The Cobbold Family Tree, a genealogical project with more than 15,000 entries, stands out for the meticulous study and care that has gone into its compilation over 20 years.
Anthony Cobbold, in a labour of love, has created a unique and invaluable resource for researching family history, alongside a proactive charity to further its study. For every Cobbold on the Cobbold Family Tree, there is a spouse from another family, and so the Tree details the history of countless families alongside the Cobbolds. At the Tree’s roots are the Cobbolds of Suffolk, but the Tree’s blossoms now spread to cover every corner of the globe.
There are Cobbolds in significant numbers in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada; there are Cobbolds in South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Seychelles, India; Cobbolds continue to spill out into Ireland and France and in all directions… Cobbolds are everywhere!
But the family’s traceable roots begin in East Anglia and so it is fitting that Cobbold Family History Trust is now resident in the borders of East Anglia, in Hertfordshire, at the home of the family of Cameron Cobbold (1904-1987), 1st Baron Cobbold.
The earliest Cobbold in the family tree is currently Robert Cobbold (1529–1603), #1 in the Archive’s numbering, and our acorn, so to speak. That’s as far back as our original researcher, the diligent Felix Thornley Cobbold (1841-1909), chose to go. However, we do hold inherited records for the Chevallier family that trace all the way back to the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) – a remarkable heritage indeed!
The Cobbold Family History Trust website welcomes about 20 visitors a day – that’s 1,800 visitors in the last 90 days. The website does well from Google searches and it appears many visitors land on the site searching for their own names. Our mission is to turn these searches into a wider fascination for – and understanding of – the family, its history and its times. To encourage this, the Trust has launched this quarterly newsletter to spread news of all Cobbolds and Kin, and gradually to introduce you to every fascinating forgotten story and every intriguing new discovery made by our Archives team and by our readers. Please spread the word.
Unlike other online genealogy sites, the Cobbold Family History Trust website is a free resource. Our priority going forward is to welcome all interested readers and researchers, and to learn and grow from you and from your stories. So please share your family tales and photos with us. