Frederick de Winton

Who was Frederick de Winton?

Frederick Henry de Winton was an Anglican clergyman, who was the last Missionary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford.

Frederick de Winton was born on 19 January 1852, the second son of Henry de Winton, who was Archdeacon of Brecon. He was educated at Uppingham School and Balliol College, Oxford, obtaining a second class degree in Literae Humaniores. He was elected to a Leoline Fellowship at Jesus College, Oxford in 1876. This category of fellow at Jesus College was established by Leoline Jenkins, a former principal of the college, to provide priests to serve in "His Majesty's fleet at sea and foreign plantations", under the direction of the Lord High Admiral and the Bishop of London respectively. De Winton was the last of these fellows, since they were abolished in 1877 by the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Commission without prejudice to the rights of existing holders. He held the position until his death, by which time he had become the most senior fellow at the college. In 1879, de Winton went to Ceylon as chaplain to the Bishop of Colombo and, after holding various parish appointments, became Archdeacon of Colombo in 1902. He held this position until 1925. Alfred Hazel, Principal of the college at the time of de Winton's death, said that he had devoted his life to Colombo, where he was a "well-known and well-loved, if rather eccentric, figure". He retired to England and died in Bognor Regis on 25 April 1932. He never married.