Queer Places:
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
St. Philip and St. James Church, Escot Estate near Fairmile, Ottery St Mary, Devon, EX11 1LR

Rev. James Furnival (1799/1800 – June 19, 1877) was born around 1799 or 1800 in Staffordshire, England, the son of the Reverend James Furnival, a clergyman from Acton, Cheshire. He received his early education at Manchester Grammar School before being admitted to Queens’ College, Cambridge, on January 20, 1818. During his time at Cambridge, he distinguished himself as a prominent student leader, serving as the president of the Cambridge Union Society in 1821 and earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1822 as a founding member of the prestigious Cambridge Apostles discussion society. He later proceeded to receive his Master of Arts in 1826.

Following his graduation, Furnival took Holy Orders within the Church of England, being ordained as a deacon in Worcester in 1823 and as a priest in 1825. His ecclesiastical career spanned numerous parishes and counties across England. He began his ministry with curacies at Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire and Davenham in Cheshire. In 1824, he married Jean, also known as Jane Shand, with whom he shared several decades of family life, including a period recorded in Brighton during the 1841 census.

As his career progressed, Furnival stepped into leadership roles within various parishes. He served as the perpetual curate of St. Helen's in Lancashire from 1836 to 1841, followed by a tenure as the vicar of Broadclyst in Devon from 1843 to 1844. By 1851, census records place him residing in Henbury, Gloucestershire, where he served as a curate and lecturer between 1846 and 1855. He subsequently returned to Devon to serve as the perpetual curate of Escot from 1855 until his resignation around 1869 or 1870. In his later years, he retired to Torquay and the Newton Abbot area of Devon. Alongside his parish duties, he contributed to religious discourse through the publication of various sermons and pamphlets. He passed away on June 19, 1877, at approximately 78 years of age, and subsequently disappeared from the clergy listings in 1878.

References:

The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow

Other references:

• Manchester School Register: Containing information regarding his early education at Manchester Grammar School / Manchester School.
• Foster's Index Ecclesiasticus: Providing ecclesiastical and clerical data.
• The Clergy List: Documenting his church appointments, curacies, and incumbencies.
• Queens' College, Cambridge Admissions and Alumni Records: Noting his admission date (January 20, 1818), matriculation, and degrees (B.A. 1822, M.A. 1826), as well as his role as President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1821.
• Crockford's Clerical Directory: Tracking his career listings up to his disappearance from the directory in 1878.
• England Marriages, 1538–1973 (via FamilySearch), recording his marriage to Jean (Jane) Shand in 1824.
• The 1841 England and Wales Census (recording him and Jane in Brighton).
• The 1851 England and Wales Census (recording him in Henbury, Gloucestershire).
• Genealogical Platforms: WikiTree family history databases detailing his birth around 1799 in Stafford, Staffordshire, and his death on June 19, 1877, in Newton Abbot, Devon.

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