Welcome

This website traces the ancestry of four couples, our grandparents, born between 1895 and 1919. Each is the starting point of one of the four families below: Barnes, Whitmore, Cocks and Westlake. Between them they have 399 direct ancestors recorded here, the earliest born around 1555.

Like many English families, theirs left country parishes in the 19th century for the growing towns and cities: the Cocks and Bakers for London, the Whitmores for Birmingham and later Hull, the Godfreys for Bristol, and the Westlakes and Mansfields for Cardiff. Counting all of them, the counties where most were born are Sussex, Somerset, Essex, Devon, Middlesex and Suffolk.

The Cocks and Baker families were researched first and go back furthest: on several lines to the 17th or 16th centuries, and in a few cases to the beginnings of parish records. The other three families were added more recently, and their trees are still growing. The research is our own, built from parish registers, census returns, civil registration, wills and old newspapers.

The four families

Barnes	Dendy Barnes (1895-1953) and Emily Joyce Godfrey (1919-1987)
Origins	The Barnes family came from Kingsclere in Hampshire, then lived around Wokingham in Berkshire before settling in Horsell, Surrey. The Godfreys were Somerset people who moved by way of Stafford and Worcester to Bristol.
Earliest Barnes	William Barnes, father of William Barnes, christened 1813 in Kingsclere, Hampshire
Earliest Godfrey	William Godfrey, father of Robert Godfrey, christened 1811 in Walton, Somerset
Ancestors	43 people in 5 generations, back to 1780
See also	Ancestor chart  |  Map of Barnes ancestors  |  Map of Godfrey ancestors

Whitmore	Norman Eli Whitmore (1912-1976) and Hilda Phillips (1915-1978)
Origins	The Whitmores moved from Brackley in Northamptonshire to Aston in Birmingham, and later by way of Barrow-in-Furness to Hull. The Phillips family were Brighton people for at least three generations.
Earliest Whitmore	William Whitmore, father of Thomas Taylor Whitmore, born about 1796 in Brackley, Northamptonshire
Earliest Phillips	William George Phillips, born about 1858 in Brighton, Sussex
Ancestors	42 people in 5 generations, back to 1796
See also	Ancestor chart  |  Map of Whitmore ancestors  |  Map of Phillips ancestors

Cocks	Dr Denis Cocks (1915-1992) and Mary Louise Baker (1915-2010)
Origins	The Cocks family came from Somerset in the west and from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex in the east. The Bakers came almost entirely from Sussex. Both moved into London in the 19th century.
Earliest Cocks	Moses Cocks, born about 1793 in Starston, Norfolk
Earliest Baker	Samuel Baker, born about 1715
Ancestors	261 people in 14 generations, back to 1555
See also	Ancestor chart  |  Map of Cocks ancestors  |  Map of Baker ancestors

Westlake	Charles Jeffery Westlake (1911-1982) and Elizabeth Irene Mansfield (1912-2000)
Origins	The Westlakes came from the villages of Beer and Branscombe in Devon to Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff. The Mansfields came from around Bridgwater in Somerset, and also settled in Cardiff.
Earliest Westlake	Thomas Westlake, father of John Westlake, christened 1808 in Seaton, Devon
Earliest Mansfield	William Mansfield, father of Alexander Mansfield, christened 1808 in Durleigh, Somerset
Ancestors	53 people in 5 generations, back to 1803
See also	Ancestor chart  |  Map of Westlake ancestors  |  Map of Mansfield ancestors

The chart below shows each couple's direct ancestors. Choose a family to see its chart. You can scroll horizontally, hover over individual names to find out more, or click on names to go straight to their page. To explore further, use the main menu above or the yellow drop-down menu, or search for someone by name.

Brick walls

These are the nearest of our direct ancestors whose parents we have not yet found, counting back from the four couples. If you know anything about them, please get in touch.

Name	Born	Relationship	Family
Ann Parker	Born about 1855 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire	Grandmother of Norman Eli Whitmore	Whitmore
George Groves	Born about 1853 in Smethwick, Staffordshire	Grandfather of Norman Eli Whitmore	Whitmore
George Clements	Born about 1817 in Elmdon, Essex	Great-grandfather of Emily Joyce Godfrey	Barnes
Ann Monk	Born about 1816 in Manuden, Essex	Great-grandmother of Emily Joyce Godfrey	Barnes
Patience Hall	Born about 1815	Great-grandmother of Dendy Barnes	Barnes
Thomas Arnott	Born about 1810 in Penllyn, Glamorgan	Great-grandfather of Elizabeth Irene Mansfield	Westlake
Mary Williams	Born about 1809 in Cowbridge, Glamorgan	Great-grandmother of Elizabeth Irene Mansfield	Westlake
Jane Setter	Born about 1808 in Ireland	Great-grandmother of Emily Joyce Godfrey	Barnes
Richard Best	Born about 1807 in Cuckfield, Sussex	Great-grandfather of Hilda Phillips	Whitmore
Mary Nichols	Born about 1807 in Westminster, Middlesex	Great-grandmother of Mary Louise Baker	Cocks
Hannah Brooks	Born about 1802 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire	Great-grandmother of Norman Eli Whitmore	Whitmore
John Connell	Born about 1800 in Ireland	Great-grandfather of Emily Joyce Godfrey	Barnes
John Cooper	Born about 1784	Great-grandfather of Dendy Barnes	Barnes
Lydia	Born about 1780 in Burghfield, Berkshire	Great-grandmother of Dendy Barnes	Barnes
George Borer	Not known	Great-grandfather of Dendy Barnes	Barnes

Chief interests

The table below shows the families and places most closely associated with each of the four lines. If you have any links with these families, or could share information, please get in touch.

Family	Surname	Place	Period
Barnes	Clements	Heydon, Essex	1838-1920
Barnes	Goddard	Hurst, Berkshire	1813-1886
Barnes	Barnes	Kingsclere, Hampshire	1813-1875
Whitmore	Phillips	Brighton, Sussex	1839-1978
Whitmore	Best	Brighton, Sussex	1882-1958
Whitmore	Whitmore	Aston, Warwickshire	1838-1976
Cocks	Tadd	Selsey, Sussex	1688-1896
Cocks	Burton	Eastbourne, Sussex	1565-1641
Cocks	Gentry	Bocking, Essex	1717-1865
Westlake	Westlake	Beer, Seaton, Devon	1808-1892
Westlake	Mansfield	Bridgwater, Somerset	1834-1915
Westlake	Rodd	High Ham, Somerset	1845-1898