John Stanley

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: glazier: Tonbridge. Robart Standley was a glazier who moved from Tonbridge to Tenterden about 1590, probably to take advantage of the flourishing iron trade there. Tenterden had a population of 357 in 1663, so it was probably about the same size, or smaller, six decades earlier. Robart was a yeoman and doing rather well. When he died (31 May 1605) the inventory of his goods alone had a value of 51 Pounds. He had a servant, Thomas Glover, and small "whete" farm (which, with his work place, were not incuded in the 51 Pounds).

The farm had hens and geese, swine, sheep, three kine and a calf. The shop had iron and steel, a pair of bellows and an anvil. In Tenterden he was a "whitesmith." This is defined as "a worker in white iron (tin-plate), a tinsmith, or, one who polishes or finishes metal goods, as distinguished from one who forges them."

Robart married Ruthe, and they had John, Thomas, Timothy (the brother's who emigrated to America, two of whom were among the founders of Hartford, CT.), Patience, Robart, William and Ruthe. On 16 September 1605, just four months after Robarts death, Ruthe married one Humphrie Uredge.

John, who was just six at the time of his mothers second marriage, later apparently married Humphrie's daughter, step-daughter or other relative, Elysabeth Uredge, on 14 October 1623 at Benenden (about five miles from Tenterden), (not unlike his son, John (the third "Hartford" Stanley founder), who, orphaned at ten during the voyage to America, grew up with Sara Scott next door and married her when they both came of age - proximity was apparently a door to affection). The church records from Tenterden also carry a burial of Elizabeth, wife of John Stanley on 12 Dec 1632. (*)

Other Standleys are cited in local records as having children in the 1564-1580 period. So far their relationship to our family is unknown, although the reoccurring names of Robart, John and Tymothy do suggest a familial tie-in.

• Family Origin. ⁵⁶⁰ In the county of Stafford, in the heart of England, there was in very ancient times, an old Saxon manor called STONELEY, a name compounded of stone and leah or ley (modern, lea), meaning a stony meadow or field. There is still in that country a considerable town named Stone, which very probably like the former, may bear a remembrance of the rugged surface of what is now one of the chief mining districts of the island.
At the time of the Norman conquest, this estate belonged to Sir Henry de Stoneley, the place of his residence in that day supplying the surname of the owner.

Among the Norman knights who accompanied William the Conqueror into England in 1066, were Adam de Alditheley and his two sons, Lydulph and Adam. These received, as did others of William's associates, large possessions from the conquered lands as a reward for their services. Lydulph, the elder son, had a son Adam, and Adam, the younger, had a son, William. These two young Normans, Adam and William, both married wives of the Saxon family, De Stoneley.

William de Alditheley married Joan, daughter of Thomas de Stoneley, a kinsman of Sir Henry, and received with her as dowry, the manor of Thalk, in the same country. Afterwards, he exchanged this estate with his cousin Adam, for Stoneley and half of Balterley, and made Stoneley his family residence; and in honor of his lady, and the great antiquity of her family, of noble Saxon descent, who flourished many years before the conquest, he assumed the surname of STANLEY, and became the recognized founder of the STANLEY FAMILY. This was in the reign of Henry I., A.D 1100-1135.

SIR WILLIAM De (ALDITHELEY) STANLEY who married JOAN De STONELEY, and had


II SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, who had

3. John, died childless..
4. Adam.


IV SIR ADAM STANLEY had


V SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, who married Joan de Bamville, eldest daughter of Sir Phillip de Bamville, heiress of Stourton, by which alliance he became possessed of the manor and bailiwick of Wyrral Forest, near Chester, and thereupon assumed the armorial bearings since used by all branches of the family, viz., three stags' heads, or, on a bend, as.

They had:

6. A Daughter..
7. John, of Stourton..
8. Adam.


VII SIR JOHN STANLEY, Lord of Stourton, etc.; married Marbella Hausket, daughter of Sir James Hausket.

They had:

9. William, of Stourton..
10. John, of Greswithin.


IX SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, Lord of Stourton, etc.; married Alice, daughter of Hugh Massey of Timperly.

They had:

11. A Daughter..
12. William, of Hooton..
13. John, Lord Deputy of Ireland.
14. Henry. 10. SIR JOHN STANLEY of Greswithin, Cumberland County, was a member of Parliament for Carlisle in the time of Edward III., A.D. 1347. The line of succession from him was as follows. I give little more than their bare names.

