James Stephens (died 1683) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

between 1656 and 1660. Stephens was the son of Richard Stephens of Estington and brother of

Nathaniel Stephens Nathaniel Stephens (1589 – 30 May 1660) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War. Biography Stephens was the son of Richa ...

, MP for Gloucestershire in 1628. He was Sheriff of Gloucester in 1639 and 1643 and was a member of the Grand Inquest that reported on the houses damaged by a July 1646 siege during the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...

. He was

Mayor of Gloucester In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

for 1649–50.William R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester''
/ref> In November 1656, Stephens was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in t ...

when the elected candidate

John Desborough John DesboroughAlso spelt John Disbrowe and John Desborow (the latter in the Indemnity and Oblivion Act, section XLIII) (1608–1680) was an English soldier and politician who supported the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War. ...

chose to represent Somerset. Stephens was re-elected MP for Gloucester in 1659 in the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

.History of Parliament Online - Stephens, James
/ref> He was appointed captain of the militia regiment of foot in Gloucester on 5 April 1660. He was also elected MP for Gloucester in the Convention Parliament in April 1660. Stephens died in 1683 and was buried in St Nicholas' Church on 9 November 1683.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, James Year of birth missing 1683 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Gloucester English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 Mayors of Gloucester