Stinchcombe families - a contribution to their history
Off to America
Off to Russia
Off to Canada
Off to New Zealand
Off to Australia.
The will of Thomas Stinchcombe of Poorend, Cromhall, 1729
A Cromhall line in historical context.
If you have need to contact me please email me at: tattle@telus.net
(Revised November, 2005)
Road map of the Stinchcombe area.
Early farmers cleared deciduous forest to establish their farms. Most of the present land is pasture but there are still many small woodlots and some arable land. Traditionally the farms have been mixed-farms providing food for the local inhabitants, but the existence of woolen mills in the seventeenth, eighteenth centuries, and nineteenth centuries imply sheep-raising for commercial wool production. Sir Walter Raleigh was involved in an unsuccessful scheme to grow tobacco in these parts.
Many local farms would have had fields on the higher land, lowland, and in most cases access to the marshland if they follow the pattern established on the north bank of the Severn with which I am familiar. The marshlands provided fish, eels and a wide variety of waterfowl. (Peter Scott's waterfowl refuge is only a mile or two from Stinchcombe at Slimbridge.) Thus the Stinchcombes farmed productive land on the banks of the River Severn near Berkeley Castle. Smythe, writing in the seventeenth century, tells us that the family seat was located at Piers Court.* Certainly when one is looking through the records there are a goodly number of Stinchcombes noted as being farmers and agricultural labourers. It is likely that in the earliest years the Stinchcombes developed the usual variety of rural skills to help them make the most of their environment.
I found no evidence that the Stinchcombes had been fishermen as well as farmers. Perhaps they did use a coracle or other small craft on the sheltered waters of the marshland but there was no evidence that they had become fishermen and that they had ventured out into the Bristol Channel or River Severn. The tides on the Severn are high, the currents strong, and the Severn bore
In the sixteenth and seventeenth century the local people must have been influenced by events at the Port of Bristol (a key port in the colonization of the Americas) and the visits of quite large ships such as the George to an anchorage close to Berkeley Castle.
*Piers Court
a property within the Parish of Stinchcombe. There haven't been any Stinchcombes living at Piers Court for several hundred years. More recently Evelyn Waugh, the novelist, lived at Piers Court.
The -combe ending is common in the west country of England and is often said to mean valley. It is part of such surnames as Brindlecombe, Stancombe, Winchcombe, etc.. The complete name Stinchcombe is tagged Anglo-Saxon in most surname and place dictionaries, but Stinch, as already noted, is frquently tagged Old English; however, -combe, as well as being labelled Old English, is tagged "...derived from a Celtic language." Combe is pronounced in a manner similar to the present Welsh cwm which also translates as valley (e.g. Cwmdare, valley of the Dare). The only difference is that the Welsh cwm is prefixed whereas the Anglo-Saxon -combe is suffixed. Thus the -combe in Stinchcombe may come from an older language than Old English. The issue is further complicated when -combe, in some dictionaries, is said to mean hill. The seventeenth century historian, Smythe, quoted later in the article, is of this opinion. (See Berkeley Papers p.349) Take your pick!
While reading through the abstracts of some Gloucestershire wills for the villages of Cromhall, Rangeworthy, Tytherington and Wickwar, I came across the will of William Styncon (Rangeworthy 1545) who had a son Alex. "Styncon" appears to be a form of Stinchcombe. This is supported by a later entry in the same abstracts which record a descendant as Alexander Stinchcombe.
One can also accept Stinchcum found in a 1987 USA telephone directory as a variant. A grave in Baltimore records the deceased as "Stinchecum - Stinchcomb." ( A point worth noting is that most families in the US telephone directories have dropped the final e whereas in Canada the reverse is true. This is a point to keep in mind when using computers to locate information about Stinchcomb(e) antecedents.)
