Publications
Chichester Theatre and George Frederick Cooke, by Lord William Pitt Lennox, published 1876 in Celebrities I have Known (vol. 2, article, pp.269-282) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7021]
Stanley Cook. Poet of the Sussex Downs, by H. M. Walbrook, published 1928 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. II no. 1, article, pp.30-31) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9327] & The Keep [LIB/500138]
Obituary: Bernard Campbell Cooke, by G. D. J. [G. D. Johnston], published November 1953 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIII nos. 15 & 16, article, pp.332-333) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8231] & The Keep [LIB/500215] & S.A.S. library
George Frederick Cooke at Chichester, 1809, by Emlyn Thomas, published January 1989 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 42, article, p.1) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/42] & The Keep [LIB/500482]
Grandfather's Disappearance, by Mrs. Anne Cook, published December 2000 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 4, article, p.145) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:Irwin Cook was manager of the Gas Works at Jarvis Brook, Crowborough from 1907 to 1914. He married Louisa Margaret née Wade in 1910. He disappeared on the 14th February 1914 when it was discovered that there was a shortfall in the accounts of the Gas Works.
William Cooke, steward of the Sheffield Estate 1828-1832, by Malcolm Lill, published 2006 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 144, article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15759] & The Keep [LIB/500362] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:The first two decades of the eighteenth century saw the birth of the 2nd Earl of Sheffield, the death of the 1st Earl and the beginnings of a decline in the fortunes of the Sheffield estate. Despite the appointment of an efficient estate steward in 1828, there was to be an inexorable movement downwards in the quality and production of the estate throughout the remainder of its occupancy by the Holroyd family.
When William Cooke was appointed in 1828, agriculture had been in decline throughout the country and many estates, including Sheffield, were suffering from insufficient capital for the maintenance of infrastructure and the purchasing of livestock. An estate steward, at this time, would have had to attend to many problems and often the necessary resources would not have been made available by the landowner. In order to fulfil his obligations, a steward would often find himself in an exposed position where a wrong move could result in him upsetting both his employer and also others who had an interest in the estate.
Cooke would come to be in just such a position and his loyalty to his employer, his adherence to his own principles and his pragmatic approach to the solving of difficult situations, would result in an untenable situation for the Sheffield estate steward. Despite his ability to manage the Earl of Sheffield's affairs efficiently, when it came to a choice between Cooke's expertise and political expediency, the earl chose to sacrifice the long-term wellbeing of the estate for the sake of 'peace in his time'.
When William Cooke was appointed in 1828, agriculture had been in decline throughout the country and many estates, including Sheffield, were suffering from insufficient capital for the maintenance of infrastructure and the purchasing of livestock. An estate steward, at this time, would have had to attend to many problems and often the necessary resources would not have been made available by the landowner. In order to fulfil his obligations, a steward would often find himself in an exposed position where a wrong move could result in him upsetting both his employer and also others who had an interest in the estate.
Cooke would come to be in just such a position and his loyalty to his employer, his adherence to his own principles and his pragmatic approach to the solving of difficult situations, would result in an untenable situation for the Sheffield estate steward. Despite his ability to manage the Earl of Sheffield's affairs efficiently, when it came to a choice between Cooke's expertise and political expediency, the earl chose to sacrifice the long-term wellbeing of the estate for the sake of 'peace in his time'.
Sussex Signalman, The Ted Cook Story, edited by Anthony P. Vent, published 2011 (Buggleskelly Books) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries