John Stanywell

or Stonywell was born in the Parish of Longdon in Staffordshire, within which Parish is a small Hamlet called Stonywell, from a Well wherein is at the bottom a large stone, which seems to be no more than a little Rock, whence springs the water that supplies that Well. This person being much addicted to learning and religion when a Youth, was taken into a certain Monastery (that at Pershore in Worcestershire, as it seems) and was bred a Benedictine Monk. Thence he was sent to Glocester College in Oxon, where the Monks of Pershore had an apartment for their Novices to be trained up in Academical learning: of which College he was, when in his elder years, Prior for a time, and was then noted among those of his profession for his learning and strict course of life. Afterwards being Doctor of divinity, he became Lord Abbat of the said Monastery of Pershore, and at length a Bishop (suffragan only as it seems) under the title of Episcopus Poletensis. He paid his last debt to nature, after he had arrived to a great age, in the beginning of fifteen hundred fifty and three, 1553 and was burled according to his (‖)(‖) In Offic. Praerog. Cant. in reg. Tash. Qu. 15. Will in a new chappel built by him within the Parish Church of S. James in Longdon, he bequeathed all his books, his two Chalices, his Crewetts, holy water stock, Vestmens, Albes, Altar-clothes, with other things belonging to his private chappel in Longdon.