William Cookes (1788-1853) was a member of the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society. In 1844 he donated a collection of 40 slabs of various types of wood from Britain and across the world. Among these are English Oak, English Maple, Ebony, and Zebra wood.
Setting up business in Warwick
He was born around 1788, and married Mary Cheetham of Nottingham in 1809. They went on to have four sons. In the period between 1812 and 1816, William set up his own upholstery and cabinet making business in Warwick. In 1820, he also became an auctioneer and had an estate agent business in Leamington Spa. Whilst the cabinet making and upholstery business was his main focus, the estate agents operated as a successful separate entity and continued after the cabinet making firm had ceased trading in 1867.
Two of William’s sons, John and Walter became master cabinet makers and entered into the partnership with their father sometime between 1830 and 1835. By 1840, Cookes and Sons was a very reputable company and granted a Royal Warrant. Whilst it is uncertain how they gained this, they had clientele among the aristocracy including the Lucy family of Charlecote Park and Sir Charles Mordaunt of Walton House.
The Kenilworth Buffet
From the 1840s, there were great exhibitions which would enable craftsmen and artisans to showcase their work further afield. Cookes and Sons participated in these and did very well. A notable occasion is their contribution to the ‘Great Exhibition of 1851’ where they exhibited the ‘Kenilworth Buffet’ which won a prize medal. This was a sideboard made from oak and carved with scenes from Walter Scott’s novel Kenilworth. The following year, the sideboard was purchased for a large sum by the people of Warwickshire for Lord Brooke, son of the Earl of Warwick, as a wedding gift. Today, it is on display at Warwick Castle in the Great Hall.
References
Royal Commission (1851) Official catalogue of the Great Exhibition of the works of Industry of all nations, 1851. London: W. Clowes & Sons.
Stevens, A. (1966) The Woodcarvers of Warwick. Warwick: Warwickshire County Council.
Stevens, A. (1980) The Woodcarvers of Warwick. Warwick: Warwickshire Museum.
Comments
Add a comment about this page