William Cooke (c. 1620 – 1703), of

Highnam Court Highnam Court is a Grade I listed country house in Highnam, Gloucestershire, England, constructed in the 17th century. The estate passed from the Cooke family to the Guise family and, in the mid-19th century, was purchased by a member of the Gamb ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, was an English politician. He was a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(MP) of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in 1679 and 1689 to 1695.

Biography

William Cooke, the eldest son of Sir Robert Cooke of Highnam Court and his first wife Dorothy Fleetwood, was born c. 1620. His mother was the daughter of Sir Miles Fleetwood of

Aldwinkle Aldwincle (sometimes Aldwinkle or Aldwinckle) is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, with a population at the time of the 2011 census of 322. It stands by a bend in the River Nene, to the north of Thrapston. The name of the v ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, Receiver of the

Court of Wards The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and liv ...

, and his wife Ann Luke. His younger brother, Edward Cooke, was a Member of Parliament for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Riv ...

. Cooke was admitted to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1636. His father's political affiliations drew the ire of the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The family manor at

Highnam Highnam is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of the city of Gloucester. It is three miles northwest of the city on the A40, on the way to Ross, west of Alney Island and Over Bridge. It is connected by Segregated Bicycle Paths via Over ...

was attacked by the Royalists, and the elder Cooke withdrew with his family to

, where he died that same year, in 1643. William Cooke succeeded his father to the manor of Highnam, which was just west of Gloucester. The Cooke family had been at Highnam Court since 1597, when his grandfather, Sir William Cooke, married heiress Joyce Lucy, daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy. On 30 March 1648, Cooke married Anne Rolle, daughter of Dennis Rolle of the manor of

Stevenstone Stevenstone is a former manor within the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same r ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. The couple had nine sons and seven daughters. After the civil war ended, William Cooke began rebuilding Highnam Court, which had been demolished in the attacks. The manor at Highnam was built in 1658. While its architect is unknown, it is believed that it was designed by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

or his student, Francis Carter. Cooke served as

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

in 1663. That year, his wife died. She was interred adjacent to the small chapel that had been built five decades previously by Cooke's grandfather, Sir William Cooke, near the southwest corner of the house. In 1668, both Cooke and Edward Cooke held office as two of the four

Verderers Verderers are forestry officials in England who deal with common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of the Crown. The office was developed in the Middle Ages to administer forest law on behalf of the King. Verderers ...

of the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...

; both retained that position for many years, although there is some disagreement as to whether the Edward in question was William's son or brother. He became a

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

and

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

for Gloucester in 1672. He was a Commissioner of Inquiry for the Forest of Dean in 1673, 1679, 1683, and 1691. Cooke served as

Mayor of Gloucester In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

three times. He was first elected in 1673, serving until 1674. His second term started in November 1688, following the resignation of the Roman Catholic mayor, and continued until the following year. In April 1699, the mayoral incumbent died, and Cooke assumed the office of mayor for the third time, until September of that year. William Cooke was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

, as Member of Parliament for Gloucester, and served from March 1679 to July 1679 and, again, from 1689 to 1695. Both Cooke and his son Edward were put on the Royal Commission of 1692. William Cooke died in 1703, and was succeeded by his son Edward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, William 1620 births 1703 deaths People from Highnam Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Gloucester English MPs 1679 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire Mayors of Gloucester