Comments
Both Foster and Venn give confused and incorrect details for this man; one or two of their entries likely to be correct but he has been confused with one or more others. The best details are found in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society transactions Vol. 36, pp 15-27, in a paper given on 8 Dec. 1914: "A Dorset Worthy: William Stone, Royalist and Divine 1615-1685" by Revd. Canon JMJ Fletcher. The details he gives 'without very much doubt' are that he was son of William Stone, Head master of Wimborne Grammar School, Dorset, 1601-39; at ST EDMUND HALL, Oxford at early age, held back from graduating as too young to swear required oaths; BCL granted 6 Jan 1633; 1640 incorp. at Cambridge LLB; 1641 one of the three presbyters of Wimborne Minister; expelled 2 Mar. 1645/6 because of royalist allegiance; joined royal army (poss. as chaplain); at failure of royal cause left England and spent time abroad until Restoration; 15 Apr. 1661 reappointed a presbyter at Wimborne Minster; appointed principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford 6 July 1663, where he remained until resigned in 1684 due to ill health; during this time held benefice of Potterspury, Northants, and the sinecure of Northop, Flint; died at Oxford 22 June 1685; will (P.C.C.) proved 27 July 1685; his Wimborne property left to St Margaret's Almshouses and hospital, and to the poor of Wimborne; his books at Oxford to establish the library at Wimborne Minister; other property to establish almshouses and for the poor of St Clement's Oxford. Had sons (William, Samuel), and daughters.
Paper accessed 12/4/2014 on https://archive.org/details/proceedings36dorsuoft