The name Stevens or Stephens is said to derive from the Greek word "Stephanos" meaning a crown. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, popularized the name. The earliest history we have of the Stevens line is Airard Fitz Stephen, the captain of the ship used by William the Conqueror for his transit in the invasion of Saxon England in 1066. The Fitz used in the name implies simply "son of", indicating that Airard possibly was a son of someone named Stephen, or that one of his ancestors was the son of someone named Stephen. It is important to note that while the naming convention used Fitz to imply "son of", the exact departure from using Fitz followed by ones father’s name to using a surname is not a sudden one, and we do not know if in fact Airard’s father was named Stephen, as is suggested in some genealogies thatattempt to link Airard with Steven of Blois based on this concept.
The Bayeux Tapestry, as it is commonly known, is more correctly referred to as the Telle du Conquest or Toile du Duc Guillaume. It is one of the most celebrated masterpieces of narrative medieval European art in existence. The 900 year old tapestry depicts in continuous story form the events leading to the invasion of England by Duke William (the Conqueror) of Normandy, the invasion itself, and the defeat and death of the last Saxon king, Harold (the Perjurer), at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The ships that comprised the Norman invasion fleet were essentially ninth and tenth century, double-ended Viking ships, propelled by sails and oars. They were equipped with 16 to 30 oars per side, and each had a single decorated square sail, always shown in the Tapestry as fully 'blown by the wind'. These formidable ships, which varied in length from about 80 to 140 feet, are necessarily down-sized and overlapping in the Tapestry in order to give the impression of a large fleet in a limited space. Of note, rows of shields appear along the gunwales of many of the ships in the Bayeux tapestry. Normally, however, such a display would have been permitted only when the ship was in port, so as not to interfere with the task of rowing. In this illustration, the large vessel in the center is William's flagship, the Mora, presented to him by his wife, Queen Matilda, daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders. Airard Fitz Stephen commanded this ship. On the elaborately carved sternpost is the figure of a man blowing a horn and holding in his hand a miniature lance with a gonfanon (a small, square-bodied flag with three or more tails). At the masthead of the Mora, underneath the cross, is a signal lantern. On the 27th of September, when favorable winds from the south began to blow, William ordered his fleet to put to sea, but to anchor offshore and await nightfall. When the signal lantern on the Mora was lit, the Normans proceeded across the Channel under cover of darkness. The ships arrived safely in Pevensey Bay the morning of Thursday, 28 September 1066. The latin inscription "ED VENIT AD PEVENESAE", only partially shown, means simply "and came to Pevensey". Another famous Norman ship was the Blanche Nef, or the White Ship, commanded by Thomas Fitz Stephen, son of Airard. The White Ship was said to be the finest of the Norman navy. In 1120, the ship went down after striking a rock, killing the roughly 300 on board, including Ftiz Stephen and the crown prince, William.
The Wreck of the White Ship
On the 25th November 1120 a disaster struck in the English Channel which had a dramatic effect, not only on the families of those involved, but on the very fabric of English Government. Some of the following is simply speculation, since only one man survived and he was not one of the crew and would not have known much of what took place on deck with the captain, Thomas Fitz Stephen, and the crew. The Norman dynasty had not long established itself on the English throne and King Henry I was eager that his line should continue to wear the crown for many generations to come. Despite having numerous bastard offspring, he had but two surviving legitimate children and his hopes for his family were firmly secured by the birth of his only son, William the Aethling: called by the Saxon princely title to stress that his parents had united both Saxon and Norman Royal Houses. William was a warrior prince who, even at the age of seventeen, fought alongside his father to reassert their rights in their Norman lands on the Continent. After the successful campaign of 1119 which culminated in King Louis VI of France's defeat and humiliation at the Battle of Brémule, King Henry and his entourage were finally preparing to return to England. Henry was offered a fine vessel, the White Ship, in which to set sail for England, but the King had already made his traveling arrangements and suggested that it would be an excellent choice for his son, William. As the rising star of the Royal Court, Prince William attracted the cream of society to surround him. He was to be accompanied by some three hundred fellow passengers: 140 knights and 18 noblewomen; his half-brother, Richard; his half-sister, Matilda the Countess of Perche; his cousins, Stephen and Matilda of Blois; the nephew of the German Emperor Henry V; the young Earl of Chester and most of the heirs to the great estates of England and Normandy. There was a mood of