Robert Millard makes the following comment on the variant spelling Stinchecum and the question of the final "e":
John Stinchcombe of Walkern, UK, offers an alternative explanation for the name Stinchcombe:
Derivation: valley of the little stint and quotes early forms from
Place Names of Gloucester, and the Berkeley Castle Archives:
Styntesccumbe Stinticommbe (sometimes with an H after the second t)
and from the records of the Public Records Office, London, (PRO):
Seynt Combe
John states that this version of the name is the Norman-French version used in official Norman-French documents of the period.
In the Liverpool Papers, British Library( Jenkinson family at Hawkesbury, 17-18c): mainly i, plus occasional aberations. e.g. Stinthoom, Stincgom
Stinchcomb, also Stinchecum, Stincoonbe Stinchgomb Stunchcum
I came across an entry for a place called Stitchcombe in the Doomsday Book. The entry is tagged "Wiltshire," a county many miles from the focus of our interests.
It is likely that the politics of the castle shaded the affairs of the hundred and vice versa. Certainly, when the Normans arrive and did battle with the local chiefs on the very hill upon which the castle now stands, one would expect the men of Stinchcombe ( the Stinchcombes ?) to be there, too. Or did they come with the Normans, and being victorious, settle in this area. (?) The Normans won the day. As we are aware at least one line of Stinchcombes occupied Piers Court until the fourteenth century but by the seventeenth century Smythe is referring to Piers Court as the former ancestral home of the Stinchcombes. As a result of John Stinchcombe's research it is possible to approximate the period during which the Stinchcombes left Piers Court and speculate on the causes for them giving it up.
It appears in the 1330's Peres de St Combe was twice charged with heinous crimes - once involving Wm de Melksham of Melksham Court and and once involving his own wife, Petronella of Nubbley (Nibbley). The records are unclear as to why Peres de St Combe was acquitted. It may have been due to his association with Lady Bradestone (!), his ability to secure a pardon from the Bishop of Worcester, or due to his innocence. By 1374 the Bradestones had added Piers Court to their possessions.
John Stinchcombe acquired most of the information about Peres St. Combe by translating a Norman-French document.: Ancient Petitions, SC.8/97/4826. Petition submitted by the people of King's Barton against Thomas Bradeston(e) c1330-1340. found in: "Knights and Esquires," N.Saul. (Copies of the document can be located in the the Guildhall, London , and at Cambridge University Library.
It should also be remembered that there were other persons in the area named Stinchcombe at this time so that not all Stinchcombes are of direct descent; however, Peres de St. Combe was among the last, if not the last, to occupy the ancestral home.
Robert Millard, who is descended from Thomas Stinchcombe of Tortworth, mentions in his summary of known research into the Stinchcombe family, that the earliest traces of the Stinchcombes appear in the 12th Century with a mention of a knight by the name of Pere de St. Combe in the Berkeley family papers. The knight did frenkenpledge (knight service) to Lord Berkeley. This ties in with John Stinchcombes research on the ownership of Piers Court.
Berkeley Castle is part of the Marches, a group of lordships which was given a lot of autonomy by the kings of England in return for which the Marcher Lords kept the troublesome Welsh in check. The land serving as the Lord of Berkeley's fiefdom at one time extended almost to London. Berkeley was a castle which was always close to the pulse of England. It is at Berkeley that the barons and other nobles met before journeying to Runnymede and demanding the Magna Carta be signed by King John. What were the Stinchcombes doing at this time ? Did they see the important horsemen and nobles make their way to and from the castle ? Did they provide support and help to these men ?
Many years later Berkeley Castle was attacked by Cromwell. Berkeley remained Royalist. What were the sympathies of the men in the surrounding villages ? Sadly, this was the castle in which an heir to the British throne was put to death.
Edouard II de Caernarvon (Edward II ) was incarcerated in the castle by illegal decree of of the pseudo-Parliament at Kenilworth (1326) and then murdered. Before death the young king composed the following poem:
Fortune trop m'ad traverse:
Eure m'est faili tut mone age,
Bien sovent l(e)ay esprove
E duint qe bien l'ai deservi.
