Edward Stephens, Esq.

• Son of Henry Stephens, Esq. and Alexandra Lugg
• In 1634 Edward Stephens was appointed High Sheriff; and in 1643-44 Thomas Stephens so served under appointment of the Long Parliament.
• Death Record: 1587 in Eastington Gloucestershire, England
• On purchasing Chavenage, Edward Stephens started the massive project of a major reconstruction of the site. He gutted the medieval building he found, and put on the two wings and the porch to create a manor house of the classic Elizabethan style. He also fitted the strikingly large windows on the south side of the porch, much of the glass being ecclesiastical coming from the redundant churches and monasteries in the area. He also used old timbers from old galleons, broken up on the nearby River Severn. Upon these rest literally hundreds of tons of mellow grey Cotswold tiles. By 1576, the date carved with his initials and those of his wife Joan were carved above the front door when his work was finished. On Edward's death the house and estate passed to his eldest son Richard. Richard died in 1599 and left Chavenage to his second wife, Anne before his eldest surviving son, Nathaniel (born in 1589) inherited. Richard Stephens was probably responsible for the screen in the main Hall, on which he placed his father's initials. The panelling is contemporary with this period and that of the Oak Room is dated 1627. The Gothic-styled fireplace in the Oak Room is dated between 1587-99 (recently filled in and made much smaller) whereas the chimney-piece in the Great Hall, was constructed in 1625-30.
• The most attractive bit of any Stephens monument is on the North sanctuary wall - the parable of ‘The Good Samaritan’, in bas-relief. There is action and vitality in the figures. At the time of the 1952 re-decoration some attempt at cleaning resulted in the disappearance of a Priest, and a Levite from the background, where the sculptor had shown them in faint outline. Fortunately they seem to be re-appearing with the passage of time though they can never regain their importance in the picture. The recumbent figures at the West end of the South aisle were moved there, together with the font on the erection of the ringers' gallery in 1954. They had rested beneath the tower since they were moved from the chancel in 1850. They bear no inscription, but the coat of arms leads us to that recessed monument in the South wall that reminds us incongruously of an inverted pawnbroker's sign, under which they probably lay in the first place. On the wall a rather clumsily lettered brass identifies them as "Edward Stephens and his wife Johan, who feared God, hated evile were helpfull to the poore”. Both died in October 1587 aged 64 and 63 respectively. The monument nearest the corner on the South sanctuary wall has the happiest wording. The heads of the family were indeed “Persons of Greate Worth and usefull in theire times”, - which one finds hard to believe true of those modern descendants who perpetrated the tall marble catalogue on the North wall, fulsome and nauseating throughout its tedious length. A grave disservice to a distinguished ancestry. “A fly”, said Aesop, “sat on the axle of the chariot-wheel and cried, ‘What a dust do I raise! ‘”

Married

• I. Married: Joan Fowler, daughter of Richard Fowler and Margery (Bennett) Fowler

Children

Edward Stephens married Joan, daughter of Richard Fowler, Gent., of Stonehouse, co. Gloucester, who died August 5, 1587. His will dated August 13, was proved November 27, 1587, by his brother-in-law, William Fowler, Gent., and his son Richard. He died October 22, 1587, aged sixty-four, and was buried in Eastington church, where his tomb, already referred to, exists to this day, in fair preservation.

He had issue;

• I. Richard, of Eastington, his heir, of whom presently. He is listed as heir in his fathers Will.
• II. John, of Eastington, In Vol. XX of these Publications, p. 151, is one of these records that John Stephens was the second son of Sir Edward Stephens. He is listed in his fathers Will.
• III. Thomas, of Lypiatt Park, born 1558, of whom subsequently. See Line II. He is listed in his fathers Will.
• IV. Elizabeth, who married Thomas Higges, Esq., of Cheltenham, co. Gloucester, and was buried at Eastington, December 2, 1581. Elizabeth isn't listed in her father's Will because she died 6 years before her father.
• V. Margaret, who married John Parker, Esq., of Barnwood. She is listed in her fathers Will.
• VI. Alice, married Christopher Willcox, Esq. Alice is listed in her fathers Will as Alice Wilcox.

Will of Edward Stephens, Esq from England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, PROB 11: Will Registers, Piece 71: Spencer, Quire Numbers 41-82,(1587)

Stevens Ancestry in England

Edward Stephens, Esq., lord of the manor of Eastington, acquired the manors of Eastington and Alkerton, co. Gloucester, 1 1573. The estate of Eastington had been held during the Middle Ages by the De Molends and the De Balurns, and it is recorded that Henry de Newmarch had it in succession to Thurston Fitz Rolf. It passed into possession of the celebrated Edward deStafford, Duke of Buckingham, and his wife the granddaughter of Prince George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, niece of Edward IV, and Richard III; and through Lord Stafford to Edward Stephens in the fifteenth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Edward Stephens erected a manor house there of the Elizabethan style. 2 Of this house only a rude drawing of a portion of the front remains, the building having been destroyed by fire in 1778, at which time perished the oldest archives of this family, which had been there deposited. Eastington manor includes the village of that name. The parish church has been restored in modern times.1 In the churchyard Whitefield when curate did his first open-air preaching, the sacred edifice being incapable of holding his hearers. The most notable feature of the interior of the church is the altar tomb 2 with recumbent effigies of Edward Stephens, and his wife Joan, and showing sculptured the family coat of arms. Edward Stephens in 1557 built Chavenage Hall in his manor of Horsley, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire not far distant from Eastington.3 The date and his initials and those of his wife are carved over the entrance doorway. The house, whose front is in the form of the letter E in honor of Queen Elizabeth, stretches back in a series of buildings partly erected since his time. A demi eagle, the crest of the family, forms a finial over the porch, and over one of the west gables. In the great hall, at the left of the entrance, is paneling of the Elizabethan period. The windows have coats of arms in the stained glass, and the walls were in his day hung with armor. A chimney piece shows carvings of Stephen's arms, and these arms and the arms of Fowler are elsewhere displayed in the house. The covered ceiling of the minstrel gallery is finely paneled. The original dining room has paneling of the date 1627. In the bedrooms is some good tapestry. The bedroom used by Sir Philip Sidney has another ancient chimney piece. The chapel was built of materials from the ruins of Horsley Priory nearby.