15. JOHN STANLEY, of Greswithin,
16. NICHOLAS STANLEY, 1345.
17. THOMAS STANLEY, 1431.
18. JOHN STANLEY, of Hallthwaytes.
19. WILLIAM STANLEY,
20. THOMAS STANLEY, of Hallthwaytes,
21. JOHN STANLEY,
22. WILLIAM STANLEY,
23. ROGER STANLEY,
24. JOHN STANLEY, or Arnaby, County of Cumberland,
25. CHRISTOPHER STANLEY,
26. THOMAS STANLEY, brother of Christopher; died childless,
27. RICHARD STANLEY, brother of Christopher and Thomas, He was of Fittleworth, Sussex County; married the widow of Dr. Burcott, who had before married his brother Thomas Stanley. He had,

28. THOMAS STANLEY, who married Constance Baugh, and had,

i ELIZABETH, born in 1616,
ii JOHN, born in 1622,

29. JOHN STANLEY, brother of Thomas, who married Sarah Page, and had,

i ELIZABETH, aged 22, b. 1596.
ii JOHN, aged 12, b. 1606.
iii RICHARD.
iv WILLIAM.

House of Hooton

SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, son of Sir William, Lord of Stourten, etc., married Margery, daughter and heiress of William de Hooton, in Cheshire. From them descended a distinguished succession of families, many of the intermarrying with leading houses of Cheshre and Lancashire, until the death of SIR ROWLAND STANLEY, who died in 1613, and was buried at Eastham, being one of the oldest knights of Englnad at the time of his decease.

His son, William, fell into disrepute by expousing the claims of Philip of Spain, the widowed husband of Queen Mary, as against Elizabeth, and assisting him as far as was in his power in preparing and guiding the Invincible Armada in its attempted invasion of England.

Of course, he was not allowed to reside in England after that, but retired to the Netherlands, then part of the dominions of Philip, where he was appointed governor of Mechelin, and died. Sir Rowland Stanley was succeeded by his great grandson William, (first baronet) then only seven years old. From him the succession was as follows:

30. SIR WILLIAM STANLEY was created a baronet June 17, 1662. He married Charlotte, eldest daughter of Sir Richard Molyneux, of Sefton, Lancashire, created Viscount Molyneau in the peerage of Ireland, and was succeeded by his son,

31. SIR ROWLAND STANLEY. He married Anne, daughter of Clement Paston, Esq., of Berningham, Norfolk, and was succeeded at his decease in 1737, by his son,

32. SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, who married Catharine, daughter of Rowland Eyre, Esq., of Hassop, Derbyshire. His son was,

33. SIR ROWLAND STANLEY, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Parry, Esq., of Pythrmean, Flintshire,

34. SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, his son, married Barbara, daughter of John Towneley, but died without issue in 1792, when the title reverted to his uncle,

35. SIR JOHN STANLEY. This gentleman assumed the additional surname of Massey, under the will of Rev. Thomas Massey, younger son of Sir William Stanley, the 3rd baronet, who had himself adopted the name of Massey, as heir of Sir William Massey of Puddington, and the additional surname of Stanley, under the will of his nephew and predecessor, Sir John Stanley Massey Stanley married Mary, daughter of Thomas Clifton, Esq., of Lytham in Lancashire, and was succeeded by his son,

36. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, who married Catharine, daughter of William Salvin, Esq., of Croxdale, Durham, and had five sons and a daughter,

37. SIR WILLIAM STANLEY, his son died in 1803, during his minority,

38. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, brother of Sir William, succeeded him, who married Mary, daughter of Sir Carnaby Haggerston, County of Durham, and had three sons and a daughter, his eldest son was,

39. SIR WILLIAM THOMAS STANLEY MASSEY STANLEY, who was born in 1807.

The seat of this family is at Hooton, on the banks of the Mersey, near the eastern extremity of the hundred of Wirral, and commanding an extensive view of the river and the entire coast of Cheshire and Lancashire, to the sea.

The Derby Line:

13. SIR JOHN STANLEY. This, the most distinguished branch of the Stanley family of England, is reckoned as descended from Sir John Stanley, the younger brother of Sir William of Hooton, of 1397. He married Isabel, daughter of Sir Thomas Latham, knight, of Lathom, and Knowsley of Lancashire, and thus acquired those estates.
In 1385, he was made lord-deputy of Ireland, and had a grant of the manor of Blake Castle in that kingdom. In the seventh year of Henry IV, he obtained a grant in fee of the Isle of Man, with all the isles adjacent, to be holden of the said king, his heirs and successors, by homage and the service of two falcons, payable on the days of their coronation. On the accession of Henry V, he was made a Knight of the Garter, and lord-lieutenant of Ireland, in which government he died Jan. 6, 1414. He left two daughters and four sons.
40. JOHN
41. HENRY
42. THOMAS of Elford, whence come the Stanley's of Elford, Pipe, etc.
43. RALPH

40. SIR JOHN STANLEY, his son and heir, constable of Carnarvon, Justice of Chester, and sheriff of Anglesea, married Isabel (or Elizabeth), daughter of Sir Robert Harrington, of Hornby, Lancashire, and had two daughters and three sons.

