In perusing a relative's notes on ancestors prior to the reformation, the direct line becomes broken, where there are the following notes:
Henery Sterne (of Stow Cum Quy): Born 1471. Sold Sterne's Manor at Haslingfield to Queens College, went to live at Malton Co. Cambridge.
Thomas Sterne: Refused to accept the title from the college which in 1520 bought off his claim for 100 marks.
It is not explicitly stated that Thomas is the son of Henery, (who had two sons William and Robert according to Visitations) or that the next name, John (b. 1517) is the (undocumented) son of Thomas.
In following up on the Queen's College connection, up popped a Thomas Sterne in The western manuscripts in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge : a descriptive catalogue. Browse to p. 415 where there is a description of a book commissioned by Sir Edward Stanhope (b. 1547) entitled MEMORIALE COLLEGII TRINITATIS (Memorial of Trinity College) where on the next page there is:
Episcopi qui Collegium Trinitatis suum agnouerunt nutr
The bishops who recognized the College of the Trinity as their own (Google tr.)
Followed by:
(With arms)
John Whitgift is the first.
Thomas Sterne the last.
There are two post reformation bishops having the name Sterne, Richard and John, but searching reveals no record of a Bishop Thomas Sterne in Ely or Norwich at least.
Given there is a small possibility the Thomas Sterne mentioned up top was actually of the cloth, matching the second Thomas, is it possible he did not take up office for some reason?
Else, is there any indication of Thomas's timeline to be found in Stanhope's volume, and is there a possibility persons exist in that list of bishops who are not (yet) in the public domain?
