1650-1765 Cann family
The estate was bought in the 1650s by Sir William Cann. Stoke House was built by his son, Sir Robert Cann Bt, probably on the site of an existing property; some of the buildings on the site pre-date Stoke House, which was completed in 1669. This date is inscribed in stone above the front door of the house, and the Cann coat of arms can be seen above the carved stone doorway.
It is interesting to see the tithings to the poor from Sir Robert Cann, an early tax based on the value of property owned. These show a marked increase between 1666 and 1669, the time when the house would have been under construction. .
The estate remained in the Cann family, being passed from father to son(s) until the death of the great-grandson of Sir Robert Cann Bt. in 1765. This can be viewed in the Cann family tree.
1650-1657 - William Cann to son
1657-1685 - Sir Robert Cann [1st Bt.] to son
1685-? - Sir Thomas Cann Kt. to son
?-1748 - Sir Robert Cann [4th Bt.] to brother
1748-1753 - Sir William Cann [5th Bt.] to son
1753-1765 - Sir Robert Cann [6th Bt.] to sister's son
We get an idea of what the house looked like in this period from an engraving of c. 1708 by Johannes Kips (above). It clearly shows Bishop's Cottage and Keeper's Cottage, behind the main building, on the right and left respectively, and The Lodge, on its own to the right; it has since been extended.
Later a ballroom extension (now Trinity college library) and garden pavilion (now the chapel) were added. Kips was renowned for embellishing his drawings; Stoke House has gained an extra chimney stack on the right-hand side, the gardens are made impressively large, and the whole site is depicted as flat, rather than being on a hill.
See also http://www.tibblestone.com/familytrees/cann/sir_robert_cann.htm
