John Stansfeld

Who was John Stansfeld?

John Stedwell Stansfeld was a doctor and Anglican priest in Oxford, England.

He began his career as a civil servant in HM Customs and Excise. In 1877, he moved to Oxford, and later matriculated as a student at Exeter College, where he studied theology. He also studied part-time at Wycliffe Hall, although he did not take Holy Orders until 1910. He had qualified as a doctor in 1897 and started a medical mission in Bermondsey in London.

Stansfeld returned to Oxford in 1912 as rector of St Ebbe's, then a slum district. He campaigned successfully for the erection of a children's playground and public baths in St Ebbe's. His philanthropy is commemorated by a blue plaque in Paradise Square, unveiled in June 2009.