Person:John Cox (128)

Childhood

John Cox was baptised on 27th May 1827 at Barnack in Northamptonshire, son of a dressmaker called Catherine Cox, formerly Mason, and her husband William Cox, a blacksmith and farmer. John was the eldest child of their eleven children, although two of his younger siblings died young. John was seventeen by the time his youngest sibling, Sophia, was born. John grew up in Barnack, appearing there in both the 1841 and 1851 censuses living with his parents, siblings and his paternal grandmother.

Adulthood

Some time between 1851 and 1856 John left Barnack, and moved over 250 miles away to Cornwall. On 3rd October 1856, aged 29, he was married at St Mellion in Cornwall to a Sarah Fox, who had also moved a long way, being originally from Derby. Back in Barnack, John's father died a couple of months after John's marriage.

John and Sarah went on to have seven children together between 1857 and 1869. The first six children were born in the parish of St Mellion, where the family lived at Newton, a large estate to the west of the parish and John worked as a gamekeeper. In 1864 they lost two of their children in quick succession; their baby daughter Hannah was buried on 24th June 1864 and their three year old daughter Mary was buried six days later.

John was not the only one of his family who moved to Cornwall. He was followed by his younger brothers William and Josiah, both of whom were married in Cornwall in the 1860s and also worked as gamekeepers.

Some time between 1867 and 1869 John and Sarah left St Mellion and moved to the parish of St Ewe, where their youngest child was born in 1869. In St Ewe they lived at the hamlet of Pengrugla, adjoining the Heligan estate, where John was employed as a gamekeeper.^[11] Back in Barnack, John's mother died in 1876.

John died on Christmas Eve 1891, aged 64. He was buried at St Ewe four days later. On 14th January 1892, Sarah obtained a grant of administration from the probate court in Bodmin to allow her to take over his estate, which was valued at £1151 11s 11d. Sarah survived him by over 27 years.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Barnack (Northamptonshire). Parish registers, 1695–1974. (Northampton, England: Northamptonshire Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Barnack in the County of Northampton in the Year 1827
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   335	May 27	John son of	William & Catherine	Cox	Barnack	Blacksmith	Charles Kingsley

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 815; Book 2; Folio 10; Page 15, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, male, 39 [1801/2], Blacksmith, born in county
   Catherine Cox, female, 38 [1802/3], born in county
   John Cox, male, 14 [1826/7], born in county
   Elizabeth Cox, female, 12 [1828/9], born in county
   Thomas Cox, male, 9 [1831/2], born in county
   Mary Cox, female, 6 [1834/5], born in county
   Catherine Cox, female, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   William Cox, male, 2 [1838/9], born in county
   Matthew Cox, male, 1 [1839/40], born in county
   Luke Broom, male, 18 [1822/3], J. Blacksmith, born in county
   Catherine Cox, female, 68 [1772/3], Ind, born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 2094; Folio 484; Page 3, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, head, married, male, 49 [1801/2], Farmer of 95 Acres, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, wife, married, female, 47 [1803/4], Farmers Wife, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   John Cox, son, unmarried, male, 23 [1827/8], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 22 [1828/9], Dressmaker, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Mary Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 16 [1834/5], Farmers Daughter, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, daughter, female, 14 [1836/7], Farmers Daughter, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, son, male, 12 [1838/9], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Matthew Cox, son, male, 11 [1839/40], Farmers Son, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Josiah Cox, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sophia Cox, daughter, female, 6 [1844/5], Scholar, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Catherine Cox, mother, widow, female, 77 [1773/4], b. Barnack, Northamptonshire

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1525; Folio 51; Page 9, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Newton, St Mellion, Cornwall
   John Cox, head, married, male, 33 [1827/8], Gamekeeper, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sarah Cox, wife, married, female, 35 [1825/6], b. Derby
   Catherine Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 3 [1857/8], b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Lucy Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 2 [1858/9], b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Mary Cox, daughter, female, 2mo [1861], b. St Mellion, Cornwall

5. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 2269; Folio 10; Page 12, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Pengruglar, St Ewe, Cornwall
   John Cox, head, married, male, 42 [1828/9], Gamekeeper, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sarrah [sic] Cox, wife, married, female, 45 [1825/6], b. Derby, Derbyshire
   Catherine Cox, daughter, female, 13 [1857/8], Scholar, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Lucy Cox, daughter, female, 11 [1859/60], Scholar, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   William Cox, son, male, 8 [1862/3], Scholar, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Sarrah [sic] Cox, daughter, female, 4 [1866/7], Scholar, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, female, 2 [1868/9], b. St Ewe, Cornwall

6. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 2304; Folio 76; Page 10, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Pengruglar, St Ewe, Cornwall
   John Cox, head, married, male, 52 [1828/9], Gamekeeper, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sarah Cox, wife, married, female, 56 [1824/5], b. Derby, Derbyshire
   William Cox, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1862/3], Gamekeeper, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Sarah Cox, daughter, female, 14 [1866/7], Scholar, b. St Mellion, Cornwall
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, female, 12 [1868/9], Scholar, b. St Ewe, Cornwall

7. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1824; Folio 62; Page 10, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Pengrugla, St Ewe, Cornwall
   John Cox, head, married, male, 61 [1829/30], Gamekeeper, employed, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Sarah Cox, wife, married, female, 63 [1827/8], b. Derby
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, single, female, 22 [1868/9], b. St Ewe, Cornwall

8. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. John COX, December Quarter 1891, St Austell Registration District, Volume 5c, page 90, aged 64 [1826/7]

9. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

   1892
   COX John of Pengrugla St. Ewe Cornwall gamekeeper died 24 December 1891 Administration Bodmin 14 January to Sarah Cox widow Effects £1151 11s. 11d.

10. ↑ Cornwall, England. Online Parish Clerks.

    bur. 28 Dec 1891, St Ewe, Cornwall: John Cox / Pengrugla, St Ewe / 64 [1826/7]

11. ↑ Royal Cornwall Gazette, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 8, 5 Nov 1880.

    ST. AUSTELL PETTY SESSIONS.
    MISCELLANEOUS
    William Allen was charged by John Cox, gamekeeper, to Mr John Tremayne, of Heligan, with taking a cock pheasant out of a gin and re-setting the same. Allen pleaded guilty and was fined 40s. and costs.