Person:Matthew Cox (3)

Matthew Cox was baptised on 23rd March 1800 at Barnack in Northamptonshire, son of Catherine Cox, formerly Newborn, and her husband Thomas Cox, a blacksmith. Matthew was the eldest of their three children, although he also had an older half-sister called Esther Newborn. Matthew followed his father's trade, also becoming a blacksmith.

Matthew was married at Barnack on 24th April 1821, aged 21, to Elizabeth Williamson, who was from the neighbouring parish of Wittering. Less than three months later they had a son baptised at Wittering, although their abode was given as Barnack at the time. A daughter followed just over a year later, in 1822, who was baptised at Barnack.

Elizabeth died the following year, aged twenty. She was buried at Barnack on 24th September 1823. Her children were two and one when she died.

Matthew remarried in 1825. Three weeks before Matthew's second marriage, Matthew's father wrote his will, explicitly making provision for Matthew's two children from his first marriage.

Matthew's second wife was Ann Simpson, from Downham Market in Norfolk. They married at Barnack on 23rd August 1825. Shortly after their marriage they moved about four miles west to Easton on the Hill, where they went on to have five children baptised between 1826 and 1837.

Back in Barnack, Matthew's father died in 1830. Matthew and his brother William acted as joint executors of their father's estate, which included a number of cottages and some land in and around Barnack.

The 1841 and 1851 censuses each find Matthew, Ann and their children living in Easton, with Matthew working as a blacksmith. Matthew's mother died in Barnack in 1851.

In 1858, Matthew was the defendant in a court case involving a row of fourteen cottages he owned called Southorpe Terrace at Southorpe, near Barnack. It appears the cottages had pigsties and privies close to their only doors and poor ventilation. The conditions for the occupiers of the cottages were considered a public nuisance, with most if not all occupants of the cottages having been suffering with a fever, and three residents of the cottages had died. Matthew was ordered by the court to remove the pigsties and privies from their location by the front doors and move them "to the utmost distance from the houses". He was given three months to comply.

The 1861 census finds Matthew, Ann, one of their daughters and two grandchildren living at Easton.

Matthew died on 27th April 1862 at Easton, aged 62. He left a will, for which his widow Ann acted as executrix. She was to have all Matthew's property for her lifetime, after which it was to be split between Matthew's children. Specific mention was made of a lathe that Matthew had bought for his son William, which Matthew considered to be William's share of his estate. Ann survived Matthew by nearly eight years.

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

   Baptisms / 1800 / Matthew Son of Thomas & Catherine Cox - March 23d

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 812; Book 5; Folio 19; Page 33, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Easton, Northamptonshire
   Matthew Cox, male, 40 [1796-1801], Blacksmith, born in county
   Ann Cox, female, 40 [1796-1801], not born in county
   Matthew Cox, male, 15 [1821-6], born in county
   Robert Cox, male, 13 [1827/8], born in county
   William Cox, male, 11 [1829/30], born in county
   Charles Cox, male, 3 [1837/8], 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 393, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Village, Easton, Northamptonshire
   Matthew Cox, head, married, male, 51 [1799/1800], Blacksmith Empl[oying] 3 men, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Ann Cox, wife, married, female, 56 [1794/5], Bl[ac]k smith Wife, b. Downham, Norfolk
   Simpson Cox, son, unmarried, male, 22 [1828/9], Blacksmith, b. Easton, Northamptonshire
   William Cox, son, unmarried, male, 21 [1829/30], Blacksmith, b. Easton, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 19 [1831/2], Bl[ac]k Smith dau[ghte]r, b. Easton, Northamptonshire
   Charles Cox, son, male, 13 [1837/8], Scholar, b. Easton, Northamptonshire
   John Stanwell, journeyman, unmarried, male, 22 [1828/9], Blacksmith, b. Boston, Lincolnshire

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 2313; Folio 41; Page 9, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Church Street, Easton, Northamptonshire
   Matthew Cox, head, married, male, 61 [1799/1800], Blacksmith, b. Barnack, Northamptonshire
   Ann Cox, wife, married, female, 66 [1794/5], Blacksmiths Wife, b. Downham, Norfolk
   Elizabeth Cox, daughter, unmarried, female, 28 [1832/3], Blacksmiths Dau[ghte]r, b. Easton, Northamptonshire
   Mary E. Cox, granddaughter, female, 5 [1855/6], Scholar, b. Stamford, Lincolnshire
   Emma Cox, granddaughter, female, 3 [1857/8], Scholar, b. Stamford, Lincolnshire

