John Champneys | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms of Sir John Champneys. Per pale argent and sable, within a bordure engrailed counterchanged a lion rampant gules.[1] | |
| Lord Mayor of London | |
| In office 1534–1535 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Sir Christopher Askew |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Alleyn |
| Sheriff of London | |
| In office 1522–1523 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Thomas Pargiter |
| Succeeded by | Michael English |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1495 |
| Died | 3 October 1556 (aged 60–61) |
| Resting place | St Mary the Virgin, Bexley, UK 51°26′25″N 0°09′13″E / 51.4402°N 0.153729°E |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Murfyn Meriel Barret |
| Children | Francis Clement Justinian |
Sir John Champneys (1495–1556) was City of London Sheriff in 1522 and Lord Mayor of London in 1534, when he was knighted.[2]
A merchant, Champneys began the building of Hall Place, Bexley, in about 1537. The son of Robert Champneys of Chew Magna, Somerset, he was a member of the Worshipful Company of Skinners. A contemporary chronicler, John Stow, noted that he was blind in later life: a divine judgment for having added "a high tower of brick" to his house in Mincing Lane, "the first that I ever heard of in any private man's house, to overlook his neighbours in this city."[3]
He married twice. His first wife was Margaret (died by 1515), daughter of Thomas Murfyn, and widow of Roger Hall.[3][4] His second wife was Merial Barret (died 1534) by whom he had three sons:
He died on 3 October 1556 and was buried on 8 October at St Mary the Virgin, Bexley.[3][6]