User:Lyn Rennick

Thomas Brown Stephens, owner of Stephens' Department Store, Stoke Newington, London.

Thomas Brown Stephens was the owner of Stephens' Department Store, 236-240 Stoke Newington High Street], in the Borough of Hackney. When the store opened and until 1965 the store was in the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington but in 1965 Stoke Newington was merged into the London Borough of Hackney.

Thomas Brown Stephens was born on 5 September 1876 in Moriah, Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire. His parents were Evan Stephens and Sarah Harries and he was the youngest of eight children. He had four Sisters, Sarah, Eleanor, Esther and Winnie and three Brothers, Edgar, Richard and Llewellyn.

At 15 Thomas was a boarder at a private school run by a Mr. and Mrs. Jones, in his home town.

Thomas started his drapery business when he was in his mid-twenties. It is not known where he got the money from to start his business and it had been a mystery to his family but Thomas and his immediate family were always known by the rest of the family as the "wealthy members of the family".

On 2nd January 1911 Thomas was living at 236-240 Stoke Newington High Street (the address of his store) and was unmarried. He was living there with 14 other people, all of whom were described on the Census that year as being "servants" but their occupations were housekeeper, cook, maid and drapers. His housekeeper was his Sister, Eleanor. Also living at the address was his future wife, Margaretta Rees, who was at that time a draper's assistant.

Thomas married Margaretta Rees, who was born on 21 January 1883 in Llandefilog, Carmarthenshire and who had been a tailoress, in London in 1917 and they had three children: Joan Mair Stephens was born on 14 August 1918 and died in June 1995 in Camden. There doesn't seem to be any more info on Joan except that she remained unmarried.

Peter Harries Stephens was born in June 1922, in Hackney.

Tomos Mansel Stephens, born in September 1920 in Hackney. Tomos had gone missing in the Middle East in June 1942 whilst serving in the army and his parents put a notice in a newspaper asking for any information on his whereabouts. I don't know if they did find him but he died on 4 July 1944 in France, sadly killed in action. He had joined the army and went into the South Wales Borderers and then volunteered for service into the Commandos and then entered the 1st Regiment of the Special Air Services (S.A.S.) where he was nicknamed "Twm". Thomas was part of a diversionary assault on occupied France and landed on the night of 6 June 1944 as part of Operation Ballbasket. The force consisted of 39 men of "B" Squadron, 1st S.A.S. who were parachuted into France with jeeps which were dropped by converted Halifax bombers. Each jeep came down with a platform with 4 parachutes and were highly armed with Vickers "K" Machine-guns. Sadly, the men were betrayed and their camp was found and they lost most of the jeeps and men in the fighting which occurred. Thomas was wounded and captured by the Germans and was executed at Verrieres on 8 July 1944 aged 24. He is the sole Military burial in Verrieres Communal Cemetery. He is entombed in a French family crypt. There is a memorial to "Twm" at Moriah Chapelyard, Llansteffan, but he is not commemorated on the Memorial Hall. In his Will he left £5,678 16s 11d to his Father. Probate was granted in Llandudno.

It is known that from at least 1914 until 1948 Thomas and Margaretta lived at 54 Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington, London.

Thomas Brown Stephens died at the age of 73 in September 1949 at Wood Green. He was living at the time at 42 Stormont Road, Highgate. His Brother, Edgar died the same year, and they are both buried in Moriah, Llansteffan. Probate of Thomas' Estate was granted to Margaretta Stephens, his widow, and two company directors, William Ivan Pugh and Cliff Pugh, on 18 April 1950. Thomas Stephens left effects to the value of £106,169 2s 7d.

Margaretta Stephens died on 10 August 1966 leaving £25,886 to Miss Joan Mair Stephens, her Daughter and Peter Harries Stephens, her Son.

Stephens stood at 236-240 Stoke Newington High Street, on the block between Northwold Road and Cazenove Road. It opened in 1904 and closed in 1973. The building stood empty until it was demolished in 1985.