Lour fausse fai en parlement
De haut en bas me descendi.*
(It is also worth noting that there are some researchers who feel the young king died of natural causes and the account of his murder is a fabrication. Nevertheless there was much to be gained from his death).
Where was Peres de St. Combe on that fateful evening in 1326 ? How did the Stinchcombes and other villagers react to events at the castle ?
Two famous scientists were sponsored by the lords of Berkeley Castle. One was Harvey who discovered the circulation of the blood, and the other Edward Jenner, the physician who found a way of preventing smallpox. I have very little information about Harvey's involvement with Berkeley. Popular texts do not mention this link but in the grounds of Berkeley Castle the Harvey connection is recorded on noticeboards.
Jenner has an obvious presence in Berkeley Village. His former home is now a Museum which celebrates his life. Smallpox became preventable and subsequently eradicated because Jenner was made aware that milkmaids, who had suffered cowpox, did not contract smallpox. He explored this phenomenon and eventually developed a vaccine, which when injected into a human, would prevent that person from contracting smallpox. The merry milkmaids of Gloucester played an important part in his research. The milkmaid who supplied Jenner with those first scrapings from her cowpox sores, or pustules, was Sarah Nelmes*. This was done on 14th May, 1796. William Stinchcomb played a roll in helping Dr. Jenner make his discovery. It seems William, who had previously been infected by cowpox while working on Mr. Bromedge's farm, was inoculated with variolous (smallpox) matter along with several other persons. Many of these persons suffered a violent degree of smallpox not usually associated with an inoculation but William, who not only received the fateful inoculation, but purposely ( brave man!) associated with the others did not show any symptoms of the disease. It is recorded in Dr. Jenner's lnquiry that William also remarked that the symptoms the others were experiencing reminded him of his previous infection with cowpox. You may read the actual account in Dr. Jenner's Inquiry by visting William Stinchcomb.
( Scroll down until you find the sub-heading William Stinchcomb and then click on the thumbnail of the document in order to enlarge it. In this passage about William the f's represent "s," axilla is the armpit, and I would guess the large tumour is a swollen lymph gland. Hopefully the Stinchcombes escaped William Harvey's research!)
Many Stinchcombes were farmers and I expect they contracted their share of cowpox. Perhaps many Stinchcombes are here today because our antecedents worked on the farm and thus acquired immunity to smallpox through the cowpox virus. Stinchcombe is only a couple of miles from the castle. There were frequent outbreaks of smallpox in the Parish of Stinchcombe. The area produced a lot of wool which needed spinning and consequently there were several mills in Lower Stinchcombe. The workers at the mills were crowded together and there are several recorded outbreaks of smallpox. ( ... and the Stinchcombes were involved in the wool business, too. One,Thomas Stinchcombe, who dies and leaves a will dated 1627, is recorded as being a dyer.)
{* The Nelmes's, like the Stinchcombes, make it to North America. I note William B. Nelms is the Clerk of the Court when witnesses prove Mary Stinchcomb's (n. Mary Penn) will (County of Elbert, Georgia, c1836}.
An interesting event in the sixteenth century concerns the parish of Stinchcombe. The people of Stinchcombe hid William Tyndale (d. 1536) from the authorities. Tyndale believed that the Bible should be translated into English and not remain the sole domain of those who understood Latin. The authorities disagreed. Eventually Tyndale escaped to the continent but was caught and burned at the stake in Antwerp. However the Bible was translated into English. There were Stinchcombes living in the Parish of Stinchcombe at the time Tyndale was hidden from the Establishment.
No account of the Parish of Stinchcombe would be complete without making reference to Stinchcombe Hill. Smythe writes the following about Stinchcombe Hill:
... upon this great and eminent hill or combe standeth a beacon erected in the 48 year of the reign of Edward the third as by evidence I have seen; which for eminency and prspect may compare with any of those in Palestina, Italy, in the Isle of Man, of Hainborrowe in Cornwall, so greatly celebrated with geographers. for if the day be clear the extent of the ordinary discerneth the most objected pats of the Seven counties with the cities of Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, etc.