44. THOMAS,
45. RICHARD,
46. EDWARD

the last two successively archdeacons of Chester.

44. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, his son, was lord-lieutenant of Ireland, 1432, comptroller of the household and chamberlain to Henry VI, Knight of the Garter in 1456, etc. He married Joan, daughter of Sir Robert Goushill, by whom he had three daughters and four sons.

47. THOMAS,
48. WILLIAM, beheaded as a participator in the conspiracy to place Perkin Warbeck on the throne,
49. JOHN, of Weever, from whom descended the Stanleys of Alderly,
50. JAMES, archdeacon of Carlisle.

47. THOMAS STANLEY, first Earl of Derby. (b.c. 1435) This eminent man was summoned to parliament in the first year of Edward IV, and married Eleanor, daughter of the Earl of Salisbury and sister to the Earl of Warwick, the famous "kingmaker" by whom he had six sons. The fifth of these, named Edward, commanded the left wing of the English army at the battle of Flodden in 1513, which proved so fatal to the Scottish army. It was of him that the dying Marmion appealed in the famous lines of Scott's poem,

"Charge, Chester, charge; on, Stanley, on,
Were the last words of Marmion."

For his service on that occasion, the king bestowed upon him the title of Baron Monteagle, in allusion to the crest of the family.
The wife of Lord Thomas having died, he married for his second wife a very distinguished lady, - no less a personage that Margaret of Lancaster, mother of Henry VII. She had already been twice married, first to the Earl of Richmond, who died in 1456, father to Henry; and secondly to Sir Henry Stafford, the great Duke of Buckingham. Her third marriage to Lord Stanley was anything but a match for love, and it is said it was contracted with the express stipulation that he should never occupy her bed.
It was now near the close of the terrible wars of the Roses for the English crown, between the rival houses of York and Lancaster. Lord Stanley had been an adherent of the White Rose at the House of York, but his present wife's son, Henry, Earl of Richmond, was the head of the House of Lancaster, and claimant to the throne. The usurping King Richard III, who, to secure his crown had murdered the young King Edward V., and his brother the Duke of York, and buried them under the stairs of the Tower, sought by honors and blandishments to attach the Stanleys to his side.
At his coronation, July 6, 1473, Stanley's wife, the Countess of Richmond, bore the train of the queen. But all was in vain. The cruelties of Richard alienated his people, and prepared them for a revolution which should place Henry on the throne, and bring the fatal rivalry between York and Lancaster to an end by Henry's marriage with Elizabeth, Princess of York. To this scheme Lord Stanley gave his assent, but privately.
When Henry's forces approached from the South, Stanley's men, of whom he had some five thousand, first marched in advance of them, as if retreating, but when they reached the battlefield at Bosworth, they went over to Henry's side. Richard, perceiving the defection, made a desperate charge upon his foes, cut his way to Henry's standard, killed Sir William Brandon, the standard-bearer and was directing a deadly thrust at his rival, when Lord Stanley came to the rescue. Richard's troops fled at once, and he was thrown from his horse, and dispatched with many wounds. Stanley picked up his blood-stained and battered crown, and placed it on Henry's head, proclaiming him King of England.
For these eminent services the new monarch advanced Lord Stanley, 27 Oct., 1485, to the dignity of the Earl of Derby, and constituted him on of the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High-Steward of England on the day of his coronation. His lordship, in the March following, had a grant of the high office of Constable of England for life. He had no children by his second marriage, and dying on July 29, 1504, was succeeded by his grandson,

51.. THOMAS STANLEY, second earl, who married Anne, daughter of Lord Hastings, and was succeeded at his decease in 1521, by his son,

52.. EDWARD STANLEY, third earl, K.G., Lord High-Steward at the coronation of Queen Mary, and chamberlain of Chester in the reign of Elizabeth, so celebrated for magnificence and liberality that Camden says, "that with Edward, Earl of Derby's death, the glory of hospitality seemed to fall asleep." His lordship died Oct. 24, 1574, and was succeeded by his eldest son by his first wife, Dorothy, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk,

53.. HENRY STANLEY, fourth earl, K.G., one of the peers who sat upon the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots. He married Margaret, daughter of the Earl of Cumberland, and dying in 1592, was succeeded by his eldest son,

54.. FERDINANDO STANLEY, fifth earl. He died suddenly April 16, 1594, supposed to have been poisoned by the Jesuits, having refused to join in an intrigue to obtain possession of the crown of France, by right of his grandmother, Mary, dowager queen of that kingdom. Having no sons, the earldom fell to his brother,

