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The Cooke Family of
Cannon Street Road, St George in the East
On a trip to the Metropolitan Archives in London, I
finally found some concrete information on William Cooke's occupation at
the St George in the East church. On his daughter Rose's marriage
certificate his occupation was shown as Parish Clerk and Undertaker, a
family story perpetuated down the years. However, on checking the
records, I found no record of his having been the parish clerk but
instead it showed that he was one of three rate collectors from 1866
until his admittance into Colney Hatch (later Friern Hospital) Mental
Asylum in 1871. I also found records of a 'Mr Cooke/Cook' having been
employed in previous years to clean the church windows for the sum of
7pounds 10 shillings per annum and think it likely that he was one and
the same person as William Cooke. I have copies of William's medical
history whilst in Colney Hatch and it appears that William's whole
character changed overnight from an 'upstanding' member of the church
community to singing 'lewd songs' of his own composition and threatening
a colleague with a knife. On admittance to the Institution he began to
suffer epileptic fits which became progressively worse over a period
of approximately two years and he died without being released. From
William's medical history it seems possible that he may have had an
undiagnosed brain tumour but unfortunately that is something we'll never
know for sure now.
One of William's sons, Walter Ambrose Cooke, appears
in the 1881 census living at the Infant Orphan Asylum" Wanstead,
Essex.
Walter married Ellen Elizabeth Field and subsequently changed his name
to Walter Ambrose Fleming in order to satisfy inheritance requirements
and died a wealthy man in Hove, Sussex. If you think you might be
related to this branch of the family, then
please contact
me.
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Extract from St. George in the East
accounts of 1871 - a similar extract for 1866 also shows William Cooke
as being one of
the rate collectors.
SAINT
GEORGE IN THE EAST
1871
________________________________
RECTOR.
Rev. J.L.
ROSS............................................................Cannon
street road
CHURCHWARDENS.
CHARLES
HEWITT.....................................................60, Christian
street
WILLIAM CLEAVER..............................................125, Cannon
street road
OVERSEERS.
FREDERICK
DELLOW........................................................73, Saint
George street
WILLIAM HENRY HOGG................................................187,
Cannon street road
JAMES A.
NOBLE......................................................................3,
Waterloo place
GEORGE
COOPER.............................................................................9
Nussau place
TRUSTEES.
RICHARD
J. COLLYER.....................................................................200,
Cable street
WILLIAM
CLARK....................................................................52,
Wellclose Square
JOHN F.
HASTED..................................................................................23,
Pell street
THOMAS
BARRETT.........................................................................163,
Cable street
GEORGE H. SHABOE.................................................................9,
Saint George street
JAMES
FRASER......................................................................172,
Saint George street
FREDERICK WARSKITT.......................................................102,
Cannon street road
THOMAS M FAIRCLOUGH...........................................................12,
Christian street
JOHN
SANDER.........................................................................127,
Saint George street
WILLIAM STUTFIELD, Esq, J.P.............................................139,
Saint George street
THOMAS
HERBERT....................................................................47,
Saint George street
GEORGE W.
BUTTERS...............................................................21,
Cannon street road
ROBERT
NICHOLSON.................................................................4,
Cannon street road
CHARLES
PETERS..................................................................................2,
Princes place
RATE
COLLECTORS.
WILLIAM
HASTED......................................................................................23,
Pell street
JOHN
BUTLER.................................................................................42,
Wellclose square
WILLIAM
COOKE........................................................................32,
Cannon street road
CONSTABLE.
CHARLES
JOHN OSBORNE........................................................34,
Cannon street road
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Medical
Officer of Health
Dr. RYGATE, Vestry Hall, Cable street. |
Sanitary Inspector
SAMUEL PRITCHITT, Vestry
Hall, Cable st. |
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Surveyor to
the Vestry
ANDREW WILSON, Vestry Hall, Cable st. |
Inspector of Pavements & Beadle
THOMAS HOGG, Vestry Hall, Cable street |
District
Surveyor
SAMUEL STENTON
MARKHAM, 4 Princes square.
TURNCOCKS
WILLIAM BODY, 7 Princes square HENRY MOBBS, 20 Spencer
street
GEORGE HICKS, 109 Pennington street WILLIAM RAWLINGS, 68, Lucas street.
Extract
from the Summary Statement of Contracts St George in the East 1864
SUMMARY
STATEMENT OF CONTRACTS
Entered
into by the Vestry for the Year ended Lady-day, 1864
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Ratcliff Gas
Company................ |
for Lighting Streets
and Courts, Batswing Burners, each per annum
Three Jet..... ditto |
£ 4 13 0
3 0 0 |
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Mr.
Ballard......................................... |
for executing Printing, at Prices
in Schedule |
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Mr.Cooke........................................... |
for Cleaning Vestry Hall Windows,
per annum |
7
10 0 |
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Mr. Alfred
Parsons...................... |
for Cleansing Streets, and Removal
of Dust |
490
0 0 |
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Ditto................................................. |
for Watering Streets |
100
0 0 |
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Mr.James............................................ |
for Founder's Work, at Prices per
Schedule. |
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Mr.
Johnson................................... |
for Smith's Work, at Prices per
Schedule. |
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Mr. Ennor....................................... |
for the Day and Jobbing Sewers
Work, at 5 per cent. below Schedule of Prices. |
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Mr.
West........................................... |
for the Day and Jobbing Paving
Work, at Prices per Schedule. |
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