With Berkelei's whole extent, as in bredth and length doth lie.
Smythe also draws attention to another parcel of land in the Parish of Stinchcombe which I believe is on the hill. He explains that this piece of land is used on Blu-meade Sunday, the second Sunday after the feast of Pentecost ( the seventh Sunday after Easter - so it must have been an early summer romp!), by young of both sexes who live in adjoining townships to dance, leap, wrestle and disport themselves until evening. Smythe goes on to tell us that the event has been discontinued by "... some severe and rigid Catoes exclaiming against such recreations."
The hill was also used to hang criminals. The Shakespearean critic, Kittredge, in his notes on King Lear, says that the line "...yon hanging hill" refers to Stinchcombe Hill. Ironically the last walk to the top is a lovely one!
For a more detailed study of the history of the Stinchcombe cradle lands visit Robert Millard's account.
The system of inheritance in England often meant that the eldest son inherited most and sometimes all of an estate. The other sons ( ... and daughters ?) go off into the world to make a living in the best way that they could. If Stinchcombes originated in the Parish of Stinchcombe then by the fourteenth century Stinchcombes are also established in places such as Yate, Rangeworthy, and Thornbury. The Hawkesbury line comes from Tortworth and links by marriage to the Martens of Chakley Hawkesbury (Hence the land holdings there). Nicholas ( Stinchcomb) first appears there after 1560. He was raised by Arthur Vizard, Nicholas's uncle, in agreement with the wishes of Thomas Stinchcombe's (father of Nicholas) will of 1557. The Cromhall line starts about 1600 and comes from Rangeworthy. The Dursley and Cam line come from Tortworth or Cromhall after 1530. Prior to this, Robert believes the family (circa 1300) migrated toward Thornbury and that there is a good argument that Yate Court was a destination. The court was in the control of Berkley Castle and was a fortified farm house. It is very close to Rangeworthy.
Robert Millard plans to elaborate these early migrations of Stinchcomb(e)s and a link to the up-dated site will be added at that time.
Perhaps we should be looking more closely into the naming of the Parish of Stinchcombe. Early eclesiatical records should help here. Just how far back does our name go ? When were parishes defined ? "St. Coombe" sounds Norman and certainly it was a common practice for Normans to be given choice land following the Battle of Hastings ( though another five years were needed to pacify England and Berkley is well west of London). We also know that there was a good fight between the Normans and the British ( probably that Saxon lot!) on the mound where Berkley Castle now stands so the chance of a Saxon/Celtic chief being left at Piers Court is improbable. I agree with Robert that Piers Court is possibly named after Peres de St. Coombe or his immediate antecedents. Piers (as in Piers Plowman) is Peter in today's lingo and Piers is in itself a short hop from Peres, and Petro. So we are left with a Norman name which reflects closely the name Stinchcombe. Indeed a little further marriage of cultures takes place when Smythe records a knight as Petro de Stinchcombe. Yet we have the authority of place name dictionaries and family name dictionaries that Stinchcombe is an Anglo-Saxon concoction. Certainly "Stinch" is marked Old English and "combe" Celtic. ( Actually combe is one of very few old Celtic words (less than a dozen) that have entered modern English.) If the parish existed before the Normans arrived there is the possibility we'll find records of Stinchombes living in other parts of Britain in earlier times than 1066. Hope springs eternal.
For a more detailed explanation of the Stinchcomb(e) migration from the cradle area visit the Hawkesbury Village web page and read the "history" section:
This link gives and excellent overview of the local history as well as some interesting details of the Stinchcombe family.