55.. WILLIAM STANLEY, sixth earl. This nobleman bought from his nieces, daughters of Earl Ferdinando, their right to the Isle of Man. He married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Earl of Oxford, and had four daughters and two sons. He was succeeded by his son,

56.. JAMES STANLEY, seventh earl, born 31 Jan., 1606. He married Charlotte, daughter of Claude de la Tremouille, who became famous for her defense of Lathom House in 1644, when it was besieged by two thousand parliamentarians, and of the Isle of Man in 1651. This earl was distinguished for his attachment to the royal cause during the civil war, and falling into the parliament's hands after the battle of Worcester, was beheaded for treason Oct. 15, 1651. He was succeeded by his only son,

57.. CHARLES STANLEY, eighth earl, born 19 Jan., 1627; married the maid of honor to the Queen of Bohemia; died in 1672. His successor was,

58.. WILLIAM RICHARD GEORGE STANLEY, ninth earl, who married Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Ossery. Having no sons, he was succeeded by his brother,

59.. JAMES STANLEY, tenth earl, who dying without issue in 1736, the Isle of Man, the barony of Strange, created in 1627, devolved on the Duke of Atholl, and the earldom of Derby reverted to,

60.. EDWARD STANLEY, eleventh earl. He died 24 Feb., 1776, and was succeeded by his grandson,

61.. EDWARD SMITH STANLEY, twelfth earl. He was lord-lieutenant of the county of Lancaster, and died 21 Oct., 1834, and was succeeded by his son,

62.. EDWARD GEOFFREY SMITH STANLEY, thirteenth earl, K.G., L.S., etc., etc. He was created Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe in 1832, and died June 30, 1851.

80.. EDWARD STANLEY, fourteenth earl. born at Knowsley Park, Lancashire in 1799. He was educated at Eton and Christ College, was Prime Minister of Great Britain, and died in 1869.

81.. EDWARD STANLEY, 15th Earl of Derby, eldest son of the 14th Earl of Derby was born on the 21st July 1826. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge. Edward died on 21st April, 1893.

Aderley Line:

49. SIR JOHN STANLEY, knight, third son of Lord Thomas, the first Baron Stanley in the time of Edward IV., married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Weever, of Weever, in the county of Chester, and thus acquired that estate. From this marriage lineally descended,

63. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, knight, of Weever and Alderley, high sheriff of Chesire in the seventh year of Charles I. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Peter Warburton, knight, of Grafton, Cheshire, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

64. THOMAS STANLEY, Esq., of Alderley, who was created a baronet 15 June, 1660. He married Eliabeth, daughter of Sir James Pytts, of Kyre, Worcestershire, and had eight children. His eldest son was,

65. SIR PETER STANLEY, high sheriff of Chesire in 1678. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Leigh, Isle of Wight, and had two sons and six daughters. He was succeeded in 1721 by his eldest son,

66. SIR THOMAS STANLEY, who married Christiana, daughter of Sir Stephen Leonard, baronet, of West Wickham, and had two sons and two daughters. He was succeeded in 1721 by his eldest son,

67. SIR JAMES STANLEY, who died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

68. SIR EDWARD STANLEY, who married Mary, only daughter of Thomas Ward, Esq., of London, and was succeeded in 1755, by his only surviving son,

69. SIR JOHN THOMAS STANLEY, who married in 1763, Margaret, daughter of Hugh Owen, Esq., of Penrhos, Anglesea, and had,

70. John Thomas, created a peer in 1839.
71. Edward, Bishop of Norwich.
72. Isabella Elizabeth, m. Charles Gibson, Esq.
73. Louisa Margaret, m. Gen. Sir B. Leighton, Baronet.
74. Emma, m. Capt. Digby Thomas Carpenter.

71. EDWARD, Bishop of Norwich, who married in 1810, Catharine, daughter of Rev. Oswald Leycestor, rector of Stoke, Salop, and had,

75. Owen Stanley, b. June 13, 1811; Capt. R.N.; died March 13, 1850.
76. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, b. Dec. 13, 1815; Dean of Westminster; died July 18, 1881.
77. Charles Edward Stanley, Capt. Royal Engineers.
78. Mary.
79. Catharine Maria, m. Rev. Dr. Vaughan, head-master Harrow school.


23rd August 2000 Dear Mr Stanley,

My branch of the Stanley Families did not emigrate to the USA, so we are still in England! Over the years I have done a great deal of research in Kent and elsewhere, including at the Centre for Kentish Studies in Maidstone, and have visited Tenterden and many other villages where there were Stanleys around 1600. I have extensive information on Stanleys in Kent, but here is a summary.

