Sir Edward Stephens was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 variously between 1640 and 1660.

Stephens was the eldest son of Thomas Stephens of Over Lipiatt who was the prince's attorney-general. He became a student of Middle Temple

Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...

 in 1612. He was the brother of John Stephens

John Stephens (politician)

John Stephens was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1645 and 1660.Stephens was the second son of Thomas Stephens of Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire and was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 1620 he entered the Middle Temple, where he was called...

Stephens was appointed High Sheriff of Gloucestershire

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire

This is a list of High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...

 for 1634 and elected in November 1640 Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Tewkesbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 in the Long Parliament

Long Parliament

The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...

. The election resulted in a double return and was declared void, but he was returned again in 1641. He sat until 1648 when he was excluded under Pride's Purge

Pride's Purge

Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...

 and imprisoned.

In April 1660, Stephens was elected MP for Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

The constituency of Gloucestershire was a UK Parliamentary constituency. After it was abolished under the 1832 Electoral Reform Act, two new constituencies, West Gloucestershire and East Gloucestershire, were created....

 in the Convention Parliament. He was knighted on 11 July 1660.

Stephens lived at Little Sodbury and died in or around 1670.

Stephens married Anne Crewe, daughter of Sir Thomas Crewe

Thomas Crewe

Sir Thomas Crewe , of Stene in Northamptonshire, was an English Member of Parliament and lawyer, and served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1623 to 1625....

 of Stene, Northamptonshire. He was succeedeg by his son Thomas. His daughter Temperance married Robert Packer

Robert Packer

Robert Packer was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1646 and 1679, as well as being Usher of the Exchequer....

MP.