celebration in the air and the Prince had wine brought aboard ship by the barrel-load to help the party go with a swing. Both passengers and crew soon became highly intoxicated: shouting abuse at one another and ejecting a group of clerics who had arrived to bless the voyage. Some passengers, including Stephen of Blois, who was ill with diarrhea, appear to have sensed further trouble and decided to take a later craft. The onboard revelries had delayed the White Ship's departure and it only finally set out to sea, after night had already fallen. The Prince found that most of the King's forces had already left him far behind yet, as with all young rabble-rousers, he wished to be first back home. He therefore ordered the ship's master to have his oarsmen row full-pelt and overtake the rest of the fleet. Being as drunk as the rest of them, Thomas Fitz Stephen complied and the ship soon began to race through the waves. An excellent vessel though the White Ship was, sea-faring was not as safe as it is today. Many a boat was lost on the most routine of trips and people did not travel over the water unless they really had to. With a drunken crew in charge moreover, it seems that fate had marked out the White Ship for special treatment. It hit a rock in the gloom of the night and the port-side timbers cracked wide-open to reveal a gaping whole. Prince William's quick-thinking bodyguard immediately rushed him on deck and bundled him into a small dinghy. They were away to safety even before the crew had begun to make their abortive attempts to hook the vessel off the rocks. However, back aboard ship, the Prince could hear his half-sister calling to him, begging him not to leave her to the ravages of the merciless sea. He ordered his little boat to turn round, but the situation was hopeless. As William grew nearer once more, the White Ship began to descend beneath the waves. More and more people were in the water now and they fought desperately for the safety of the Royal dinghy. The turmoil and the weight were too much. The Prince's little boat was capsized and sank without trace. It is said that the only person to survive the wreck to tell the tale was a Rouen butcher, called Berold, who had only been on board to collect debts owed him by the noble revellers. Finely dressed bodies, such as the Earl of Chester's, were washed up along the Norman shoreline for months after. After King Henry heard of the disaster, it is said that he never smiled again. Desperate to secure his family's succession, he had the English barons swear an oath to uphold the rights of his only remaining legitimate child: his daughter Matilda who they were to recognize as their Queen after Henry's death. But the time had not yet come for a woman to be accepted on the English throne. When King Henry died, his nephew, Stephen of Blois seized the crown and four years later, the status quo degenerated into a patchy Civil War.
EVIDENCE OF NORMAN ANCESTRY So far as I know, there are no living descendants whose line is proved link by link to Airard Fitz-Stephen, a Norman immigrant to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. I believe that Norman ancestry can be proved even if there is a missing link or two. In the first place, it has been said the Fitz-Stephen or Stephens name does not appear in England before 1066 so between that time and B) Anthony Stephens, b. ca 1560, the descendants of Airard should have multiplied to several thousand; so that probably most of the Stephens families of England were of Norman descent by 1560. We know from the records that most of them settled in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, and some in Ireland. Wiltshire joins Gloucestershire on the south so the odds would strongly favor any family there in 1560 as being of Norman descent. But the clincher was the coat of arms of A) Thomas Stephens, which except for two small crescents indicating a second son, was undoubtedly the same as his father Anthony1. A photostat of these arms from the Library of Congress shows distinctive Norman Stevens characteristics. It has the chevron like an inverted V across the shield about the middle and the crest is "a demi-eagle displayed or" which means an eagle of gold showing its front down to but not including its legs and with the wings outstretched as if starting to fly. Some consider the bird a falcon but ours looks like an eagle to me. On top of the shield is a sort of lobbed cylinder shaped piece, eggshaped on the ends the same as the known Norman Stevens arms. These basic features then were like a trade mark. These arms, of course, were registered with the authorities so, at that time, it would have been difficult, if possible at all, for a family with a different ancestry to get approval for this coat of arms. Of course as the cousins multiplied there had to be some minor difference on the shields. One of the oldest shields shows two small birds, probably falcons, near the top but on ours we find three demilions. I have read somewhere that three lions were approved by King Henry, perhaps III, for one Norman Stephens family. "In Family Crests of Great Britain", the Genealogical Quarterly (of London) winter, 1956, says: "Stephens of Little Sodberry, Glouc., a demi-eagle, displayed Or." These were undoubtedly Norman Stephens arms, so it seems that this demi-eagle crest should be conclusive.