There were several villages and hamlets or farms called Stanley or Stoneley in medieval England, especially in northern England. The place-name Stanley (which can be spelt in different ways, as can the surname) comes from the Anglo-Saxon for 'stony field'. Anyone living in, or moving away from, a village called Stanley in medieval times might acquire the surname 'of Stanley' or 'de Stanley' in legal documents, so there would have been many Stanley families - not necessarily closely related to one another - in different parts of England. As you will know, some Stanleys did 'rise' socially to become members of the gentry and nobility, but most did not, and my own view is that the Stanleys of Tenterden are probably unrelated to, for instance, the Stanleys who become Earls of Derby. However, geographical and social mobility makes distant links possible.

I have not found any place called Stanley in medieval Kent, but there was a farm or hamlet (small village) called Stanley just across the county boundary, in East Sussex, in the parish (village) of Mayfield, 8 miles south of Tunbridge Wells.

This place is first recorded as Stanleggh around 1300. This was in the Weald, a hilly and heavily wooded area of Sussex and Kent. The earliest occupant I have found is called Hamo de Stonlegh in 1327, when he paid 2 shillings in tax, and Hamo de Stanlegh in 1332, when he paid 1 shilling and 1 penny. (In the village of Easebourne (West Sussex) there was also a Thomas de Stanlygh in 1296, and a Clement de Stanligh in 1327). Since Mayfield is close to Kent (8 miles) my view is that several of the later Stanleys of Kent may be descended from Hamo de Stanley of Mayfield, or from other members of his family, or from others from the same place. I have not found any other village called Stanley in or near to Kent.

The fact that Hamo was taxed means he was probably a yeoman farmer, i.e. a free man and an independent farmer of a type common in Kent and Sussex but less common elsewhere in England. Later documents also imply that these Stanleys in Sussex were yeomen farmers: in 1370, Thomas Stonlegh and Amice his wife sold a house and 16 acres of land in Rotherfield (next to Mayfield), and in 1372 Simon Stonley of Mayfield and Emma his wife sold land (a house and 20 acres) and sold 50 acres in 1396. This was around the time at which Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his famous "Canterbury Tales".

There were a few Stanleys in medieval Kent, such as Thomas and Elizabeth Stanley of Canterbury, who made wills around 1460, but there is as yet no link between these and our 'yeomen' Stanley farmers of the Weald (Mayfield, Lamberhurst, Cranbrook, Tenterden etc.). It seems likely to me that at some stage during the 15th century, the Stanleys probably migrated east from Sussex across the Kent border, where they appear in various records after 1540. By 1600, there were many branches of the Stanley family in Kent, in towns and villages such as Tenterden, Rolvenden, Cranbrook, Sutton Valence, Chart Sutton, Lamberhurst, Ashford, Dover, Rye, Maidstone, Newington, Ripple, Shorne etc., but the branch with which we are mainly concerned was centred in Tenterden and the neighbouring village of Rolvenden. It should be noted that, as well as being yeomen farmers, many of these Stanleys were millers, i.e. they built and operated windmills and water-mills. If only one son could inherit a mill from his father, any other sons probably had to look elsewhere for work or a new trade.

I do not yet know where or when our Robert Stanley (who died in 1605) was born. It may have been in Tonbridge, as there were Stanleys there: Hester Stanley, daughter of John, was christened at Tonbridge in 1586, as was William Stanley, son of Sarah, in 1587, and Robert Stanley (son of Robert) in 1596. However, it is also possible that our Robert (who died 1605) was born in Tenterden or Rolvenden, worked in Tonbridge as an apprentice, then returned to Tenterden later in life. This type of 'return' often seems to have happened when sons inherited land, farms or other property after the death of a father or other relative. There were certainly other Stanleys in Tenterden and Rolvenden. John Stanley was probably born around 1500, as he is descibed as an 'aged man' when buried in Rolvenden in 1566. Another John Stanley, possibly his son, died at Rolvenden in 1573. The three children of this second John were baptised in Tenterden from 1566-1573: Richard, Susan and Eden. There were also other Stanleys who may be relatives, e.g. Peter Stanley whose daughter Samantha was christened at Tenterden in 1563. Timothy Stanley, a miller, is also a key figure who lived from around 1530-1590. His eldest son William (from whom I am probably descended) was christened at Tenterden in 1560. Timothy also had various other children christened at Tenterden and Rolvenden: John, Mary, Timothy, Thomas, Ursula, Peter and Ann. William's son, William Standley (probably my ancestor), was christened in 1604 and was a miller at Bethersden in 1630. All the following, probably close relatives, were millers: John Stanley at Brookland in 1632, Timothy Stanley at Warehorne in 1632, Richard Stanley at Lydd in 1636, and Thomas Stanley at Great Chart in 1639 and Rolvenden in 1654.

