John Champneys
English merchant and Lord Mayor of London
About John Champneys
Lived 1495 – 1566 (aged 70–71).
Sir John Champneys (1495–1556) was City of London Sheriff in 1522 and Lord Mayor of London in 1534, when he was knighted.
Life 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."
He married twice. His first wife was Margaret (died by 1515), daughter of Thomas Murfyn, and widow of Roger Hall. His second wife was Merial Barret (died 1534) by whom he had three sons: Francis Clement Justinian
He died on 3 October 1556 and was buried on 8 October at St Mary the Virgin, Bexley.
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Important facts
People in John Champneys's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was John Champneys?
English merchant and Lord Mayor of London
When was John Champneys born?
John Champneys was born in 1495.
When did John Champneys die?
John Champneys died in 1566.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Champneys. https://biography.guide/john-champneys/
MLA: "John Champneys." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-champneys/.
Chicago: "John Champneys." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-champneys/.
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