We may envy A) Thomas Stephens who could and probably did, sometimes go to the theatre and listen to one William Shakespeare introduce one of his new plays. On the photostat (referred to above) is the coat of arms and pedigree of A) Thomas Stephens and at the bottom is listed another "Thomas Stevens of Tower St. Ward, weaver" and it says "He is noe gent, nor can prove any arms." Wife: Anne, son: Will, who has an only daughter Anne. This would indicate that our Thomas, Nicholas etc. also lived in the Tower St. Ward of London. This was a little east of central London now and about one-fourth mile from the Thames river, and near St. Peter's church on Corn Hill St. where Nicholas Stevens and Elizabeth Starkey were married in 1641. At that time in England there were roughly three castes, the so-called nobility, not necessarily noble in character; the gentlemen; and commoners. A) Thomas Stephens then since he was a second son wa not strictly a nobleman although some would class him as such but he had a right to sign his name as Thomas Stephens, Gent. On this photostat referred to above, 1) Nicholas Stephens is referred to as "eldest son and heir", i. e., he would inherit the title of nobility if any and real estate; but the crescent on the shield shows that his father was a second son and so there apparently was no title for him to inherit. However, I believe that his right to a coat of arms made it possible for him to become a knight, if his services were needed. The evil of the system is in that an eldest son, although a moron, could inherit the title of nobility while his virtuous and brilliant siblings could not. Of course, in the U. S. A. titles of nobility are outlawed by the constitution and justice is better served that way. But if scientific methods had been used a superior caste could have been produced just as breeds of livestock have been improved.
Stevens - Stephens Genealogy and Family History Author: Clarence Perry Stevens Call Number: CS71.S844 This book contains the history and genealogy of the Stevens-Stephens family of North Carolina. Bibliographic Information: Stevens, Clarence Perry. Stevens-Stephens Genealogy and Family History. Privately Published. 1968.
SOME OF THE NORMAN STEPHENS FAMILY IN ENGLAND
Airard Fitz-Stephen, probably born about 1036, a nobleman of Normandy in France, immigrated to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. A son was
Thomas, d. 1120, who commanded the White Ship, "the finest in the Norman navy. His eldest son was
Ralph who lived under Henry I. His eldest son was
Ralph who was high Sheriff of Glouchestershire. He -m- a Berkeley and received the feudal barony of Wapley. He d. 1190 and a son was
Fitz-Ralph Fitz-Stephen who accompanied Richard Coeur de Lion in the third crusade. He was succeeded by his son
John Fitz-Stephen who -m- a Bradestone. His son was
Henry Fitz-Stephen who lived in the reign of Edward III and held the lordship of Winterbourne together with Lord Bradstone. A son was
Henry Fitz-Stephen who lived under Edward III. A son was
John Fitz-Stephen, Baron of Winterburne, who d. 1374 leaving a son
John Stephens, Esq. of St. Brivals, County of Glouchester. (With this generation the Norman prefix "Fitz" which means "son of" was dropped. Apparently "Stephens" was formed from "Stephenson" by dropping the "on"). He -m- a Spelly of Lewynsmede. A son was
Richard Stephens, d. 1390, Baron of Lewynsmede, who -m- a dau. of John Castel of Bristol. They had three children, the eldest son was
John Stephens, Baron of Lewynsmede and a Member of Parliament in the reign of Richard II. He was Lord Mayor of Bristol in 1403 and -m a dau. of Robt. Dedroke. His eldest son was
John Stephens, Baron of L. under Henry V. He -m- Alice(???) and was succeeded by a son
Thomas Stephens, Esq. a member of Parliament in 1422. A son was
John Stephens, Esq., M. P. for Bristol in the reign of Henry VII and during the War of the Roses. A son was
Henry Stephens, Esq., who lived in Forcester Co. Glouchester in the reign of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He -m- a dau. of Edward Lugg and d. 1552 leaving eight children including Richard. His eldest son was
Edward Stephens, 1523-1587, Lord of Eastington Manor -m- Joan Fowler, who died the same year as he did and both are buried in Eastington Church. They had sixteen children of whom we have the names of three males and three girls. I omit the lines of James d. 1590 and Richard d. 1599 as the male line is thought to be extinct. The third son was
