Street Names
The information in this section is taken mainly from the CdRom Llanelli - Birth of a Town by William and Benita Rees
Streets & Houses connected to the Stepney family
and how they got their names
Streets
Andrew Street
Andrew Cowell married Maria Justina Stepney (sister of Sir John Stepney 8th Baronet). Their son, born 1791, eventually inherited the Stepney estate and he became Sir John Stepney Cowell Stepney when the Baronetcy was re-created in 1871.
Annesley Street
John Stepney Cowell Stepney married twice. His first wife – Mary Anne Annesley, born in 1800 – was the daughter of Robert Annesley. Although his wife died in 1821 he did have one son by this marriage – William Frederick Ross Cowell Stepney (1821-1872) who did not marry.
Athenaeum (Public Library)
Lieutenant Colonel Stepney Cowell, later known as Sir John Stepney, took part in such social events as Concerts at the new Athenaeum, providing Easter treats for the old men and children of the town and providing grounds for the Cricket Club to play their matches.
Coldstream Street
In 1809, John Stepney Cowell, was an Ensign in the Coldstream Guards and fought in the Iberian Peninsular War of 1808-14. By 1830 he had progressed to Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer.
Coleshill Terrace
Andrew Cowell, father of John Cowell Stepney was from Coleshill, Buckinghamshire.
Glenalla Road
Reflects the Irish influence and commemorates the Glenalla estate, County Donegal in Ireland.
John Stepney Cowell and his second wife Euphemia Jemima had two sons. The elder son James Charles Murray Cowell (1824-54), was also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Coldstream Guards. He was killed in action in the Crimea War during an attack on a Russian battery on 5 January 1854, and was buried with seven of his fellow officers on a hillside near Sebastopol. Inkerman Street was named in his memory.
John Street
Sir John Cowell Stepney was an eccentric character but benevolent and he always remembered the poor of the Parish at Christmas. He would distribute tobacco to the men, and food to the women and children. He also provided the Llanelly Union Workhouse with Christmas Dinner and Plum Pudding.
Marged Street
Commemorates Lady Catharine and Sir Edward Stafford Howard’s first child, born in 1913, and affectionately known as ‘Marged Fach’.
Mina Street
Mina was the name of a Spanish guerrilla leader, one of three – Mina, Langa and Sanchez, who fought with the British against the French.
Murray Street
John Stepney Cowell married for the second time in 1823 and his wife was Euphemia Jemima Murray, the daughter of General John Murray, Queen’s County, Ireland. Murray Street commemorates the family estates in Ireland.
Murray Street c. 1955
Among the buildings seen in this photograph are the Cricketer’s Hotel, Malabar Hotel, Brown’s Cafe, the Liberal Club, Market entrance and Drill Hall. A fair idea of the date of the photograph is indicated by the poster advertising the film “Doctor at Sea”, which was showing in cinemas in 1955.
Prendergast Street
This commemorates the family estates at Prendergast, West Wales – Alban Stepney who founded the Welsh family around 1561 was appointed Registrar and Receiver General of the Parish of St David.
Salamanaca Road
Renamed Station Road – commemorates the Battle of Salamanca fought in June 1812 in which John Stepney Cowell took part.
Stafford Street
Commemorates Lady Catharine and Sir Edward Stafford Howard’s second child, a son born in 1915 and known as Stafford Stepney Howard.
Commemorates the Stepney family and the Stepney Estate.
Murray Street 1994
Photograph taken during the demolition phase for the town centre improvement scheme. Note the ‘Co-op’ bridge across Murray Street – a famous landmark in its day.
Vaughan Street
The Vaughan family was once a family of great influence and standing. Margaret Vaughan married into the Stepney family and both families had a profound influence on the town.
Vaughan Street pictured in the 1880s
Vittoria Road
Commemorates the Battle of Vittoria in July 1813 in which John Stepney Cowell took part. Now known as Heol Siloh.
Waterloo Street
Another reminder of Stepney’s heroic actions in the Iberian Peninsular War. He fought at Waterloo in Flanders in 1815. The Baronetcy was re-created in 1871 and Sir John died in 1877.
Cowell House, Cowell Street
Commemorates the Cowell family connection.
The Dell (formerly Furnace House)
By 1860 Lieutenant Colonel Cowell had inherited the Stepney Estate and he used the family name ‘Stepney’. He and his wife took an active part in the political, religious and social life of the town. During 1862 Colonel Cowell was elected High Sheriff and 12 uniformed Javelin Men, dressed in tall hats, belted tunics with large metal buttons, and trousers tucked into their boots, formed his Ceremonial Body Guard, during the celebrations.
Sometime after the 1861 census ‘Furnace House’ (Alexander Raby senior’s home) was renamed ‘The Dell’ and Sir John and his wife made this their family home when staying in Llanelli.
Llanelly House
This gentry mansion house originally belonged to the Vaughan family but came into the possession of the Stepney family following the marriage of Margaret Vaughan to Sir Thomas Stepney 5th Baronet. The 5th Baronet pulled down the original house and built a new residence on the site of the older one, which became the ‘Stepney seat’.
A newspaper article of 1857 reported that Colonel Cowell, was welcomed as heir to the Stepney Estate by the merry peals of St Elli bells, when, with his friend, he visited the church to inspect the family monuments and vault.
The two friends also visited Llanelly House, the old family Mansion, and other parts of the Estate.
The Market
When the new Market was opened on 22 September 1864, Colonel Stepney Cowell Stepney expressed his regret that Mrs Stepney could not be present, owing to the heavy rain, and when it was proposed to open the National School in 1864, he donated Ł100.
Woodend
The Stepney family seat at Woodend, Ascot, in Royal Berkshire, where the family would stay if they were not resident at Llanelli.