 The son of John Scholey (1774–1834) a landed proprietor, by his spouse Mary née Gray (1778–1856), Stephen, with his brother and sister, inherited a Leeds estate from their father which included a major part of the township of Holbeck, now a suburb of Leeds.Scholey was first apprenticed as a butcher, as was his brother, John.Stephen was listed in White's "History, Gazetter & Directory of the West Riding of Yorkshire" for 1837 as resident at 25 Templars Street, with a butcher's business at 2 Cheapside, Leeds.