Thomas Stephens, 1558-1613, of Lypiatt Park, a lawyer who practiced in London, -m- Elizabeth Stone. He was appointed by King James I as Attorney General for Prince Charles (later Charles I) and acquired extensive estates. There is a conflict of authority here as Dan V. Stephens says that Thos. -m- Elizabeth, dau. of John Suirir of London. Thos. et ux. are buried in Stroud Church Gloucestershire. One son was an M. P. in 1645 named John, whose grandson Thomas -m- Anne Neale, a cousin of the illustrious Oliver Cromwell. The eldest son of Thomas 1558-1613 was
Sir Edward Stephens, d. 1670 -m- Ann Crewe. Lypiatt Hall still survives in fairly good condition. The Gunpowder Plot is said to have been made in one of its rooms. During the Commonwealth, the family sided with the parliamentary republicans and one of the family, John, I believe, was thrown out of parliament in "Pride's Purge". Edward and Ann had the following children:
1. Thomas b. 1618/9 whose line is thought to be extinct. 2. John b. 1622, d. 1643 in England -(Foster's Alumni Oxoniensis, p. 1418) (of Oxford University). This is the son C. Ellis Stevens claimed immigrated to Guilford, Conn. Mrs. C. S. Holmes disproved it. 3. Edward, of whom nothing further is known. 4. Anne (Stephens) Parker. C. Ellis Stevens in his Stevens Genealogy, 1905, claims that the second son above of Sir Edward Stephens (d. 1670) above "was ancestor of the only authenticated male line that has survived to the present day", meaning the Norman Stephens line, of course, his line, from which we see he is a little exclusive if not disgustingly vain. He also says on page 10 "The family though existing in the male descent only in America, had, after colonial times, the first native born citizen of the United States in the direct line, in the person of the grandfather of the present head of the house", meaning himself, of course. But Charlotte Steevens Holmes sort of pulled the rug out from under him. She says: "Unfortunately the editor's (C. Ellis Stevens) research did not extend quite far enough, for according to Foster's Alumni Oxoniensis, p. 1418 `John Stephens, son of Edward, of Little Sodbury, Co. Gloucester, arm., matriculated at Lincoln College, Nov. 24, 1637, aged 15.' An inscription taken from St. Thomas' church at Oxford tells the remainder of the story." I quote only the translation.
"John Stevens, second son born to Edward Stephens of Little Sodberry in County Gloucester,Arminger1, a youth of great natural ability, and beyond the ordinary inclinations of young manhood distinguished for piety and literary attainments, died April 8, 1643."
Had this John lived he could not have been "the ancestor" as he was only 17 years old when the real John immigrated as the father of four children to Guilford, Conn. (1639) and became the ancestor of so many descendants. I do not see how such official evidence as this can be overthrown so I must conclude that this link is missing and so C. Ellis Stevens cannot claim to be thus linked to the Norman Stephens lines. Nor do I see that he had proved to an ancestor with a Norman coat of arms which might tend to prove it.
Several hundred descendants of this John Stephens (Steevens) who immigrated to Guilford, Conn. in 1639 are listed by Charlotte Steevens Holmes in her "Genealogy of John Steevens", 162 pp. 1906. a very good book. In the records his name is spelled either Stephens, Stevens or Steevens, the last being more common. So far as I know, the link to his father, whoever he was, has never been proved. 1 An aminger was an esquire; one next in degree to a knight, and entitled to armorial bearings.
For our claim I refer to Edward Stephens, 1523-1587 of Eastington in Gloucester County (or shire) -m- Joan Fowler. They had some sixteen children of whom four are officially listed in Visitations of Gloucestershire 1623, viz. Thomas b. ca 1558, Richard b. ca 1562 -m- Margerett Seintloe (dau. of Ed.) of Kingston in Wiltshire (Wilts County); Margeria, and James. It is my thesis that our Anthony1 was one of the twelve other unnamed children as his son Thomas had a son Thomas and a grandson Richard; and that Anthony simply moved over into Wiltshire. The coat of arms seems to be the same except for the demi-lions. Child of STEPHENS is:
