Mary Vane Turner tells us: " Documentary evidence again proves that there were Stilgoes in London and in Shropshire in the 16th century. But the London Stilgoes were those linked with Deddington - unexpectedly, for their interests were those of the sea and ships. Humphrey Stilgo, (son of the Humphrey who took up his freedom as a Cloth-worker in 1567), was a shipbuilder of New Gravel Lane, Stepney, and his son, Jeremy, was captain of "the good ship Rebecca." Jeremy Stilgoe had a son Zachary, who was captain of the "Ruby" (in the East India Company's service), and the name of Zachary, or Zachariah, in conjunction with Stilgoe, rings familiarly in Deddington ears, for it is deeply associated, through several bearers of it, with local history. (RS)

Zachary Stilgoe - A Seafaring Man (c1650-1702)

Richard Stilgoe has written a most interesting article about his seagoing forbears. His article can be be found HERE

Emigrant Stilgoes

"Mr. H. E. Stilgoe remarks that the troublous times of the 16th and 17th centuries, what with Civil War and Plague, wrought havoc in the lives of people. Many emigrated and records are difficult to trace. However in 1635 two Deddington names occur. One Ann Waterman, connected with this place, is in a list of emigrants to Virginia by the ship "Safety," August 1635. And Anthony+ Stilgoe also sails from the Port of London to Virginia, (July 24th, 1635) on the "Assurance*." Richard# the brother of this Anthony+ Stilgoe it is who is the connecting link between those Londoners, seafarers and shipbuilders, and the Deddington family whose interests were so essentially of the land, for in the year 1616 he was apprenticed to Humphrey Stilgoe, citizen and clothworker of London. He was a son of Thomas Stilgoe of "Dadington" who died in 1615, and Thomas's father was Anthony+Stilgoe, described as a 'husbandman,' whose Will, made in 1606, is so characteristic of the yeoman of his day that the copy of it in the appendix**will be found interesting reading". (MVT)

Editor's notes:
+ MVT  incorrectly spells Anthonie as Anthony from time to time.

 * Assurance was a convict ship apparently, but the only Stilgo named among the "passengers" on the olivetreegenealogy.com website is Ann Stilgo (21) …is this a shortening of Anthony? There are entries for Anto/Anthony Stilgoe arriving in Virgina on Ancestry.co.uk in the section relating to passenger lists for this period . More detail awaits money to subscribe for it! (Editor)

# Either MVT or HES got in a slight muddle here. This Richard (b.1602) is the son of Thomas, who was brother of the Anthonie who died in 1606. The Anthonie who went to America did not have a brother called Richard. The link with the London family began with Humphrey (1544-1623), who went to London as a cloth worker. His son, Humphrey, also a cloth worker, became a shipwright and it was to him that his agricultural cousins were sent to learn a trade (AS)

** Click HERE to see the Appendix to Mary Vane Turner's book.

John Henry Tweedie Stilgoe (1907-87)

...was the middle of 3 children of Henry Edward Stilgoe (see Deddington Stilgoes) and the father of Richard Stilgoe (see Sources). He firstly became an Engineer Officer in the Royal Navy but after being invalided out aged 26 became a water engineer like his father. More about him can be read HERE in Richard's account of his grandfather and father's lives.

Sir Richard Henry Stimpson Stilgoe (b.1943)

is the youngest of 3 children. His career on stage,in TV and  Radio is contained on his own website