Information is drawn from a note "From the archives" (SPC 1991), from the memoirs of his son (ESM) and from the ancestry notes (FOSA).

William grew up at Chetwode in Buckinghamshire. From 1844-1856 he lived at Rodney Lodge, Cheltenham and attended Cheltenham College from 1847 as a "day boy". He won a scholarship in 1851.

William Bedell, ca. 1860 (from SPC1991).

Between 1848 and 1857 two of his brothers and one sister died. In 1856 William went to Balliol College, Oxford, and gained First Class Classical Moderations and his B.A. in 1860. He became schoolmaster in 1860, as a tutor in School House, of Dr. Hodson's School, Edinburgh. He was ordained as a deacon in 1862 in Salisbury Cathedral and priest in 1863 at Sherborne.

Harriet was the daughter of the clergyman Frederick Owen from County Wicklow in Ireland.
Harriet was related to William, their parental grandmothers were sisters. Son Edwin writes in his memoirs (ESM) about this: ....and although it is always considered an unwise thing to marry cousins, we seven children always seemed healthy enough and no more cracked than a great many other people. ..... Harriet's parents had about ten children, the two families were great friends.

Children: 1864 Harriet Mary S, 1865 William Bedell S (often called Bill), 1867 Ellen Barbara S, 1868 Frederick Owen S (later called Owen), 1870 Agnes May S, 1872 Edwin Palmer S, 1875 Loftus Cliffe S.

William and Harriet were very close to Williams younger brother Robert Loftus Stanford, who married Harriets sister Louisa. However, this younger couple emigrated to New Zealand in 1864 and settled in Dunedin.

Beaumarais

As of 1861 William was headmaster of Beaumaris Grammar school in Angelesey, Wales (see picture). In 1868 he moved to become headmaster at Gloucester Collegiate School, followed in 1872 to be headmaster of Denstone College in Staffordshire.

In 1878 WBS was offered the headmastership of St. Peter's College, Adelaide, Australia.

Photo of the children of William B.Stanford and Harriet Owen, ca. 1880 (from SPC1991).   Standing: Frederick Owen (1868-1942), Ellen Barbara (1867-1937), William Bedell (1865-1956), Agnes May (1870-?).   Sitting: Edwin Palmer (1872-1956), Harriet May (1864-1950), Loftus Cliffe (1875-1951).

With their seven children they sailed there on the Lusitania. The school had a considerable annual running loss. William tried to improve the situation and the number of children attending the school rose in his time. However, because of difference of opinion with the Board of Governors of the school, and because of rather split support by the parents of the community, the position as headmaster was no longer tenable (see SPC 1991).   In this connection, son Edwin remarks in his memoirs (see ESM): WBS was sometimes "pretty hot-tempered", had rows, and dealt spankings to his children.
William and family left 1882 for New Zealand.

They arrived in Dunedin, stayed with Robert and Louisa at Andersons Bay, and then went on to Christchurch, just in time to participate in the ceremony for the opening of the cathedral.
WBS was appointed in 1882 as Cannon of Christchurch and head of the upper department of Christ's College. The upper department resided in the "Hare's House" on Rolleston Avenue, across from Christ's College. Sometime thereafter College House was bought and they moved there, and an extension was made to the house. The image shows the "College and School" in about 1890 (from "Pictorial New Zealand", 1895; p.236).   From the history of "Hare's House":
The upper department of Christ's College now took its place as a residential college for the new university which became established across the road in Rolleston Avenue. In 1877 the college students moved into a house of their own on the east frontage of the Christ's College quadrangle. The Rev. F.A. Hare was appointed Hulsean-Chichele Professor, Chaplain of Christ's College, and Supervisor of the upper department.    The house accordingly became known as Parson Hare's house or Chichele. In 1882 Canon Stanford was appointed the first full-time principal of the upper department, and in 1885 he supervised its move from the school precincts to an independent site at the corner of Rolleston Avenue and Cashel Street. Within a year the new house was being referred to as "College House", being the house where the university students of Christ's College resided.

Photos of Harriet and William,; unknown date (from SPC 1991).

In this period, sons William and Owen went back to England for study, and stayed there.

In 1891 William Stanford had (see ESM) a row with the Christ's college, and he resigned.
According to SPC 1991, WBS was known among the students as "the badger", while Harriet seems to have developed a formidable reputation as "a very devout sister of the church". A signed Farewell Address by the clergy of the Diocese of Christchurch praised WSB's efforts "on behalf of the Social Purity movement in the colony". Emphasis was placed on his "more than ordinary gifts".

WBS and Harriet went back to England with the children. But son Edwin stayed in New Zealand.
WBS became headmaster of St. Marks School, Windsor. The forks and spoons of that parish (with St. Marks lion crest)

Wishaw Church; tombstone

were inherited by his son Edwin.

In 1893 WBS was given the living of Wishaw (see recent photo at right), a small parish just outside Birmingham (UK), of which the patronage then was held by his elder brother. Ancestors of the Stanfords were lords of Wishaw manor and were patrons of the church. A memorial after his death speaks of (SPC 1991) "Those who were privileged to know him will never forget his fine presence, his dignity and courtesy, his true sympathy and kindness. He belonged to a type of parish priest which is fast dying out, a scholar and a gentleman, and above all, a humble and sincere Christian". He was 36 years rector of the parish.

It must have been in those years that he investigated the ancestry of himself and his wife. His son Owen continued this research and copied all that was collected in a "blue book" (of which actually two copies exist). This document is here referred to as FOSA (F.O.Stanford ancestry). A hand sketched version of the Stanford coat-of-arms (by FOS) can be found in that book.

Harriet lived to become 90, William Bedell (who died in London according to the obituary in the newspaper "The Press" in Christchurch, NZ, of 19290813) was 92 years old.
Both were buried in the graveyard of Wishaw. Currently, the M6 Tollway runs close to Wishaw.
 

ESM: Edwin Stanford's Memmoirs to about 1915; in Jacometti-Stanford archive.
FOSA: Ancestry of F.O.Stanford (son of WBS); in the Jacometti-Stanford archive.
SPC 1991 = St Peters College 1991 magazine; Collegiate School of St Peter, South Australia (p.81-83).
"Pictorial New Zealand 1895 - with preface by Sir W.B. Perceval". 1895, Cassell and Company, Limited; London, Paris & Melbourne.

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