Richard Stephens was born on the 12th March and baptised on the 3rd July 1785 at St. Martin’s, Leicester. He was the son of Richard Stephens (1753 – 1810, “Hosier”) and Alice Lettice (1753 – 1809). The Stephens family lived in the building known as “Wyggeston House”, formerly the “Costume Museum”, on Applegate, Leicester, which Richard inherited on his father’s death.
Richard entered Rugby School aged 12 in 1797, and was a student at Brasenose College, Oxford, from October 1802, graduating with a B.A. in 1806 and an M.A. in 1809. He acted as an Examiner at Rugby School in 1811, 1814 and 1816, and was Head Master in 1812. He was awarded a B.D. (“Bachelor of Divinity”) in 1816, and was a Fellow and Lecturer of Brasenose College from 1810 – 1819, holding the position of Proctor of the College in 1815.
Richard Stephens married Emilie Anne de Sivrac of La Garonne, Var, France, on the 13th September 1819 in a ceremony at St. Clement Dane’s, London. The record states that “they allegedly were married in France on the 7th January 1819”. According to the memoirs of their son Prescott, this was at the British Embassy in Paris.
Richard and Emilie Anne had twelve children – seven daughters and five sons. One of the sons, John Otter Stephens, followed his father into the Clergy after graduating from Brasenose College. He returned to Belgrave to work with his father as Curate at St. Peter’s for two years before becoming rector of Blankney in Lincolnshire and the future first seasonal chaplain of the town of Beaulieu-Sur-Mer in the south of France.
Another son, Prescott William Stephens, rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy – see the article on the History page:
https://belgraveheritagetrust.org/history/captian-prescott-william-stephens-rn/
Richard was appointed as vicar of St. Peter’s in 1824, and continued to serve the parishes of Belgrave and Birstall until his death in 1871. Richard was a friend of John Mansfield MP, of Birstall Hall. Together, they made a significant contribution to the social welfare of the people of Belgrave and Birstall. When John Mansfield was appointed High Sherriff of Leicester in 1833, he appointed Richard as his Chaplain. One of Richard’s last official duties was to bless the new tenor church bell, inscribed with his name, from his bedroom window a few days before he died.
Richard Stephens was held in high regard by his parishioners, which is reflected in the fact that he was buried in front of the alter in St. Peter’s, and a stained-glass memorial to his life and 47 years as the vicar of Belgrave and Birstall is in the east window of St. Peter’s. A commemorative plaque was inset into the floor after the floor was re-laid in the early 20th century.
In Richard’s Will, one of his bequests to his wife Emilie Anne was “all my spirituous liquors, twelve dozen of sherry, six dozen of claret and twelve dozen of port”. He also bequeathed to her “all the articles of silver and plated goods which from time to time have been given to her as presents” – at that time, any present given to a wife became the property of the husband!
