William Cockell was the fourth child of William Cockell and Mary Ann Davis. He was born on the 5th December 1845 at Sheepherd Shore, in the parish of Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire. His father was a Millwright by trade, although on Williams birth certificate issued in 1914 he is down as being an innkeeper. This seems unlikely, as all other documentation for his father (e.g. census records) has him as a millwright/carpenter who was born in London. Williams’ mother was born at Enford in Wiltshire.

William married Mary Raymond at Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, on the 15th December 1866. At the time of his marriage he is classed as being a labourer, although in later censuses he is described as a carter, and on his death certificate a timber carter.

John, the first of William and Mary’s nine children, was born in Alton Barnes, Wiltshire. By 1871, the family where living at 8, Devonshire Road, Reading, Berkshire. While living in Reading their next three children, Sarah, William and Joseph were born. By 1877, they had moved to Newbury where they had their fifth child Arthur. The family appear to have moved home rather often, whether this was in search of work is unknown, but their next three or four children were born at Enborne Row, Wash Water, just out of Newbury. They were Albert, Jesse, Mary and possibly Frank, the youngest, born in 1889. Sometime before 1911 the final move was made back to Newbury where the family settled at 10 Adeys Buildings, York Road.

William died on the 8th November 1919 at 10 Adeys Buildings, aged 73. His death certificate states from senile decay (old age). William was buried at Newtown Road Cemetery on 12th November, his funeral cost £16.4.6d and the vicar at the burial was Charles V. Pike.

William and Mary’s seventh child Jesse, born in 1883 was killed in action at Ypres on 16th August 1917. He was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

Author: Sue Rosier
© Sue Rosier