page_title: Edward Cephas John Stevens
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: Edward Cephas John Stevens / Early life
caption_attribution_description: English: Whitcombe memorial at the Taramakau River
context_page_description: Edward Cephas John Stevens was a New Zealand politician in provincial government in Canterbury, and a member of both the lower and upper houses of parliament. A businessman, he controlled the Christchurch Press for many decades. He was instrumental in introducing cricket to Canterbury and one of his dealings as a land and estate agent resulted in the creation of Lancaster Park.
context_section_description: Stevens was born at Salford in the county of Oxfordshire, England. He was the youngest son of Reverend William Everest Stevens (the local rector), and his wife, Mary James. He was educated at Marlborough College and at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.
  At age 21, Stevens emigrated to New Zealand. Among the passengers were the surveyor John Henry Whitcombe (known by his middle name Henry) with his wife, Maria Whitcombe (née North), and their family. Several sources say that they arrived in Lyttelton on 20 September 1858 on the Zealandia. However, the Whitcombes and Stevens are not included in the passenger list of the September 1858 arrival.
  Guise Brittan established notable properties. In 1862, Stevens bought Brittan's second home 'Englefield', a 50-acre (200,000 m²) tract on Rural Section 26 situated where FitzGerald Avenue meets the Avon River. The house, which still stands, had a commanding view of the annual opening of the boating regattas.
  Henry Whitcombe, after whom Whitcombe Pass is named, drowned in 1863 in the Taramakau River on one of his many West Coast exploration trips. Stevens was put in charge of the fund which allowed the Whitcombe boys to attend Christ's College. On 20 May 1869, at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Upper Riccarton, Stevens married Maria Whitcombe. They had two sons, one of whom died in infancy. One of Maria's sons was Frederic Whitcombe.
caption: The Whitcombe memorial near the Taramakau River
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