Many Stinchcombes are clinging to the land in these early centuries but others are leaving the land behind. Millard records the ordination of two Stinchcombe priests at Oxford in the thirteenth century and in a later century another Stinchcombe becomes a popular Vicar of Worcester. Those who remain in the home area record their occupations as innkeepers, bakers, farmers and farm labourers. One Robert Rymer Stinchcombe leaves Cromhall in the middle of the eighteenth century. [Rymer illustrates a connection with the merchant family of Chepstow, Gwent (Monmouthshire.)] Robert Rymer moves to Northpark, Cheshire, and marries a Miss Chesshire and they have several children. Unfortunately his wife dies before all the children have left home and he returns to Cromhall with the younger ones and marries again. It seems he inherits the family forty-acre farm but Robert Rymer dies just after the turn of the century. He is alive to celebrate the Jubilee of the reigning monarch as we can see from the photo below. Indeed if you visit Cromhall you will be able to find Jubilee Street named on this occasion.
Eventually the group who are largely detatched from the land go on to involve themselves like other families have done in a variety of occupations; thus today, the Stinchcombe Clan includes doctors, lawyers, mathematicians, chemists, authors, senior military officers, musicians, teachers, nurses, and so on. My favourite is the Archibald Stinchcombe who won a gold medal for ice hockey in the 1936 Olympics! Archie is a member of the British Ice-Hockey Hall of Fame. In very unscientific terms you might say the Stinchcombes were genes waiting to hatch!
But the agricultural Stinchcombes are still alive and well. Recently a farmer named Stinchcombe living near Abergavenny, South Wales, constructed a straw house. The planning authorities were aghast. Farmer Stinchcombe, however, won much support and kept his house. One newspaper article records, "They huffed and they puffed but they couldn't blow his house down!" Perhaps Farmer Stinchcombe was reflecting his Hawkesbury culture: cob houses were traditionally made of straw bales and clay mud with an overhaging thatched roof similar to adobe houses. They are reputed to be extremely strong.
An interesting document relating to the agricultural Stinchcombes is found in the magazine, "Gloucestershire Notes and Queries," (Copies are lodged in the Dursely Public Library). Along with twenty-six other farmers, tennants of the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton Estate, which included the parishes of Hawkesbury, Little Badminton and many others extending through Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, Henry Stinchcomb :
... lamenting the unexpected rise of wheat at this time, and wishing by any means in our power to prevent the continuance of it, have, for this purpose agreed not to sell our wheat at an higher price than nine shillings per bushel ( which according to our old and customary measure is nine gallons and upwards) between the 10th day of October 1795 and 1st day of November 1796 and that we will sell not to any dealers or jobbers in corn, but will sell to such millers and bakers only as will promise to distribute to the public in general the flour and bread of the same at a reasonable profit; and that we sell in small quatities to any person in the neighbourhood; and should the market price be lower, we will readily agree to lower the price accordingly, and that we will have our wheat threshed at the usual times in the year so the whole year's produce may be sold (if wanted) by the said first day of November, 1796, and to prevent a scarcity we recommend a mixture of barley with the wheat, which we will sell to our labourers and the poor at a moderate price for that purpose. This statement appeared originally on a Gloucestershire broadsheet and on face value appears to be altruistic, however, in periods of poor harvest, and there were many during the Little Ice-age, it was the practice for farmers to issue a public promise regarding their wheat crop in order to discourage townspeople from raiding their fields. ("The Little Ice Age,"Fagan, Basic Books, 1999)
In the seventeenth century a large group of Stinchcombes continue to live in Hawkesbury, the apparent home of the first American Stinchcomb(e). Visitors should try to visit the Hawkesbury parish church, St. Mary's, which is not very far from Stinchcombe. Hawkesbury is a large parish and is known as the mother of seven daughters. This refers to seven hamlets (tithings) Hillesley, Tresham, Kilcot, Saddlewood (or the Waste), Hawkesbury Upton, Ingleston, and Little Badminton. The chancel in St. Mary's is the burial place of many of the Jenkinson Family and the banners of the Earls of Liverpool still hang in this church. At the end of the south isle are many inscriptions to the Stinchcombes and as expected the Jenkinson Papers in Liverpool have yielded many references to the Stinchcombes. Robert Millard reports that the tombs of a Nicholas and Thomas are located under the church organ and that Bigland records that the chancel was built by a member of the Stinchcombe family in 1440. Robert questions this and is fairly sure that it was a member of the Martens side of the family as it is known as the Chalkley Chancel and it was the Martens who lived in the manor of Chalkley a sub manor of Hawkesbury.
