Hello,

I am trying to find out more information on Charles Cooke, he was my husbands 3 x great grandfather and was a surgeon in Ledbury, I know he was married to Sarah (maiden name unknown)but do not know where they came from or any details apart from their two Daughters (Marion is my husbands 2 x great grandmother)and one Son.

Many thanks,

Jane

Hello,

I am trying to find out more information on Charles Cooke, he was my husbands 3 x great grandfather and was a surgeon in Ledbury, I know he was married to Sarah (maiden name unknown)but do not know where they came from or any details apart from their two Daughters (Marion is my husbands 2 x great grandmother)and one Son.

Many thanks,

Jane

have you tried the RCS archives ?
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/archives

The Archivist
Museums & Archives
The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE

or possibly Scotland
http://www.rcsed.ac.uk/museum-library.aspx

Year: 1847
Month: Nov
Day: 1
Surname: COOKE
Forenames: Charles
Residence: High Street
Age_at_death: 40
Officiating_Minister: J. George Watts Vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: BO92/36
Page_No: 157
Parish_Chapel: Ledbury

1841 High St
Chas Cooks abt 1808 Ledbury, Herefordshire Surgeon
Sarah Cooks abt 1811 Ledbury, Herefordshire
Marian Cooks abt 1841 [4 ?? could be yrs /mths/days] Herefordshire, England Ledbury, Herefordshire

Year: 1836
Month: Nov
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: COOKE
Child_Forenames: Marian Elizabeth
Fathers_Forenames: Charles
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: High Street
Occupation: Surgeon
Officiating_Minister: James Watts Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: BO92/9
Page_Number: 171
Parish_Chapel: Ledbury

Not to be confused with :-
1851 Homend
Sarah Cook abt 1812 London, England Head Ledbury, Herefordshire
Isabella Cook abt 1835 Ledbury, Herefordshire, England Daughter Ledbury, Herefordshire

1841
Sarah Cooke abt 1811 Ledbury, Herefordshire
Isabella Cooke abt 1836 Herefordshire, England Ledbury, Herefordshire
Edwin Cooke abt 1835 Herefordshire, England Ledbury, Herefordshire

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

FOD records

Baptisms at Ledbury - Charles (Surgeon High Street) & Sarah

Marian Elizabeth - 10 November 1836
Charles Henry COOK - - 8 March 1842
Helen COOK - 17 May 1843 **

and from the tree on Ancestry

1851 Census

Layers, Herefordshire

COOKE

Joseph - 45 - Farmer of 80 Acres born Eastern Worcestershire
(born Orleton, 1871 census + a brother Henry COOKE aged 57 born Orelton)
Ann - 50
Charles COOKE - 9 nephew born Ledbury
Eliza VALE - 20
Elen POSTANS - 17
Edward CHASE - 25
William WALL - 23
John POSTANS - 15

-----

?
Looking at the 1861, Worcester, Kidderminster

Sarah REYNOLDS, age 83 - unmarried, Fund Holder born Cleobury, Salop
Helen COOKE - Niece, 17 - born Ledbury, Herefordshire

---

???
Church of Latter Day Saints

Marriage at Cathedral, Manchester 6 March 1832

Charles COOKE/Sarah BARROW

Slowhands, your post re the 1841 Census correlates nicely with the 1840 Pigot's Commercial Directory. I see that Directory shows several Cookes in business; whether this suggests that they are a particularly-gifted "upwardly mobile" family, or just that it is quite a common name, I don't know.
I see the Directory also lists a "Thomas Cooke, High Street Ross, Chemist & Druggist". Do you think this is just a coincidence or are they perhaps related ?

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nmfa/Directories/pigot_directory_of_h...

Probably complete coincidence, but in the 1970s we had an excellent senior Physics teacher at RFDGS, Gerald Cooke, who had taught at EDGS before that (also a senior member of Lydney Hockey Club in the late 50s), but whether related ...... ?.

Many thanks for all of the interesting information.

I have found the report for his death on British newspaper archive but I cannot find anything about his or Sarah's early years or their marriage. He was very active in the community and his premature death was of great shock to the town.

Does anyone know if there is a museum in Ledbury that may keep an archive? (I am in Spalding, Lincs and unfortunately do not know the area!)

Many thanks,

Jane

Google Books

'Transactions of the Provisional Medical & Surgical Association Instituted 1832

and Charles COOKE is listed 1834/5 as Surgeon in Ledbury with Joseph COOKE Esq, Surgeon, Tenbury.

1841 Census, Worcs Tenbury

Joseph COOKE - 35, Surgeon - born in County (seems to be born Orleton Court, Worcestershire and a farmer later census returns)

and Google Books - Gentleman's Magazine 1857

Areley Kings, Worcestershire

James GERMAN Esq, Cap 3rd Royal Lancashire Militia & JP of the County of Lancester, to Marion Elizabeth, eldest dau of the late Charles COOKE esq, Ledbury.

