Deaths on March 29

Arthur Champernowne, English admiral and politician (b. 1524)

Sir Arthur Champernowne (c.1524 – 29 March 1578) was an English politician, high sheriff and soldier who lived at Dartington Hall in Devon, England.

Champernowne belonged to a large Anglo-Norman family that originated from Cambernon, in Normandy. Following the Norman Conquest of the 11th century, members of the family acquired estates in Devon. Their surname was originally spelt Champernon, and Sir Arthur Champernowne has sometimes been referred to by that spelling; he was also known by at least three other surnames: Chamborne, Chapman, and Chamberlain. (These variations may reflect, at least in part, a state of flux in English during the 16th century, including variations in the spelling and usage of surnames by individuals.)

Other members of the Champernowne family were prominent in (royal) court, political and military circles during the 16th century: Arthur Champernowne's aunt Lady Kat Ashley (or Astley; née Champernowne) was governess to Queen Elizabeth I, and Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert were his nephews.

Champernowne is sometimes confused with several relatives also christened Arthur, especially Sir Arthur Champernowne (also Champernon; born c. 1562), an emissary of Elizabeth I during the 1580s.