Quite a few Stinchcombes have left through the port of Liverpool for North America. ( I wonder if there was a connection with Earl Liverpool not in genealogical terms but in terms of service? For example, three or four of my antecedents within the last 150 years held "middle" employment on quite large estates belonging to various lords and knights. It is possible that Stinchcombes were involved in the estate of Lord Liverpool.) Finally, I would like to draw your attention to another family, that of the Stiffs, which is well represented in Hawkesbury; however, as one wag puts it, there is but one Stiff mentioned in the church - all other Stiffs are in the graveyard! Other churchyards in the area which have attractive churches and have Stinchcombe tombstones are Tortworth and Cromhall.
I could not find a Stinchcombe grave in the Stinchcombe graveyard. This brings me to a basic point for visitors who sometimes travel great distances to discover their roots. Whereas a visit to Stinchcombe and St. Cyr leads one to a beautiful village and the probable origins of of our family name and, if one believes Smythe of Berkeley, our ancestral home, one should not forget to visit places like Hawkesbury and the other places mentioned in this article. This is particularly true for Americans who trace their line to the Nathaniel who went to Maryland in the 1663. But in all cases to get the most out of your trip you should do your homework before spending your inheritance! No history of the Stinchcombes could be complete without mentioning the Stinchcombes who fell in World War 1(1914-1918) and World War 2( 1939-1945). It may be that if the trail of a young man runs cold you may find him listed among the thirty or so Stinchcomb(e)s honoured on the Commonwealth Graves Commission site:
Remember to enter Stinchcomb because if you add the "e" at the end of Stinchcombe the search engine will not give all twenty-eight Stinchcombes who fell in these wars. Two of the fallen give their home as being in Canada.
Genealogical sources for Gloucester and the UK
Like to communicate with others involved in Stinchcomb(e) genealogical research ? Try visiting The Stinchcombe Forum
or Stan Stinchcombe is developing a web page entitled, The Stinchcombe Clan!
A book written for persons investigating their American-Stinchcomb(e) kinship has been that written by Herbert Drucker. See: "The Stinchcomb Family from Here to Now"(p.1986) Copies are appear hard to get. I suggest visiting the Maryland Library or State Archives. ( If anyone knows of a library where this book can be found please email me.)
Guild of One-name Studies.
Nobody has attempted to form a Stinchcomb(e) one-name society ...yet.
c1150 - 1550
This work has been done by John Stinchcombe (Who must receive our gratitude for this invaluable material. Perhaps some day there will be other persons who can produce work of this nature for the countries in which the Stinchcombes have settled.)
The asterisk identifies the reference. The numeral refers you to an elaboration of the source appearing at the end of the references.