Your Robert Stanley (died 1605) could possibly be the son of any of the three Stanleys having children in the Tenterden area around 1560: Timothy, Peter or John. However, there is no firm evidence of this as yet.

I have visited the sites of many of the windmills and water- mills in Kent where ancestors probably lived and worked, and I have transcripts and photocopies of various documents, including the probate account of Ruth Stanley, widow of Robert Stanley, dated October 1605.

I have been researching for 25 years, but did not acquire a computer until this year, and have only just started using the Internet, so I have only just discovered the "Hartford" Stanleys.

*The STANLEY family is very ancient in England, and there are many branches settled in various countries. The American Hartford branch is thought to have sprung from the family of that name in Kent County, England, which was descended through a younger son from the great Lancashire family of STANLEY's. They were certainly NOT of the noble line of the Earl of Derby, but had a remote connection with it through a distant collateral branch, sprung from a very early ancestry common to both.

The crested arms of the Stanley family were: ARMS: Argent on a bend azure, three bucks' heads cabossed or. CREST: On a chapeau gules turned up ermine an eagle, wings endorsed or, feeding on an infant in its nest proper swaddled azure, banded of the third.


Robart Standley was a glazier who moved from Tonbridge to Tenterden about 1590, probably to take advantage of the flourishing iron trade there. Tenterden had a population of 357 in 1663, so it was probably about the same size, or smaller, six decades earlier. Robart was a yeoman and doing rather well. When he died (31 May 1605) the inventory of his goods alone had a value of 51 Pounds. He had a servant, Thomas Glover, and small "whete" farm (which, with his work place, were not incuded in the 51 Pounds).

The farm had hens and geese, swine, sheep, three kine and a calf. The shop had iron and steel, a pair of bellows and an anvil. In Tenterden he was a "whitesmith." This is defined as "a worker in white iron (tin-plate), a tinsmith, or, one who polishes or finishes metal goods, as distinguished from one who forges them."

Robart married Ruthe, and they had John, Thomas, Timothy (the brother's who emigrated to America, two of whom were among the founders of Hartford, CT.), Patience, Robart, William and Ruthe. On 16 September 1605, just four months after Robarts death, Ruthe married one Humphrie Uredge.

John, who was just six at the time of his mothers second marriage, later apparently married Humphrie's daughter, step-daughter or other relative, Elysabeth Uredge, on 14 October 1623 at Benenden (about five miles from Tenterden), (not unlike his son, John (the third "Hartford" Stanley founder), who, orphaned at ten during the voyage to America, grew up with Sara Scott next door and married her when they both came of age - proximity was apparently a door to affection). The church records from Tenterden also carry a burial of Elizabeth, wife of John Stanley on 12 Dec 1632. (*)

Other Standleys are cited in local records as having children in the 1564-1580 period. So far their relationship to our family is unknown, although the reoccurring names of Robart, John and Tymothy do suggest a familial tie-in.

• Family Origin. In England, the Stanley family operated a sort of clan system (like the Scottish model), and distant cousins who may have wandered off owning lands in distant parts of the country still kept in touch with the centre, and were available, if required, to help in the "Stanley private army".
For instance when Lord Stanley, the Earl of Derby was called in to help Henry Tudor at Bosworth, Lord Stanley was able to call upon a sizeable army that swayed the result of the battle. A lot of these people would have been relations or people working for relations. I think this tradition continued and the Stanley families far and wide remembered their origins mainly because they probably had to in case they got "called up".
I don't know how much truth there is in this but it explains how Lord Stanley was able to call upon so many people in his militia at Bosworth, and why there are so many Stanley families in key positions across the country, including the South-East.*
We find the general character of the Stanley Families of England thus pithily summed up: "They are a strange race, these Stanleys, and not precisely the men that the popular opinion formed during the agitation for the Reform Bill would make them out to be. Strong, brave, and efficient, with marvelous luck in marriage and at Court, they have owed their prosperity in no slight degree to a less winning power, so often and so successfully exerted that we may call it a 'political divination.'
They have almost always forseen before other men the side which was going to win, and on that side at its moment of supreme triumph, the Stanley has usually appeared. The house, now perhaps the greatest among our Parlimentary families, the only one

• Family Origin. ⁵⁶¹ ORIGIN AND MEANING OF FAMILY NAME:

The name Stanley, also found as Standley, is English in origin. The meaning - one who came from Stanley, (stony meadow), the name of several places in England; dweller at a rocky meadow.

