George Stovin’s Coat of Arms
George Stovin, the antiquarian, was born in 1695, the son of James Stovin of Tetley Hall.
According to Hunter’s History of South Yorkshire, he married Sarah, daughter and heiress of Mr James Empson, of Goole, in 1717 and shortly later came to live in Crowle, building a small house for himself, which from his being
already a magistrate was called ” Justice Hall.” Over the porch are the arms of Stovin, G.S.S., and the date 1726.
He led the life of a country gentleman, which allowed him to study the history of the area. He thought that no part of England was comparable to the Isle of Axholme, and no town equal to Crowle.
He buried five children in the grounds at Tetley. George, his dutiful son, whom he had entered at Gray’s Inn, died at the hopeful age of 17 and was interred in the chancel of the church. In 1745 his wife died, and though he buried her in the church he put a gravestone to her memory at Tetley.
In the latter part of his life, he crossed the Trent, to live in Winterton, placing over his door as he had at the Justice Hall in Crowle a carved shield with his arms and those of his wife. He died in May 1780, aged 85.
The picture below shows his coat of arms – on the left is that of Stovin and on the right that of the Empsons.
The bow and arrow at the top were part of the Stovin coat of arms as they had been archers for William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
