William Greenwell

Canon William Greenwell (March 23, 1820 - January 27, 1918) was an English archaeologist and priest of the Church of England. William Greenwell was born March 23, 1820 on the estate known as Greenwell Ford, near Lanchester, County Durham, England. He was the eldest son of William Thomas Greenwell (1777–1856) and Dorothy Smales. He had three brothers, Francis, Alan and Henry Nicholas Greenwell, and sister Dorothy (1821–1882), who published poems under the name Dora Greenwell. After the early training of Rev. George Newby, he attended Durham School. One of his classmates was Henry Baker Tristram. He enrolled at Durham University College in October 1836 and graduated from the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in June 1839. He began to study law at the Middle Temple, but due to poor health decided to leave London and return to University College in 1841, graduating from the theological faculty in 1842. He received a master's degree in art in 1843. Greenwell was ordained deacon by Bishop Edward Maltby on June 30, 1844 and as a priest on June 28, 1846. He was a scholarship holder at Durham University College from 1844 to 1847.