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

   d. Matthew COX, June Quarter 1862, Stamford Registration District, Volume 7a, page 167, aged 62 [1799/1800]

6. ↑ Burials register, in Easton on the Hill, Northamptonshire, England. Parish Registers (Northamptonshire Record Office, Northampton).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Easton on the Hill in the County of Northampton in the Year 1862
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   64	Matthew Cox	Easton on the Hill	1st May	62 y[ea]rs	W.H. Charlton, Rector

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

   This is the last Will and Testament of me Matthew Cox of Easton in the County of Northampton Blacksmith I appoint my Wife Ann Cox sole Executrix of this my Will and I give and bequeath to my said Wife for and during the term of her natural life all my estate and effects of every description which I may be entitled to or possessed of at the time of my deceased and from and after the decease of my said Wife I give and bequeath the sum of three hundred pounds now invested on mortgage equally unto and between my children Matthew Cox Robert Simpson Cox Elizabeth Cox and Charles Cox in equal proportions share and share alike Whereas I have purchased and given to my Son William Cox a Lathe I consider such gift a full equivalent to what I leave to divide between my other children I give and bequeath also to my said daughter Elizabeth Cox all my household furniture implements of household and effects of a like description in and about my dwelling house I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Ann a legacy of five pounds I give and bequeath my stock in trade tools and other effects in and about workshop in equal proportions between my Sons William Cox and Robert Simpson Cox share and share alike I give and bequeath my outstanding book debts if any and other property not disposed after the decease of my said Wife to my Son William Cox In witness whereof I the said Matthew Cox the Testator have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and fifty nine - Matthew Cox - Signed published and declared by the said Matthew Cox the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses - W[illia]m F. Law - Henry Boyden.
   
   Proved at London 3d Oct[obe]r 1862 by the oath of Ann Cox Widow the Relict the sole Executrix to whom Adm[inistrati]on was granted.
   
   ON the 3d day of October 1862, the Will of Matthew Cox late of Easton in the County of Northampton Blacksmith deceased, who died on the 27th day of April 1862, at Easton aforesaid was proved in the Principal Registry of Her Majesty's Court of Probate, by the Oath of Ann Cox of Easton aforesaid Widow the Relict the sole Executrix therein names she having been first sworn duly to administer.
   under £450

8.   Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 3, 16 Nov 1849.

   To JOURNEYMEN BLACKSMITH.
   WANTED immediately, a steady Journeyman: one who has served only part of his time would be preferred.-Apply to MATTHEW COX, Easton, near Stamford.

9.   Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 6, 19 Nov 1858.

   PETTY SESSIONS, ST. MARTIN'S, STAMFORD BARON, NOV. 12, before the Rev. Chas. Atlay and Capt. Haycock, R.N.
   Mr. Phillips appeared in support of an information which had been laid under the Nuisances Removal Act for England, 1855, by John Martin, inspector of nuisances for the Barnack district of the Stamford Union, against Matthew Cox, of Easton, blacksmith, the owner of a row of cottages situate at Southorpe, called Southorpe-terrace, to remove certain nuisances existing there. It appeared from the evidence of the Rev. Marsham Argles, Rector of Barnack, Mr. Philbrick, surgeon, and Martin, that a malignant fever had been raging there for the last four months, and that three deaths had occurred, that nearly every one in the terrace, which consisted of 14 cottages, had had the fever, and there were still some suffering from it. It was the opinion of Mr. Philbrick and Mr. Argles that the fever arose in a great measure from the contiguity of the pigsties and privies to the cottages, they being immediately in front of the houses, and there being no backdoors or proper ventilation through the cottages. The Nuisances Removal Act for England, 1855, had been put in force in the parish of Barnack chiefly for the removal of the above nuisance, and Mr. Argles, as chariman of the Barnack, Pilsgate, and Southorpe Nusiances Removal Committee, requested the Magistrates to order the removal of the pigsties and privies from their present locality to the utmost distance from the houses. Order made for their removal to the extremity of the property, and that the alterations be completed within three month from the date of the order. Mr. Law appeared on behalf of the defendant Cox, who was not present.

10.   Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 4, Friday 2 May 1862.

    DIED.
    At Easton, on Sunday last, Mr. Matthew Cox, blacksmith, aged 62.