Background
The son of a banker and great nephew of another (his namesake, Member of Parliament for Carlisle, 1787-1790), he had been born at sea when his family returned from Florida when their business failed after the American War of Independence.
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Rowland Stephenson
Edit ProfileEducation
Eton College.
Career
He joined Remington, Stephenson & Company on leaving Eton. He already had several properties in Essex, the manor of Cockermouth and How Hatch estate in Dagenham, before adding to his property in Romford by buying Marshalls in 1816. He was treasurer of Street Bartholomew"s Hospital from 1824 until 1829, where he had an apartment.
After several attempts he was elected Member of Parliament for the Leominster constituency from February 1827 to February 1830, although only after the candidate who had beaten him in 1826 was disqualified.
He was then reported as cashing the securities, buying a brace of loaded pistols from a pawnbroker, and disappearing.
Achievements
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The case achieved great notoriety: for example, his escape via Clovelly was included in a book of illustrations, and the American writer James Fenimore Cooper wrote of being asked in various places about why Stephenson had been allowed to remain in America after landing in Savannah, Georgia, being taken by bounty hunters to New York, but granted habeas corpus rather being returned England to stand trial.
Membership
8th United Kingdom Parliament.
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Born
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Died
1856 (aged 74) -
Nationality
United Kingdom -
Political Party
Tories