I wish to thank fellow research friends who have confirmed without doubt that the first wife of Richard Stone (1575 – 1653 was Emma “Sedgeburrow” (abt 1579 – 1633), who married Richard in 1599 and was buried in Clayhanger in 1633 . There are several spellings in the records for this family surname, but Sedgeburrow or Sedgeborrow are the most common, and many of them are found in Chipstable, Somerset, the Stone family parish (along with Clayhanger, Devon) for centuries. Even though Emma Sedgeborrow and Richard Stone were married in Burlescombe, I have found no other evidence of that family around that parish. It is highly likely that the Stones would have known the Sedgeborrows. I suggest that Emma was living in or perhaps “in service” in Burlescombe at the time of her marriage. When one looks at Chipstable, however – and recognizing that the availability of early parish records in Chipstable is zero to poor prior for the 18th century and earlier, is is surprising how many Sedgeborrows can be identified in 17c Chipstable records on FreeReg, and in some David Cheek transcripts. From a study of those records, a reasonable line of descent including Emma can be constructed. While I recognize that this version cannot be proven, it seems reasonable and I present it below:
I now believe that the father of Richard Stone circa 1575 – 1653 was not John Stone alias Venne, who wrote a no-longer-available will in Chipstable in 1617, but rather John Stone of the Hele farm in Clayhanger who died in 1588. His will likewise is no longer available, but it is stated clearly that administration of the will was assigned to his natural son Richard Stone.