Rev. James Harrison Cookson, Jr

Our Trip to the U.K.
by Rev Jessie Grace Cookson
October 2006

Click on a photo to see a larger one.

Dear Cookson cousins all,

    My trip to the U.K. with daughter, Beth, was absolutely wonderful, and now it all seems like a dream to me...The purpose of the trip was part genealogical, part historical, and part religious pilgrimage (another Episcopalian goes to Canterbury!).

    We flew from Bangor, Maine to Detroit, and then directly to London's Gatwick airport. While in London we went to Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tower of London. We walked a great deal--stayed at a hotel on Ebury Street, near Buckingham Palace Road. However, we were also within walking distance of Victoria Station, and we had first-class Britrail passes for our two-week stay. I recommend Britrail highly; in first-class, you are always guaranteed a seat and they ply you constantly with complimentary food, drink, and newspapers.

    On Saturday, October 14th, Beth and I attended the annual general meeting of The Wine Label Circle of London. David and I have collected antique silver wine labels since our 7 1/2-year stay in Ottawa and have been members of the society since 1990. It was so much fun to meet the people I have corresponded with over the years. There was a presentation given by a member on heraldic and animal wine labels from the estate of Sir Thomas Barlow, a Circle member and officer for many years. The meeting ended with a wine tasting and tea and biscuits. Much was made of the "overseas" members attending the meeting: A member from Ohio, Beth, and me!

    On Sunday, October 15th, we flew to Guernesy and stayed in a delightful hotel at St. Peter Port that looked directly at the islands of Sark and Herm. We arrived just in time to literally run to the Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist and arrive just as the opening hymn was ending. Following the service, we introduced ourselves to the rector, the Rev. Andrew Sharp, and told him the purpose of our visit: to go out into the churchyard to find Rev. James Cookson's grave. The stone is still fully upright but very dirty with moss, etc., so that Beth and I were not able to fully discipher the inscription, but here is what it says:

            "Sacred
    to the Memory of
Rev. James Cookson, B.A.
    who departed this life
    August 31, 1857
    Aged 73 years

"The blessed memory of the just
shall flourish when they sleep
in --------   --------."
(Sorry, but we could make out the final words.)

    The following morning Beth and I went to the Priaulx Library on Candie Road in St. Peter Port to see what, if anything, appeared in the local paper following Rev. James Jr's death. We were told by the librarian that obituaries then were not the fount of information they are now...We were hoping to find family names. The custom at the time was to give only few facts, and this is what we found:

        THE COMET, Guernsey, Monday, September 7, 1857
        under "Extract from the Parish Register of St. Peter Port"
        under "Interments, Sept. 4 - Rev. James Cookson, aged 73 years."

        THE GAZETTE DE GUERNSEY
        Samedi 5 Septembre 1857
        under "Deces"
        "Le 31, au quartier Saint Jean, le Reverend James Cookson, age de 73 ans."

    We took the early evening plane back to London, Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station, then the Underground to Waterloo Station, and the evening train to Alton. We took a taxi from the Alton station to Shepherd's Court Guest House at Chawton, which is within walking distance of Jane Austen's home. What a beautiful and pastoral area this is with sheep grazing in stone-wall enclosed pastures all around!

    We went to St. Peter Ad Vincula Church at Colemore, near East Tistead. You may recall that Sarah Robinson, who married the Rev. James Harrison Cookson, Sr. was from East Tistead. I found out that her father, Bryan Robinson, was the curate at the church for a number of years until Rev. James took over the living in 1775, which had been left to him by Rev. Harrison in 1766.

    The church sits in a field by itself, surrounded by a churchyard with few gravestones left standing. There has been a church on this site since before 1086, and the church is recorded in the Domesday Book. Services are still occasionally held there, and in one of the pews was a leaflet from a recent christening. Rev. James Cookson is interred under a large marble memorial directly in front of the altar. His wife, Sarah, and some of the children are also interred in the chancel area.

    The marble memorial stone for Rev. James, Sr. reads: "Underneath are deposited the remains of the Rev. James Cookson, M.A, obit 6th of January 1835, etat 85, whose loss was deeply felt and deplored by his family and a numerous circle of friends. He was 59 years rector of Colmer and Priors Dean and the oldest magistrate in the county."

    As you enter the church and go to the left, near the baptismal font, there is on the wall a white marble memorial to members of Rev. James, Sr.'s family, and it reads: Sacred to the memory of Lieut. George Bryan Cookson, 8th Regiment of Native Infantry, died at Dinapore in the East Indies, much respected and regretted, 4th March 1814, aged 22 years.
"Interred in this Church Capt. John Cookson, whose brave and meritorious conduct gained him the love and respct of all his brother officers as likewise grreat honor in the corps, died 30th Aug. 1819, aged 31 years.
"Interred in this Church Ann Constantia Cookson, whose mild and amiable disposition endeared her affectionately to all her relatives and friends, after a very protracted illness which she bore with great Christian fortitude, she resigned her soult with heavenly submission to her Maker, 3rd Feb. 1821, aged 21 years.
"Under are interred the much respected and beloved remains of Mrs. Sarah Cookson, the affectionate partner of the Rev. James Cookson, rector, whose kind and benevolent conduct obtained for her the sincere esteem of all, more particularly her family, who felt and deplored much the loss of their worthy parent, died 2nd Apr. 1828, aged 60 years.
"Next to the above is deposited the body of Thomas Cookson, whose great integrity united to a noble disposition, secured to him the love and admiration of all, after two years of severe illness quited this transitory life, 2nd Sept. 1834, aged 31 years.