Origin of the Stanley’s in England

11

Adam de Stanley, brother of Liuf de Audley (who was father of Adam de Audley) was living temp. Stephen and Henry II. He was father of I. William, his heir, 2. Adam de Stanley, 3. Thomas de Stanley, his oldest son. William de Stanley was granted Stanley and half of Balterley, Co., Stafford by his first cousin, Adam de Audley. Walter de Stanley held Stanley in 1298. William de Stanley, Forester of Wirral, Co., Chester, held Stanley in 1307 and was living in 1301. He m. Ca. 1281 Joan, eldest daughter. And co-heir of Philip de Baumville, hereditary Forester of Wirral (by Agnes his wife, one of the daughters. And co-heirs of Alexander de Storeton, by his wife Anabille, daughter. And heir of Ranulph de Silvester, son of Allan Silvester Lord of Storeton) and by this alliance he became possessed of the manor of Bailwick of Wvrall Forest. He therefore assumed the armorial bearings since used by his descendants, viz., arq. On a bend az. Three stags’ heads or in place of those borne by his ancestors. He had issue: John Stanleyy Lord of Stourton & c.m. Mabella daughter. Of Sir James Hausket, Knight. Of Stourton Parva, by whom he had 1. William (Sir), his heir. 2. John of Greswithin, Co., Cumberland. M. P. For Carlisle, 20 Edward III from whom descends Edward Stanley of Ponsonby Hall, M.P. for Cumberland. The elder son, Sir William Stanley, Lord of Stourton & c. M. Alice daughter. Of Hugh Massey of Timperley and sister of Sir Hamon Massey of Dunham Massey and d. In the 21st Richard II, by whom he had besides one daughter. Three sons 1. William (Sir), eldest son who s. His father, and was also of Hooton, Co. Chester, by right of his wife Margery, daughter. And heir of William de Hooton, from this Sir William descended the Baronets Stanley, afterwards Errington of Hooton. 2. John (Sir) K.G. of whom presently. 3., Henry his 2nd son, Sir John Stanley, K.G. m. Isabel, daughter. And heir of Sir Thomas Lathom, Knight, of Lathom and Knowsley Co., Lancs (descended from Robert Fitz-Henry, whose son, Robert took the name of Lathom from his place of residence) and thus acquired those estates.

In 1385 Sir John Stanley was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and had a grant of the manor of Blake Castle. In 1405 he had a 12 commission in conjunction with Roger Leke, to seize on the city of York and its Liberties, and also upon the Isle of Man; and in the 7th Henry IV, being there treasure of the household to the King, obtained license to fortify a house at Liverpool, which he had newly built with embattled walls.

In the same year, having taken possession of the Isle of Man, he obtained a grant in fee of the said isle, Castle, and pile called Holm Town, and all the isles adjacent, as all the regalities, franchise &c. To be holden of the said King, his heirs, and successors, by homage, and the service of two falcons, payable on the days of their coronation. On the accession of Henry V, he made a Knight Of the Garter, and constituted Lord Lt. Of Ireland for 6 yrs. In which govt. He d. 1414, having had beside two daughters. Four sons; 1. John (Sir) of whom presently, 2. Henry, 3. Thomas (Sir) of Elford Co., Stafford, jure exoris, whence came the Stanley’s of Elford Pipe ect. 4. Ralph (Sir) the oldest son and heir. Sir John Stanley, Knight of the Sire, 2. Henry I. Constable of Carnarvon and Justice of Chester, 4. Henry VI, and Sheriff of Anglessey m. Isabel daughter of Sir Robert and sister. And heir of Sir William Harrington, Knight Of Hornby Co.Lancs, and had beside two daughters, 1. Thomas (Sir) 1st Baron Stanley, of whom presently 2. Richard, 3. Edward, succeeding archdeacons of Chester. Sir Thomas Stanley 1st Baron Stanley, Lord Lt. Of Ireland for six yrs. 1432 comptroller of the household and Chamberlain to Henry VI, K.D. 1456; Knight Of the Shire, summoned as Baron Stanley 20 Jan. 1456. His lordship m. Jean daughter. And co-heir of Sir Robert Goushill, Knight Of Heveringham Notts by Elizabeth his wife, widow of Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, daughter. Of Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel by Eliz. His wife, daughter. Of William Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex, by wife, the Princess Eliz. Plantagenet, daughter. Of King Edward I by whom he had besides three daughters; 1. Thomas his successor, 2. William of Holt, who was beheaded as a participator in the conspiracy for placing Perkin 13 Warbeck upon the throne. Sir William was the richest subject in the kingdom to which circumstances considering the rapacious disposition of Henry VII may be attributed his destruction more than to his political principles. 3. John m. Eliz. Daughter. And heir of Sir Thomas Weever, Knight Of Weever Chester and by her acquired that estate, from him descended Lord Stanley of Arderly. 4. James, Archdeacon of Carlisle, His Lordships d. 1485 and was s. By Thomas 2nd Lord Stanley 1st Earl of Derby K.G. summoned to Parliament 38th of Henry VI to Richard III. This nobleman m. 1st Eleanor, daughter. Of Richard Nevil Earl of Salisbury and sister of Richard Yevil (The King Maker), the stout Earl of Warwick, by whom he had issue: Edward (Sir) of Hornby Castle Co. Lancs. This gallant person commanded the rear of the English Army at Flodden Field, 9 Sept., 1513; and forcing the Scots, by the power of his archers, to descend the hill, thus broke their line, and insured the triumph of the English Army; for which good service, Henry VIII, keeping with Whitsuntide at Eltham the next ensuing year, 1514, commanded that Sir Edward Stanley, for those valiant acts against the Scots, where he won the hill, and vanquished all that opposed him, as also that his ancestors bore the eagle in their crest, should be there proclaimed Lord of Monteagle, and he subsequently summons to Parliament in that dignity. He was also elected a Knight Of the Garter. His Lordship’s grandson; William Stanley 3rd Lord of Monteagle, d. 1581, leaving by Ellen his wife, daughter. Of Sir Thomas Preston, of Preston Patrick and Levens, sin Westmoreland, an only daughter. Elizabeth who became his heir, and marrying Edward Parker Lord Morely conveyed the Barony of Montegle into this family. The dignity is now in Abeyance. (See Burke’s Extinct Peerage)

