William Boyd Carpenter

Priest/Minister

William Boyd Carpenter, Canon of Westminster, is buried in the north cloister of Westminster Abbey. His crest, a globe on a stand, and motto "Per acuta belli" appear at the top of his gravestone and the inscription reads:

William Boyd Carpenter K.C.V.O., D.D., D.C.L. Bishop of Ripon 1884-1911, Clerk of the Closet, Canon and Sub-Dean of Westminster. Born 1841. Died 1918. Annie Maude Carpenter 1854-1915.

He was a son of the Reverend Henry Carpenter and his wife Hester (Boyd) and was born in Liverpool on 26th March 1841. After education at Cambridge he was a curate at Maidstone in Kent, at Clapham and at Lewisham in London. He gained a reputation as an eloquent preacher and Queen Victoria made him one of her chaplains in 1879, and Canon of Windsor. He was clerk of the closet to both Edward VII and George V and was knighted in 1912 (but clergymen do not take the title Sir). He founded Ripon Clergy College to train graduates for holy orders and was a writer on various subjects including Introduction to the study of the Scriptures. He married firstly Harriet Peers and had eight children. His second wife, buried with him, was Annie Maude Gardner and they had more children. He was Canon of Westminster from 1911 until his death. Among their children were Henry, Archibald, Francis, Douglas (who was killed in the Great War), Annie, Beatrice (who married Reverend Frederick Girdlestone), Hester (who married A.MacCallan), Minnie (who married Canon Tollington) and Molly (who married F. Wentworth Shields).