Deodatus Stone (1777–1852)
Deodatus Stone was born at Cumnor in Berkshire in about 1777. He appears to have been the son of Deodatus (aka Theodatus) Stone of North Hinksey and Margaret Godfrey of Cumnor.
On 24 September 1804 Stone married Anness Read at St Peter & St Paul Church in Milton by Gravesend, Kent. They soon settled in St Clement's, Oxford, and had the following children baptised at St Clement's Church:
- Ann Rachel (baptised at St Clement's on 14 August 1805)
- Emma (baptised at St Clement's on 24 September 1806)
- Deodatus (baptised at St Clement's on 4 January 1808)
- Charles (baptised St Clement's 30 December 1808, died aged 7 weeks, buried there 24 February 1808)
- Robert (baptised at St Clement's on 12 November 1811)
- Henrietta (baptised St Clement's 18 December 1812, died aged "about 3 months", buried there 7 March 1813)
Stone's first wife Anness died "aged about 33" and was buried at St Clement's Church on 20 March 1813, just 13 days after her baby daughter . She is described in the register as the wife of Deodatus, "Apothecary of Boulter's Almshouse".
Stone continued to work in St Clement's. As he was neither a matriculated tradesman of the University nor a freeman of the city, he would not at this period have been allowed to work within the city itself (and St Clement's did not become part of Oxford until 1835).
Stone married his second wife, Maria Moore (bapt. 1781), at St Giles' Church on 5 June 1820. Maria was nearly 40 at the time of the marriage, and they had just one daughter, Elizabeth Moore Stone, who was privately baptised on 19 August 1821 and admitted to St Clement's Church on 22 September 1831. Again, Stone is described in the register as an apothecary rather than a surgeon.
By 1830 Stone is listed in Pigot's Directory as a Surgeon in St Clement's, and Robson's directory of the following year specifies that his premises were in St Clement's High Street.
At the time of the 1841 census, Stone, now in his early 60s and described as a surgeon, is living in St Clement's with two of his daughters.
In the 1851 census, when he was 74, Stone is described as a General Practitioner and FRCS, and his two daughters were still living with him: Emma (42) had since the last census married a man called Turner and been widowed, and Elizabeth was now 28.
Stone died at the age of 75 and was buried at St Clement's Church on 16 July 1852.
The "Will of Deodatus Stone, Surgeon of Oxford" (date of probate 25 August 1852) was deposited at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury: ref PROB 11/2158.