died. He was buried on 08 Oct 1556 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bexley.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 08 Oct 1556. The viij day of October was bered in Kentt at a towne callyd (blank, sir John) Champney (deceased) knyght late mare of London and altherman and skynner, with ij whytt branchys, ij dosen torchys, and iiij grett tapurs; and with a harold of armes beyryng ys cote-armur, hys standard, and pennon of armes, with elmett, targatt, and sword, and vj dosen of skochyons and mony gounes and cottes; and after a grett dener to alle the contrey.
Note. P. 115. Funeral of sir John Champneys. Son of Robert Champneys of Chew in Somersetshire; he was a skinner, sheriff of London and Middlesex 1522, lord mayor 1534. Stowe notes in his Chronicle that he was blind. He bore for arms, Per pale argent and sable, a lion rampant gules, within a bordure counter-changed. (List by Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.) He was buried at Bexley in Kent, (see his epitaph in Thorpe's Registrum Roffense, p. 924.) His family long continued in that county (see Hasted, vol. i. p. 160, vol. iii. 326.)