Selwyn was born in
Waimate North, New Zealand, the youngest son of
George Augustus Selwyn and his wife
Sarah Harriet, the only daughter of
Sir John Richardson. His father was the first
Bishop of New Zealand and then
Bishop of Lichfield, in whose memory
Selwyn College, Dunedin and Selwyn College, Cambridge were named. Selwyn was educated at
Eton College and
Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1866. Like his father, Selwyn
rowed for
Cambridge and took part in the
Boat Races of
1864 and
1866, both of which were won by Oxford. In 1864, with
Robert Kinglake, he won the
Silver Goblets at
Henley Royal Regatta, beating
Edwin Brickwood and his brother in the final. Selwyn was ordained deacon by his father at
Lichfield Cathedral in 1869 and became a priest the following year. He served as curate of
All Saints Church,
Alrewas, Staffordshire from 1869 to 1870, then curate of
St George's Church, Wolverhampton from 1870 to 1871, before promotion to Vicar of St George's. In 1873 Selwyn travelled to
Melanesia as a
missionary, and four years later was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia. He made significant financial contributions to the construction of the ship
Southern Cross No. 4, serving the
Melanesian Mission. Illness forced him to return to England in 1891. Selwyn was appointed the second
master of
Selwyn College, Cambridge, in 1893. He held this position until he moved to
Pau, France, at the beginning of 1898 on account of bad health. He died in Pau on 12 February 1898 within two weeks of his arrival and is buried there. From 1892 to 1895 he also served as an
Honorary Chaplain to the Queen. His son George Augustus Selwyn is buried at the
Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge; he died in 1912, aged 16. Selwyn is listed in the calendar of saints of the
Church of the Province of Melanesia. ==See also==