[2] William's father belonged to the Furneaux family of Swilly in Devon and had attended Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he won a scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford.
[9][10] From April 1861 to May 1868, William attended Marlborough College, where he achieved outstanding success, winning three scholarships (the “Junior,” the “Cotton,” and the “Senior Exhibition”) and almost every prize on offer.
[11][12][13][14] From May 1868 to 1873, he attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford, having won an open scholarship worth £90 to £95, tenable for five years.
"[16] He combined his studies with athletic pursuits, competing in the annual college sports held in February, where he usually came first or second in the high jump, hammer, hurdles, and shot put.
[29] In May 1891, he was made an honorary canon of Southwell Cathedral, just in time for the Queen’s state visit to Derby, where he presented her with a ceremonial address.
He and his family participated in the city’s social life, and he took on a light workload, becoming examining chaplain for Southwell in September 1900 and for Winchester in June 1901.
[38] Tragedy struck one year later when, on 30 April 1904, Furneaux’s wife died after undergoing surgery for an internal complaint.
In the spring of 1905, the diocesan architect identified that the Cathedral was at risk of collapse and that urgent underpinning was required to save it.
[40] Ideally suited to lead the project, Furneaux played a crucial role in organising the work and raising the necessary money, which amounted to £120,000.