Reign of Henry 2, c 1150
Harding de Stintescombe , Roger de Stintescombe, Ralph de Stintescombe, Witness to deeds. *John Smyth, Lives of the Berkeleys (1)
Reign of John, Henry3, Edward 1
Peter de Stintescombe, Thomas de Stintescombe, Witness to charters. *John Smyth, Lives of the Berkeleys (1) alsoGloucester Corporation Records (2)
Ellen, wife of Peter. *Hale Transcripts(7)
1281, Peter, Jury IPM Maurice Berkeley. *Gloucetershire IPM's (4)
1295, Thos, Witness to grant . *Bishop's Register, Worcester(3)
1310, James, son Thos, Awarded 20 shillings. *Bishop's register, Worcester(3)
1315, Peter, Land at Kingscote sold to Thomas, Lord Berkeley. *Gloucestershire Collection, 12265
1322 (?), Peter, Tenant, Survey of Cam. * PRO Surveys(14)
Reign of Edward 3
1327, Peter, Collector of Subsidy, Berkeley Hundred, *PRO ,Exchequer(10)
1327, William, Scholarship, five pounds per annum from Thomas, Lord of Berkeley. *Smyth, Vol.1, fo. 29 (1)
1327Agnes, widow of Robert, Dower of house at Tythryngton. *PRO, de Banco Plea Rolls(15)
1330, Peter, petition against him. *N.Saul, "Knights and Esquires"(11)
1337, Peter, charged with major felony. *PRO, Assiz Rolls(12)
1363, Thomas, Cam, witness , knights fee inqu. *Berkeley Castle mss, CUL(1)
1374, Description of family home, Piers Court, Gloucestershire. *IPM, Ella Bradstone, Gloucestershire IPM, vol.6(4)
Reign of Richard2
1378, Robert, Inq, Thornbury. *Gloucester Peace Rolls(7)
1384-1387, John, Inq, Thornbury. *Gloucester Peace Rolls(7)
c1380 ?, John, Civil Plea, Iron Acton. *PRO Early Chancery Proc(5)
Reign of Henry4
1396-1404, John, Robert and Wm, Jury, Almonsbury,Sobbury,etc.. *Gloucester IPM; Feudal Aids(4)
Reign of Henry5
1415 , John, Inq, Chippen Sodbury. *PRO , Escheator's files(16)
Reign of Henry6, 1444. Thomas, Tenant at Bagstone, Wickwar. *Kingswood Abby Rental(7)
1452?, (Stinchcombe),Stinchcombe Chapel/gild Hawkesbury/Chalkley. R. Bigland/B. Frith, Memorials(8)
Reign of Henry7
1505, Robert, Incumbent, Brockworth. *Worcester, Dioc Reg.25
1508, Robert, Graduated chaplain. *Oxford Alumni
Reign of Henry8
1522, Thomas, Muster, Tortworth. *R.W.Hoyle(17)
1522 ?, William, Muster, Rangeworthy. *Prob. R.W. Hoyle
1528, Robert, Rector, Christ Church, Gloucester. *N. Orme(9)
1530, Robert, institution, Tytherington. *Worcester Diocesan Register (27)
1545, William Styncon,d. Rangeworthy. *Gloucester Wills
Addendum John also gives the following information on Stinchcombes appearing in Gloucestershire documents from 1327 to 1337.
1327 ( King Edward II reign)
(1.) RolLag Subsidy l Provincial Records Office reference: E179/113/5
Subtaxtores (collectors)
Stepho de Dracote John Owlpen
Robert Groundy Thos Page
John de Kingston Walt Pride
Petro de Styntescombe
(2) Lives of the Berkeleys....John Smyth. Vol 2 (?)
Thos III, his alms, devotions, awards, to his servants and others:-
This lords in Edward 11 gives to Wm de Styntescombe on hopeful scholler [ five pounds sterling] a year for his better maintenance until he should be promoted to a beniface of [ twenty pounds sterling] per anum. (Magna Charta for Berkeley Castle.)
(3) de Bance Roll (Probable PRO ref. )
... a deed between Agnes, late wife of Robt de Styntescombe and Geoffrey le Freeman of Ichinton re a dower house at I( orL) therington.
... a list of sources for early mentions of Stinchcombes is under construction at the end of this essay.
A DNA Study
As some Stinchcombes are aware DNA is making an important contributions to genealogy. To this end I have established a StinchcombeDNA Projectat Family Tree DNA. The available tests are of various resolution but I decided to take the 25-marker test as it will be much more effective in deciding whether I have a recent common ancestor with a member of another line.