James Holy Orders, Bishop of Ely. Lord Stanley 2ndly, m. Margaret, daughter. And heir of John, Duke of Somerset. Widow of Edmond Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and mother of King Richard VII. How far his Lordship contributed to the victory of Bosworth recorded in history; and his placing the crown of Richard upon the head of the victorious Richmond in the field is also a matter of historic record., In consideration of those eminent services, the new monarch advanced Lord Stanley, 27th Oct. 1485, to the dignity of Earl of Derby, and constituted him on of the commissioners for executing the office of 14 Lord-High-Steward of England on the day of his coronation. His Lordship, March following, had a grant of the great Office of Constable of England for life. His widow d. 29 June, 1509, he d. 29 July 1504, and was s. By his grandson.

Thomas 2nd Earl of Derby, who m. 1507, Anne daughter. Of Edward Hastings of Hungerford, and was s. At his decease, 23 May 1521 (when it appears he bore the titles of Earl of Derby, Viscount Kynton, Lord Stanley and Strange. Lord of Knokyn, Mohun, Basset, Burnal, and Lacy, Lord of Man and the Isles). (For further information, reference Burke’s Peerage.) 15

• Occupation: yeoman and whitesmith who worked with white metal and tinplate.

• Biography. Robart Standley was a glazier who moved from Tonbridge to Tenterden about 1590, probably to take advantage of the flourishing iron trade there. Tenterden had a population of 357 in 1663, so it was probably about the same size, or smaller, six decades earlier. Robart was a yeoman and doing rather well. When he died (31 May 1605) the inventory of his goods alone had a value of 51 Pounds. He had a servant, Thomas Glover, and small "whete" farm (which, with his work place, were not incuded in the 51 Pounds).
The farm had hens and geese, swine, sheep, three kine and a calf. The shop had iron and steel, a pair of bellows and an anvil. In Tenterden he was a "whitesmith." This is defined as "a worker in white iron (tin-plate), a tinsmith, or, one who polishes or finishes metal goods, as distinguished from one who forges them."
Robart married Ruthe, and they had John, Thomas, Timothy (the brother's who emigrated to America, two of whom were among the founders of Hartford, CT.), Patience, Robart, William and Ruthe. On 16 September 1605, just four months after Robarts death, Ruthe married one Humphrie Uredge.
John, who was just six at the time of his mothers second marriage, later apparently married Humphrie's daughter, step-daughter or other relative, Elysabeth Uredge, on 14 October 1623 at Benenden (about five miles from Tenterden), (not unlike his son, John (the third "Hartford" Stanley founder), who, orphaned at ten during the voyage to America, grew up with Sara Scott next door and married her when they both came of age - proximity was apparently a door to affection). The church records from Tenterden also carry a burial of Elizabeth, wife of John Stanley on 12 Dec 1632. (*)
Other Standleys are cited in local records as having children in the 1564-1580 period. So far their relationship to our family is unknown, although the reoccurring names of Robart, John and Tymothy do suggest a familial tie-in.
(*) This information gratefully provided by Roy Morgan Stanley II.
Researcher:
Ms. Elizabeth A. Finn, Research Archivist, Centre for Kentish Studies.

John married Susan Lancock on 1 Jun 1590 in Tenterden, Kent, England. (Susan Lancock was born on 12 Jun 1574 in Tenterden, Kent, England and died on 10 Sep 1619 in Ashford, Kent, England.)