Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Jenyns, Stephen
JENYNS, Sir STEPHEN (d. 1524), lord mayor of London, the son of William Jenyns, was born at Wolverhampton before 1450. He settled in London, became a prominent member of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and served the office of master in 1489. He grew rich, and honourably refused while master to take certain moneys from the common box to which by custom he was entitled. He married after 1490, and he and his wife Margaret gave to the company's chapel of Calixtus a cloth worked with the emblems of St. John. He also presented ‘3 clothes of the high doysse worth 100l. and above’ for the adornment of the hall. Jenyns was an alderman of the city of London. He became sheriff in 1498, when the company advanced him 26l. 13s. 4d. towards his expenses, and was chosen lord mayor in 1508. He was present at the funeral of Henry VII, and was knighted at the coronation of Henry VIII.
In 1508 Jenyns bought land at Wolverhampton, and later the Rushocke estate near the town. He obtained a license, 22 Sept. 1512, to found the Wolverhampton grammar school, and applied the Rushocke estate to its maintenance. The school remained under the control of the Merchant Taylors' Company until 1766. Since 1876 120l. a year has been voted by the company towards its support. In 1867 the Rushocke estate was worth 1,212l. a year. When the church of St. Andrew Underclift was rebuilt in 1520, Jenyns, according to Stow, ‘caused (at his charges) to be builded the whole north side of the great middle ile, both of the body and quire, as appeareth by his arms over every pillar graven, and also the north ile, which he roofed with timber and cieled: also the whole south side of the church was glazed, and the pews in the south chapel made of his costs.’
Jenyns died in 1524, and was buried in the church of the Grey Friars; a solemn obit was kept at his funeral. He left by will large estates to the Merchant Taylors' Company
[Clode's Early History of the Merchant Taylors' Company; Clode's Memorials of the Merchant Taylors' Company; Holinshed's Chronicle, ed. Hooker, iii. 802; Stow's Survey (ed. 1720), bk. ii. p. 66; Carlisle's Endowed Grammar Schools.]