Harvey Mayer Staunton

Harvey was the son of the Reverend Francis Staunton of Staunton Hall, Nottingham Rise, and of Lucy Ada (née Marriott) Staunton Lees of 5 The Mount St Leonards on Sea. His father was born in 1840 at Aslackby, Lincolnshire, and his mother in 1842 in Suffolk. They were married in Stow, Suffolk, in 1867 and had the following children:- Harvey Mayer b.1871, Francis Malgar b.1872, George William b.1873, John Lancelot b.1873, Lucy Beatrice b.1874 and Anthony Goodwyn b.1877. Francis and George were born in Staunton, the remaining children were born Newark. Harvey was married in 1892 in London to Mabel Healing. In 1911 they lived at The Rectory, Upper Broughton, Melton Mowbray. Harvey had been curate at Pleasley from 1898 to 1900, and at Plumtree from 1901 to 1902. He was chaplain of the Notts County Lunatic Asylum from 1902 to 1907 and rector of Broughton Sulney from the latter year until 1911. He was later chaplain of the Assistant Clergy Society in the diocese of Nagpur in Rajputana. Harvey's probate was proven on 2nd January 1919 in London. His effects of £1036 19 shillings and 4 pence were left to his widow Mabel Staunton.

He was a clerk in holy orders and a cricket player. He was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon in 1895 and priest in 1897. Staunton made 16 appearances for Notts as a batsman, as well as captaining the Second XI for the 1909 and 1910 seasons.

Reverend Harvey Staunton, a chaplain with the Indian Expeditionary Force, first entered a theatre of war in Mesopotamia on 15th December 1917. He died there on 14th January 1918 of pneumonia and is buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

The inscription on the memorial in St Mary's Church, Staunton in the Vale, reads, 'In loving memory of Capt. the Rev Harvey Staunton, son of the Rev Francis Staunton of Staunton, who died serving his God and his country as chaplain to His Majesty's Forces in Mesopotomia aged 46 years. January 14th 1918.' On 23rd January 1918 the death of a former Nottinghamshire County cricketer was reported in the local press. Rev. Harvey Staunton, Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class, Royal Army Chaplains' Department, had died of pneumonia in Baghdad on 14th January 1918. Article in the 'Nottingham Evening Post', dated 23rd January 1918 ; - “A NOTTS. BATSMAN. “DEATH OF REV. H STAUNTON IN MESOPOTAMIA. “LINK WITH SAXON DAYS. “A large circle of friends in Nottinghamshire will read with very great regret the sad news of the death, in Mesopotamia, from pneumonia, of Rev. Harvey Staunton, who was curate at Pleasley from 1898 to 1900, and at Plumtree from 1901 to 1902, chaplain of the Notts. County Lunatic Asylum from 1902 to 1907, and rector of Broughton Sulney from the latter year until 1911. “To Notts, people he was perhaps best known, apart from his spiritual activities, as a member of the County cricket team, for whom played fairly regularly from 1903 to 1905, inclusive. A batsman of the punishing type, his highest innings was against Middlesex at Trent Bridge in 1904, when he scored 78, and one of the notable features of his brief career in county cricket occurred at a match with Kent. More than one of the Notts. batsmen had had a blow on the body from the fast bowling of Fielder, and Mr. Staunton was violently struck on knee by an extra speedy delivery. His revenue was to despatch the succeeding deliveries to the boundary! “Born in November, 1870, Harvey Staunton was a son of the Rev. Francis Staunton of Staunton Hall, whose family association with the hall and its surrounding demesne dated back to Anglo-Saxon days. It was Sir Mauger Staunton who defended Belvoir Castle against William the Conqueror, and, according to Thornton, made his composition and contract for his lands, and had the strongest fortress therein, ever since called by his name "Staunton's Tower.” The late Mr. Staunton's father was also lord of the manor and principal owner of the soil. His son was educated at. Selwyn College, Cambridge, ordained deacon in 1895, and priest in 1897. He was curate at Boxford, Berkshire, for two years, and successively at Pleasley and Plumtree, till he took over the chaplaincy at the County Asylum, while, at the close of his stay at Broughton Subney, he became chaplain of the Assistant Clergy Society in the diocese of Nagpur in Rajputana. Since the outbreak of war he had acted as a chaplain to the forces, and in that capacity contracted the illness which has brought about his death. A fine type of manly Christian, Mr. Staunton was much beloved and respected by all who knew him.” Above article courtesy of Jim Grundy and his Facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.