"by Hicks, Portsea." (makers of the memorial)

    That afternoon Beth and I went to the Jane Austen Museum...It is interesting to note that Jane Austen's brother was a rector nearby at Chawton (less then 5 miles from East Tistead and Colemore) when Rev. James was at Colemore. Of course, we will never know, but chances are the families knew each other.

    Next, we returned to London by train, went to Euston Station, to leave for Penrith and the Ullswater region of Cumbria, where the Cooksons came from. We were met at Penrith railway station by our hosts, Kate and Nigel Winter of Elm House, Pooley Bridge. Nigel Winter told us on our way to Pooley Bridge that he had phoned Robert and Diane Cookson of Winter Crag and that they were expecting a visit from us that afternoon. Beth and I were so surpised to learn we had LIVING relatives at Martindale because we had envisioned only going to St. Martins Church to see the place where they were christened, married, and buried.

    Nigel drove us on the one-lane road from Pooley Bridge, to Howtown (remember "John Cookson of Howtown," father of Rev. James, Sr.?), up a steep incline between mountains called "the Hause," to Robt. and Diane's farmhouse, called Winter Crag. Robert Isaac Cookson is 52 years old, very tall (over 6 feet) and slim, with short, dark hair and dark eyes. He is very handsome! Diane, his wife, is petite, with light brown (almost auburn) hair, and beautiful, fair complexion. They have two children, Mark and Sarah, neither of whom are married yet. Mark lives in London and is the manager of a Debenham's store there (like our Macy's). Sarah lives in Penrith, only 12 miles away. Robert Cookson, and he pronounces our last name as "Cuuk-son," as in "cuckoo," is a sheep farmer with over 1,000 head of sheep and over 100 head of cattle. He keeps five working sheep dogs.

    As we sat over tea at their kitchen table, I mentioned the Cookson wills that I have, which always speak of the Cooksons as being from "Nicklethorns," or in an earlier spelling, "Knittlethorns." I said I was hoping to learn where the farm was, and they immediately said, "Why, the ruins are right across the street." When we went outside to leave, we all walked over to the ruins of the farm, and Robert pointed out part of a hearth still standing. So Nicklethorns is just to the right and across the one-lane road from Winter Crag, and Christy Bridge is in front of Winter Crag...and just across the bridge and facing and in view of Winter Crag is Martindale Church. The whole area is a place of wild beauty. The last wild herd of red deer in England (the kind Henry VIII used to breezily slaughter in great numbers) lives in this area, and we heard some stags bellowing. It was rutting season.

    Robert has given me some family history. I had some family tree with me, but I mainly told them both how we are descended from Thomas and Amy Cookson of Nicklethorns--going from James, to John of Howtown, to Rev. James Harrison C. of Colemore, to Rev. James Harrison Cookson, Jr. of Hampton, NB., Canada (buried Guernsey), to George Bryan Cookson of Hampton, NB., to Albert Ernest Cookson of Hampton, N.B. and Wellesley-Needham, Mass., etc., down to this day.... I have promised Robert that I will get out my wills and try to establish our relationship. As I said to him,"Well, Robert, we are cousins, but I don't know how..."
As we were leaving the following day, we were unable to see them again. Robert was scheduled to go to a sheep auction, and Diane works at the Howtown Hotel as manager.

    The following morning Nigel drove us up the Hause again and left us at Martindale Church. This church was established by monks in the 9th century. The baptismal font was brought down from the High Street on top of the mountains above. The High Street was established by the Romans, and the font, which is marble, is from Roman times. People used to sharpen their knives on the side of this marble font, and you can see the marks they left. So the Roman piece became a Christian baptismal font. Outside and to the left of the church is a yew tree that is over 1,300 years old. Beth and I stood underneath it, and you could surely get some 20 people or more underneath its branches.... I wish that tree could talk! The church is now seldom in use because a new church, St. Peter's (where Robert and Diane attend), was built in the 1880's. It is much larger than St. Martin's. We visited both churches on our walk, then started to walk down the steep Hause, to the Howtown Hotel. As we were carefully making our way down the Hause, Diane came along in their car and offered us a ride to the Hotel. We went to the public pub in the hotel for tea and coffee, and waited for Nigel to pick us up once again to return to Pooley Bridge. Of all the places we visited, I love this area the best.

    We also learned that Diane Cookson runs a B&B at Winter Crag...Here is their address: Robert and Diane Cookson, Winter Crag, Martindale, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2NF, England.

    The visit to Martindale concluded the genealogical part of our trip. We then went to Edinburgh, on to Haworth for two days (Bronte country!), then south to Canterbury, and finally back to London and home again. I will never forget walking seven miles with Beth to Bronte falls, where Emily used to sit and write, and then onward and upward to see the ruins of Top Withens, reputed to be the site that Emily Bronte had in mind for "Wuthering Heights." The moors are lovely, but the wild beauty of Martindale cannot be beat!

    I hope I haven't bored you too much...If any questions come to mind, please let me know, and I will try to answer them. The jet lag on the return flight was awful...I couldn't THINK for a couple of days...but had to get right back to hospice, church, etc. I am okay now. I will never forget being at the site of Thomas Becket's martyrdom at Canterbury Cathedral...It is with me always.

All for now. Beth took all the pictures, and she promises she will get them on a CD for me soon.
Love to all, Jessie

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