(It may have been prudent for me to have taken a 12-marker test and wait for a second person to indicate that he and I had a possibility of a recent common ancestor before subscribing to an update of the 12-marker tests to convert it to the 25-marker test which would be much more reliable in predicting a common relationship; however, in that I am no spring chicken I would like my DNA tests to be immediately available for such DNA comparisons.)
I encourage Stinchcombes of various lines to become involved with my project and visit:
A participant would have the option of taking the 25-marker or 12-marker test. The 12-marker test is considerably cheaper than the 25-marker test and would indicate if there is a possibity of a relationship with another Stinchcombe in recent times. You would then proceed to the 25-marker test to confirm the relationship. On the other hand we may have descended from unconnected ancestry although we have the same last name of Stinchcombe thus your DNA will be unique to another line of Stinchcombes and the 25-marker test would record the essential DNA criteria for establishing relationships to others in this line.
(Note that the first test result in our StinchcombeDNA Study will become available in late 2005 or early 2006.)
If you wish to proceed with a 12-markertest you can convert to the 25-marker test by paying FamilyTreeDNA the difference.
I am hoping that if you are a male Stinchcombe you will save time by taking the 25-marker test.
If you wish to get started you may wish to contact me at: tattle@telus.net
This old wedding photo (Stinchcombe-Werrett) was taken around 1893 - 1895 based on the photo of my father, John R. Smith, who was born in 1890, and looks to be about three years old. (It has since been learned theat this wedding took place in 1895)
The daughters would be Emma (14), the bride, Emily Ann (26), and Maggie (25). Lou (24) could possibly be the wife of one of the brothers and the small children could well be the offspring of same.
The only people in the picture that I ever new were Ted (38) who emigrated to Canada quite early, took up residence in New Westminister, and was administrator at the mental hospital there. He and his Wife, Ruth, were not blessed with any children.
My grandmother, Emily Anne (26) was married to Fred Smith snr. (32) who died before she left England. She came to Canada around 1913, was probably born around 1880, and died in 1828.
My fahter, Jophn R. Smith (5), was born in 1890 and came to Canada in 1911. His two brothers, Fred (4)and Les (18) came to Canada with their mother in 1923. They initially lived in Burnaby, BC.
One other person that I knew was Ted Mills (1) who was a first cousin of my father. I also knew his wife, Millie Mills. Only Ted came to Canada and after a short spell in Vancouver lived most of his life in Seattle.
Another cousin came to Canada. His name was Cuthbert Stinchcombe but he is not shown in this photograph. I am of the opinion that George Stinchcombe (15) was his father. Cuthbert also came to Vancouver but, like Ted Mills, spent most of his life in Seattle. All of these brothers and cousins of that generation passed away between 1965 and 1985.
Most of the people mentioned above lived in Gloucestershire and the names I remember are Dursely, Hillsley, Wotton-under-edge and the Mendip Hills.
Key to photograph:
1. Ted Mills 2. Mabel Stinchcombe 3. Doris Stinchcombe 4, Fred Smith Jnr. 5. John R. (Dick) Smith 6.? Werrett 7.? Werrett 8.? Werrett 9. Arthur Werrett 10.? Werrett 11. Granny Werrett 12. Flo Collins 13. Penley Werrett (Groom) 14. Emma Stinchcombe (Bride) 15. George Stinchcombe 16. ? 17.? 18.Leslie Martin 19. Millie Mills 20.? 21. Granny Stinchcombe 22. Grandpa Stinchcombe 23. Polly Sims 24.Lou Stinchcombe 25. Maggie Stinchcombe 26. Emily Stinchcombe ( a Smith, Ben's grandmother) 27. Mr. Manning (School Principal) 28. Frank Stinchcombe 29. Harry Stinchcombe 30. Reverend Johnston 31. ? 32. Fred Smith Snr. (Ben's grandpa) 33. Reuben Werrett 34. ? 35? Werrett 36. ? 37. ? 38. Ted Stinchcombe (Photo)