Poppy, Lady Cooksey

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

DL, previously Janet Wardell-Yerburgh, née Janet Clouston Bewley Cathie (born 15 February 1940) is a British fencer whose later career was in picture restoration. She married firstly the Olympic oarsman

Hugh Wardell-Yerburgh Hugh Arthur Wardell-Yerburgh (11 January 1938 – 28 January 1970) was a British schoolmaster and rower. He won a silver medal in the coxless fours event at the 1964 Summer Olympics, together with John Russell, William Barry and John Jam ...

and secondly the business man Sir David Cooksey. In 1998 she was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

Early life

Cooksey was born in 1940, the elder daughter of Ian Aysgarth Bewley Cathie MD, of Barton House,

Barton-on-the-Heath Barton-on-the-Heath is a village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 85. From the Census 2011 population details are included in the neighbourin ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, and his wife Dr Marian Josephine Cunning. Her father was

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

of Barton-on-the-Heath. Although christened as Janet, she is known by the name Poppy. Educated at

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to pr ...

and

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, where she graduated

B. Sc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

, she then trained as an accountant. From the age of sixteen, she was a competitive fencer.About Us
cotswolds-uplands.co.uk, accessed 13 September 2022

Fencing career

Cooksey pursued her sport at the Polytechnic Fencing Club, London, which also produced

Mary Glen-Haig Dame Mary Alison Glen-Haig, (née James; 12 July 1918 – 15 November 2014) was a British fencer who competed in four Olympic games in 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. She was born in London, the daughter of William James, a fencer at the 1908 Lond ...

Sue Green Susan Tex Green (born August 13, 1953) is an American professional wrestler. She began wrestling at the age of 15 and was trained by The Fabulous Moolah. She was the frequent tag team partner of Sandy Parker, with whom she won the National Wre ...

, and Richard Cohen. She competed in the women's individual and team foil events at the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. As Janet Wardell-Yerburgh, she represented

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and won double

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in the foil events at the

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. They were followed by the 1966 Commonwealth P ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. She repeated the success by winning another double gold at the

1970 British Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games (Scottish Gaelic: Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis Bhreatainn 1970) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first tim ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland. As Poppy Cooksey, she has continued to compete and holds veteran titles.

Later career

Poppy Cooksey graduated as a

doctor of philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

in Fine Arts from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, and her thesis on the life and work of the Scottish painter Alexander Nasmyth was published in 1990. She then trained to become a picture restorer and established her own restoration business in London. As a volunteer, she organized fund-raising events for the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

and others for the building of a hospice for terminally sick children. In 1998, she was appointed by Mary Fagan, the

Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. Since 1688, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire. From 1889 until 1959, the administrative county was named the County of Southampton. *Wi ...

, as one of her Deputy Lieutenants, and in 2000 was made a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

. In the

2004 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2004 were appointments by some of the Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

, she was appointed an

for services to fencing. In 2004, as a retirement project, she set up a bed and breakfast at Uplands House, Banbury, in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

. In 2015, Cooksey was Master of the

Guild of Freemen of the City of London The Guild of Freemen of the City of London is an association of those who hold the Freedom of the City of London. Membership of the Guild is open to all freemen, regardless of whether they are also members of a City livery company.

, to be succeeded by Sir David Wootton.

Personal life

In 1966, as Janet Bewley Cathie, she married the Olympic oarsman

, and they had one daughter, Atlanta Jane, born in 1969. In the early years of the marriage, her husband was a schoolmaster at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and they lived at

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventually tr ...

. He joined

Plessey The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas compani ...

as a systems analyst but was killed in a road accident in January 1970.Hugh Arthur Wardell-Yerburgh
at douglashistory.co.uk, accessed 3 April 2019 They were then living on

Ham Island Ham Island is an inhabited man-made island of roughly 50 hectares (125 acres) in the River Thames in Old Windsor in England. It was a mature meander of the Thames until a channel was dug, the New Cut, to build Old Windsor Lock which reduced th ...

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from old ...

. In May 1973, as Janet Wardell-Yerburgh, she married David Cooksey, who was knighted in 1993."COOKSEY, Janet Clouston Bewley (Poppy)" in '' Debrett's People of Today'' (Debrett's, 2002), p. 419 They had two children, Leanda (born 1974) and Alexander (born 1976), and lived at Aston House, Lower Mall,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, and Brooklands,

Swanwick, Hampshire Swanwick () is a village in Hampshire, England, east of the River Hamble and north of the M27 motorway. The village is located within the borough of Fareham and is the site of the London Area Control Centre (LACC) and the London Terminal Contro ...

. Brooklands is a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

which had been divided into three, and in the 1980s the Cookseys bought one of these, then later acquired the other two, restoring them into a single house and bringing in Roy Strong to design a pond and water features.Brooklands
Hampshire Gardens Trust, accessed 14 September 2022 They were divorced in 2003."Cooksey, Sir David James Scott" in '' Debrett's People of Today'' (Debrett's, 2006), p. 349: "m. 1973 (m. dis. 2003), Janet Clouston Bewley, da. of Dr lan Aysgarth Bewley Cathie" Brooklands was sold in 2006. Cooksey is now the partner of fellow Olympic fencer Dr Graham Paul.

Publication

*J. C. B. Cooksey, ''Alexander Nasmyth H.R.S.A. 1758–1840: a Man of the Scottish Renaissance'' (Southampton, 1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooksey, Poppy (Janet Clouston Bewley) 1940 births Alumni of the University of St Andrews British female fencers Commonwealth Games medallists in fencing Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire Fencers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Fencers at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Olympic fencers of Great Britain People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College People from Gomshall