Descibed as a Maltster in his will, Stephen Whetham was born at the beginning of the 18th century and baptised in St Mary's on 6th Apr 1702.

Recorded as "Steven" in the Parish Marrriages register he is shown to have wed Martha Hearn in 1737, again in St Mary's, when he would have been 36 and she was 32.

They were married for 30 years until Martha died, aged 62, according to the Parish Burials register. They do not appear to have had any children.

Three years later Stephen, now aged 69, married Fanny Searjeant at St Vedast, Foster Lane in the City of London. Fanny, born in 1751, was some fifty years his junior and would have only been 19 when they married in 1770.

Stephen and Fanny had three children - Jenny, Mary (Polly) & Stephen - over the next decade with Stephen (Jnr) being born in the year before his father died. About three weeks after his son was born Stephen drew up his will in which he left a house and land to each of his children.

He left the house and malthouse apparently commonly known as "Scotts House" to his new son Stephen and a house in Netherbury Street (now Yew Tree Cottages) was left to his daughter Polly.

His oldest daughter Jenny was left two houses. The first, another house in Netherbury Street where Stephen, and presumeably his family, were living at the time was bequeathed "unto my Wife Fanny Whetham during her natural life" whereupon it would pass to Jenny who was also left a house in "Beaminster Parsonatus".

Stephen was buried in St Mary's graveyard on 19th Oct 1781.