STEVENS Ancestry to the Early 11th Century

For the following STEVENS ancestry to the early 11th century, together with additional details on each generation, refer to the compilation of Don W. Stephens. As with many lineages in England prior to 1600, differences appear in the published compilations of this family. See the above-cited compilation shows Thomas STEVENS, husband of Mary WALLE, as the son of Anthony STEVENS and Katherine BROKE, while elsewhere he is shown as the son of Thomas STEVENS and Elizabeth STONE, daughter of John STONE (b. ca 1535) - in either case Thomas STEVENS, husband of Mary WALLE, is shown as grandson of Edward STEVENS and Jane FOWLER. This compiler will leave to others more qualified the presentation of the pre-America lineage, and the following is presented only as a suggestion, with no claim of accuracy. The principal information source from the pre-America lineage is Stevens-Stephens Genealogy and Family History, compiled by Clarence Perry Stevens, et al. (1968). Lord Edward built Chavenage Hall, Gloucestershire, England in 1557 and It's still stands and is open to the public.

   * Airard FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1036)

   * Thomas FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1058, d. 1120)

   * Ralph FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1090)

   * Ralph FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1122, d. 1190)

   * Fitz Ralph FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1154)

   * John FITZ-STEPHEN (b. 1186)

   * Henry FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1218)

   * Henry FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1250)

   * John FITZ-STEPHEN (b. ca 1282)

   * John STEPHENS (b. ca 1314)

   * Richard STEPHENS (b. ca 1346, d. 1390)

   * John STEPHENS (b. ca 1378) married Margaret DEDBROKE (b. ca 1381)

   * John STEPHENS (b. ca 1400, d. post-1442) married Alice

   * Thomas STEPHENS (b. ca 1420)

   * John STEPHENS (b. 1459)

   * Henry STEPHENS (b. ca 1497, d. Jan. 9, 1551/2) married Ms. LUGG

   * Edward STEVENS (b. 1523, d. Oct. 22, 1587), Lord of Eastington Manor, married Joan FOWLER (b. 1529, d. Aug. 5, 1587), daughter of Richard FOWLER and Margery BENNETT.

   * Anthony STEVENS (b. ca 1560) married Kathrine BROKE (b. 1562), daughter of Richard BROKE (b. ca 1530). They were parents of Thomas STEVENS. 

Edward Stephens (1523 - 1587) was Lord of Eastington manor. He married Joan Fowler and had sixteen children. They both died the same year and are buried in Eastington Church. [https://www.aboutglos.co.uk/st-michael-and-all-angels-church-eastin....]

Sources:

St. Michael and All Angels’ Church, Eastington St. Michael and All Angels’ Church is in the Gloucestershire village of Eastington, near to Stonehouse and Stroud. The church building is A Grade II* Listed Building and is of the Church of England Denomination.

St. Michael and All Angels’ Church The village according to www.-british-history.co.uk had a church back in 1092, although there are no records of it before 1291. In 1340 they dedicated it to St. Mary, then becomes St. Michaels in the 18th-century. The building has evolved over the years including rebuilding the nave, adding the north porch and a full list of enhancements and details about the architecture is at www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.

• 1- The Visitation of the County of Gloucester: Taken in the Year 1623, Volume 21.  By Henry Chitting, John Philipot, William Camden.  Page 151.
• 2- Nichol's Hist., co. Leic. I, 586.
• 3 - The illustration is from Fosbrook's Abstracts of Records and MSS., co. Glouc. 405. The peaceful reign of Elizabeth was a great period in the erection of manor houses, because it marked the transition from feudal castles to homes combining dignity and comfort
• 4 - The engraving represents the church as it was when the Stephens family were lords of the manor.
• 5 - The illustration is from Plate XLII, Nichols' Hist, of Leic, Part II, 588.
• 6 - For plan of Chavenage House, see Transactions and History of Glouc, A Soc, XXII.
• 7- From the Steven Genealogy page 25, Henry only had 8 children: link

Links

• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/t/e/William-Lackey--St...
• http://ourfamilysroots.weebly.com/lines/previous/21
• http://www.stevensancestry.com/library/stevensgenealogy1904stev.pdf
• Stevens Genealogy Page 25 - http://www.stevensancestry.com/library/stevensgenealogy1904stev.pdf

Sources

• A History of Eastington, page 44 - https://ecnarchive.eastington.website/aekeys/A%20History%20of%20Eas...
• Eas tington [Church] ; an d Tomb of Edward Stephens Esq . an d Joan his Wife, 1587 p . 537 - file:///C:/Users/gerene/Downloads/TheBibliographersManualofGloucestershireLiterature_10173311.pdf

  ---

family

STEPHENS, Richard (d.1599), of Eastington, Glos. and the Middle Temple, London. 1st s. of Edward Stephens of Eastington by Joan, da. of Richard Fowler of Stonehouse; bro. of Thomas. educ. Corpus, Oxf. 1567, BA 1568, fellow 1569; Furnival’s Inn; M. Temple 1572, called by 1582. m. by 1587, Margaret (d.1591), da. of Edward St. Loe, of Knighton, Wilts., 2s. 2da. suc. fa. 1587.1