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 460 direct ancestors recorded here, the earliest born around 1555.
The counties where most of their ancestors were born are Sussex, Somerset, Essex, Devon, Middlesex and Suffolk.
The Cocks family is traced furthest, to 1555. The research is our own, built from parish registers, census returns, civil registration, wills and old newspapers.
| Cocks | Dr Denis Cocks (1915-1992) and Mary Louise Baker (1915-2010) |
| Origins | The Cocks line runs from Starston, Norfolk, through Aldeburgh, Suffolk, and Middlesex to West Ham, Essex, and Ealing. Baker ancestors were chiefly born in Sussex; the surname line is recorded at Sedlescombe, Westfield, Hawkhurst, Battle, Ore and Brighton, and later in Ealing. |
| Earliest Cocks | Moses Cocks, born about 1793 in Starston, Norfolk, father of Jeremiah George Cocks |
| Earliest Baker | Samuel Baker, born about 1715, father of Abigail Baker |
| Ancestors | 261 people in 14 generations, back to 1555 |
| See also | Ancestor chart | Map of Cocks ancestors | Map of Baker 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.
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 |
| George Groves | Born about 1853 in Smethwick, Staffordshire | Grandfather of Norman Eli Whitmore | Whitmore |
| William Henry Parker | Born about 1832 in Tipton, Staffordshire | Great-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 |
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 | Goddard | Hurst, Berkshire | 1803-1886 |
| Barnes | Barnes | Kingsclere, Hampshire | 1773-1875 |
| Barnes | Clements | Heydon, Essex | 1838-1920 |
| Whitmore | Saunders | Broughton Hackett, Worcestershire | 1811-1878 |
| Whitmore | Phillips | Brighton, Sussex | 1839-1978 |
| Whitmore | Whitmore | Brackley, Northamptonshire | 1783-1860 |
| Cocks | Tadd | Selsey, Sussex | 1688-1896 |
| Cocks | Burton | Eastbourne, Sussex | 1565-1641 |
| Cocks | Gentry | Bocking, Essex | 1717-1865 |
| Westlake | Meaker | High Ham, Somerset | 1824-1894 |
| Westlake | Westlake | Beer, Seaton, Devon | 1808-1892 |
| Westlake | Rodd | High Ham, Somerset | 1811-1898 |
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