------

? so far - appear to have a Charles/Henry/Joseph COOKE appearing in the link ***

Worcestershire, England, Extracted Parish Records. (Ancestry)

Worcesters, Eastham, Hanley William - Parish Registers

Thomas - 2 November 1798 - William & Mary
William - 28 April 1800
John - 4 October 1801
Francis - 26 December 1802
1 April 1804 - Henry s of William & Mary Cooke
9 August 1807 - Charles s of William & Mary Cook

also found on Freereg

St Peter 7 St Paul & St John the Baptists
Hanley Child & Orleton Worcestershire

Thomas COOK - 2 November 1798
William COOK - 28 April 1800
John COOK - 4 October 1801
Francis COOK - 26 December 1802
Henry COOKE - 1 April 1804
Joseph COOKE - 1 December 1805
Charles COOK - 9 August 1807

---
Orleton Court Eastern Worcestershire

Public members tree, has Joseph brother to Charles and links to National Probate Records

COOKE Joseph

21 June 1882

The Will with a Codicil to Joseph COOKE late of Tenbury in the County of Worcester who died 18 February 1882 at Tenbury was proved at Worcester by Thomas COOKE of Rochford in the County of Hereford, Farm the sole Executor.

Personal Estate: £562 4s 8d.

1861 Census, Worcestershire, Rochford

Jane COOKE - Widow - 47 Fund Holder, born Surrey, Lambeth
+ various family members inc

Henry COOKE - unmarried cousin - 56 - Farmer's Son - born Worcestershire, Orleton

----

On Public Members Tree also

Charles COOKE died 6 November 1864 age 22 Sheep Farmer Australia

and

Letters between Charles and his sister Helen KIRK (baptism 1843 Ledbury) in Zanzibar are lodged in the archives and Scotland National Edinburgh.

---

Birth certificate would give the mother's maiden name - then a marriage could be looked for

Birth

J/F/M Qtr 1842
Surname: COOKE
Christian names: Charles Henry
District: Ledbury
Volume: 26
Page: 179

Hi Jane,
may I suggest that perhaps next Spring you consider visiting the Ledbury area, it's a beautifull old town as is the surrounding area especially when the daffs are showing around Dymock & Newent (altho' not by the hundreds of acres as with Spalding of course !). Personally I find the apple orchards more appealing, especially as part of a visit to the old cider works at Marcle.... And then you have the lovely Wye Valley and, of course, the ancient Forest of Dean. A delightful week's holiday methinks...

In the meantime I'm sure these websites will be worth contacting for possible further info. I've not visited them yet but there are two museums in Ledbury:

http://www.ledburycivicsociety.org/butcherrowhouse.html

https://beta.herefordshire.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/museums-and...

http://www.visitledbury.info/home.html

http://www.local-history.co.uk/Groups/hereford.html

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HEF/Ledbury/

http://www.bsswebsite.me.uk/Local-history/War%20Memorial/LedWarMemWW1details.html
This last site shows two Ledbury Cookes who may possibly be ancestors of yours:

Private John Cooke 7866, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, died 20th November 1918 (presumably from wounds suffered a few weeks beforehand).
(From CWGC site we find he was the Son of John and Elinor Cooke, of Ledbury; husband of Ada Cooke, of 61, Bye St., Ledbury, Herefordshire).
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/4019878/COOKE,%20JOHN

Grenadier Guardsman Rawdon James Cook 2616235, died 21st May 1940.
(Son of Stanley Rawdon Cook and Mabel Esther Cook, of Ledbury, Herefordshire).
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2253970/COOK,%20RAWDON%20JAMES
These two sites describe this day in the Battle for France in detail.
http://www.davidrowlands.co.uk/gallery/gal_detail.asp?varPaintCode=183
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/grenadier-guards/32597-grenadier-guards-missing-personnel-...

Hope this information helps with your researches, and that you visit sometime soon. As someone who's enjoyed countless visits to Lincs to family and newfound friends I'm confident you'll enjoy it !

Jeff

Thank you so much for that Jefff, its definitely on our to do list but with a 1 year old and 4 year old travel is hard at the moment! My husband and I get the very occasional afternoon to explore more local graveyards when Grandparents are free!

I will enjoy looking at all of the websites in the interim though, thank you again.

Hi Jane,
you're welcome, enjoy your trip when you can make it. For what it's worth in my opinion, based on experience, I should enjoy & make the best of the current situation wrt your children, while they tend to stick with you and in or near their buggy - give it another year or so and you may regret encouraging them to get out & running about... ! Plus, you'll soon be tied to the school holidays and the premium prices and crowds all that entails.
Oh the joys of parenthood...