Cook (Cooke) family from Eaton Bray

My grandmother was a Cook and I have traced her paternal line back to William Cooke who was baptised/born on 17 Sept 1581 in Eaton Bray. Is it possible to take a look at the parish records to see if William's parents are recorded. Also I have found that the Cook (Cooke) family was present in Eaton Bray for many generations and I am wondering if anyone has any anecdotal information about the family, such as their occupations.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Kind regards,
William Robinson.

Hi William...Found Williams baptism but no parents recorded.There is however a baptism on April 3rd 1583 Andrew to a John Cooke.Will post marriage and baptisms before William later.

Marriages pre William as transcribed from Parish Records…
June 8th 1560 Henry Okeley to Alice Coke…
November 6th 1561 Henry Cooke to Joan Clarke…
January 15th 1561 Hugh Cooke to Elizabeth Stevens…
May 30th 1562 Lawrence Symmes to Alice Cooke…
July 8th 1563 John Cooke to Joan George…
October 5th 1564 John Coke to Margaret Burges…
November 10th 1566 John Spenser to Alice Cooke…
November 23rd 1567 Urian Cooke to Elizabeth Temple…
October 11th 1573 Lawrence Burre to Dorothy Cooke…
October 19th 1573 Gilbert Hawkins to Sybil Cooke…
November 22nd 1573 John Collin to Alice Cooke…
July 17th 1574 Percival Clarke to Joyce Cooke…
January 18th 1574 William Jonson to Christian Cooke…
November 4th 1576 Henry Evance to Joan Coke…
June 1st 1581 Richard Coke to Agnes Sandon…

Hi William, My search indicates that there is a connection with Elizabeth Cook 1670-1723,nee Bonnick in my line. Is this name within your records? Hope you don't mind, regards Jim Gurney

Hi, I am also tracing Cook/es,I have a James Cook who married Ann Turnham in June 1801 at Tottenhoe but can't seem to locate his birth. There are so many Cook/es in Eataon Bray that I feel he must be related in some way. The Elizabeth Cook in the message from Jim Gurney is also related but by another branch.Any help would be appreciated.
Regards Dawn

Hi Dawn The Elizabeth Cook which I have appears to have a Maiden name of Bonnick. She was, as far as I know, married to Robert Gurney in 1700. Any connection? Regards Jim

Hi Jim, Just got back from a week away so will contact you in the next couple of days when I have had chance to check out the info I have.
Regards Dawn

Hi Jim, Eaton Bray parish baptism records: 2nd Sept 1704 Robert, son of Elizabeth Cooke, widow.
Robert Gurney, reputed father.
No other children for these two or any marriage in Eaton Bray.
Elizabeth Bonnick was baptised 25th March 1670 but I can't find any marriage for an Elizabeth Bonnick.
The entries for Cook, Bonnick and Gurney do often seem to have an "alias" ie: Cook alias Gurney or Bonnick alias Cook. I have no idea why, unless they didn't marry!!
Hope this helps
Regards Dawn

Hi,

My 4x Great Grandfather, John Cook, was living at 126 Great Green, Eaton Bray according to the 1851 English census, along with his wife Mary Ward. He was born about 1787 in Soulbury, BUCKS, with the occupation given as "agricltural labourer". He died in the 4th Quarter of 1851 in the Leighton Buzzard Registration District. One of his children, Henry William Cook born about 1826,(place unknown) came to Australia at an unknown date. His other children remained in Bedfordshire. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on his family, or find any further information re the Cook or Ward families.
I live in Australia, and am trying to follow in the footsteps of my Mother, and continue her search in the genealogy and history of our family.

Many thanks from Linda

Hello Dawn. Thanks for your reply. I believe that there was an Alexander
1703 somewhere in the Gurney/Bonnick line. I think you are probably right in thinking no marriage. Thanks again, take care Jim

Hello Tom n Harry and all distant likely distant relatives from the Eaton Bray Cook/Cooke/Coke generations. I started this thread and have just now come back to it.

It seems that as far back as the 1560 and 1570s there were already 5 or 6 male lines in the Eaton Bray Cook set :

6-Nov-1561 Henry Cooke to Joan Clark.

15-Jan-1561 Hugh Cooke to Elizabeth Stevens

6-Jul-1563 John Cooke to Joan George

5-Oct-1564 John Coke to Margaret Burges

23-Nov-1567 Urian Cooke  to Elizabeth Temple

1-Jun-1581 Richard Coke to Agnes Sandon

So connecting all of us researchers together through the family tree is challenging!

Tom n Harry, can you provide any information on other baptisms at Eaton Bray for the Cook/Cooke/Coke family in the 1560 to 1590 time frame ? Any help in this area would be fantastic. Thanks for what you have already done.

Jim Gurney, I have no records of any marriages to the Gurney family in my Cook line, but I have not studied the marriages of the brothers and sisters of my direct ancestors.

Dawn Clark, there are no Bonnicks in my records. I have 3 "James Cook" in my records. They are each a brother of one of my direct ancestors :

Born 20-May-1798 in Great Gaddesden & Nettleden, Hertforshire

Born 6-Dec-1660 in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire

Born 2-Feb-1755 in Eaton Bray, Bedforshire

Linda Ottery, my Cook line left Eaton Bray between 1754 and 1780 but stayed in the general vicinity. I have no Mary Ward in my records, nor any record of a Soulbury location.

Thanks to everyone for contributing.

Have found Baptisms for the time frame requested but not all give parents names. Cooke is first entry in Parish Registers.

BAPTISMS... April 2nd 1559 Jasper Cooke... July 14th 1560 Robert Coke...Aug 4th 1560 James Coke... March 28th 1561 Margaret Cooke... May 18th 1561 Thomas son of John Cooke... Aug 17th 1561 Agnes Cooke... April 14th 1562 Eve Cooke... Aug 4th 1562 Thomas son of Henry Cooke... Sept 18th 1562 Agnes Cooke... April 27th 1563 Philip Coke... Nov 14th 1563 Agnes Coke... Dec 13th 1563 Robert Coke... Jan 6th 1563 Richard Coke... Jan 6th 1563 William Cooke... March 25th 1564 John Cooke... April 18th 1565 William son of H Cooke... July 25th 1565 Eleanor Cooke... Nov 30th 1565 Mary Coke... Jan 27th 1565 Elizabeth Coke... May 26th 1566 Frances Cooke... Dec 22nd 1566 Julian Coke... Sept 21st 1567 Eleanor Coke... Sept 28th 1567 Michael Coke... Nov 30th 1567 John Coke... June 27th 1568 George Cooke... Oct 3rd 1568 Richard Coke... Aug 31st 1569 James Coke... Jan 22nd 1569 Henry Coke... Jan 29th 1569 Hugh Coke... Jan 6th 1570 Eleanor Coke... Feb 2nd 1570 Thomas Cocke... April 1st 1571 Mary Coke... Oct 1st 1571 John Cooke... June 22nd 1572 Elizabeth Cooke... Dec 25th 1573 Katherine Cooke... Aug 1st 1574 Walter Cooke... June 24th 1576 John Cooke... Oct 18th 1576 Giles Cooke... Sept 17th 1581 William Cooke... Oct 15th 1581 John Cooke... April 3rd 1583 Andrew son of John Cooke... Oct 6th 1587 Katherine Cooke... Jan 5th 1587 Edmund Cooke... May 10th 1588 Thomas Cooke... April 16th 1589 Eleanor daughter of Richard Cooke... March 17th 1589 Alice daughter of Philip Cooke... June 11th 1590 Ellen daughter of Edmund Cooke... Jan 22nd 1590 John son of "Erian" Cooke...... no entries between Dec 1583 to March 1586

Burials for 1559-1590.…….
Dec 5th 1559 Thomas Coke…
April 8th 1562 Joan Cooke…
May 30th 1562 Joan wife of Richard Cooke…
June 2nd 1562 Richard Cooke of Bower Lane…
July 2nd 1562 Joan Cooke of East End…
Feb 26th 1562 Alice Cooke…
Sept 11th 1563 Agnes Coke…
Jan 14th 1563 William Coke…
Feb 8th 1563 Robert Coke…
July 28th 1567 Alice Coke…
April 22nd 1571 Thomas Cockes…
Aug 13th 1571 John Cooke…
May 3rd 1572 William Cockes…
Feb 9th 1572 Alice Cooke…
April 14th 1573 Henry Cooke…
May 8th 1573 Joan Cooke…
May 23rd 1573 Mary Cooke…
Oct 7th 1578 Joan Coke…
Jan 27th 1579 Catherine Coke…
April 7th 1580 Margaret Coke…
Dec 26th 1580 Agnes Cooke…
Oct 13th 1581 Agnes Cooke…
Oct 28th 1581 John Cooke…
May 8th 1586 (Blank) son of “Erian” Coke…
Feb 15th 1587 John Cooke…
March 28th 1588 Elizabeth Cooke…
June 11th 1588 William Cooke…
June 24th 1588 Robert Cooke…
Oct 16th 1588 Edmond Cooke…No records for Sept 1583 to March 1886.

Tom n Harry, thank you so much for providing this data. This should keep me busy for a while !! I really appreciate your help.

Hello William, My James Cook married Ann Turnham in Totternhoe  in 1802 so I think he was probably born about 1780. Thanks for the info though it may help me in the future.
Regards Dawn

Hi Linda Ottery
I am living in South Africa and busy with my doctorate on the South African Cook(s) family. The "s" was added in South Africa. I believe that we are related to the brother of John Cook born circ 1700 married to Elizabeth Easton or Eaton in 1721 at Great Ayton. John was buried in St. Germaine's Churchyard. Captain James Cook's father James was also buried in the same graveyard. The father of John and James was also John Cook(e) born in 1675 at Ednam Roxburghshire UK. I was hoping to link this John to his ancestors as far as possible. Remember that some of these info must still be proved. James Cook(s) Please keep me on your distribution list. James Cook(s)

Hi Is there any connection between the Eaton Bray Cook's families and the Capt James Cook families?

To William Robinson.
There is an entry in the Eaton Bray Baptism register on 2/9/1704 Robert son of Elizabeth Cook, widow, reputed father Robert Gurney. There is also a marriage entry for Robert Gurney alias Cook to Mary Timpson 15/04/1727.
Thanks for the James Cook info
Regards Dawn

Re Captain James Cook and connection to Eaton Bray's Cook families.

I don't believe there is any connection, as Captain James Cook was born in Marton, Middlesborough, which is 218 miles north of Eaton Bray. There is a good site at http://www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ccne/familytree.htm which describes his life, family tree etc.

Hope this helps

Cheers from Linda

Hi all, I have a friend by the name of Ronald cooks from vereeniging RSA and he belongs to that family who added the s in the south african line

Hi Collin
Ronald is related to me. I completed my book on the South African Cooks family. Our ancestor James Cook came into the country during 1850 and settled in Adelaide (Eastern Cape). I can be contacted at [email protected]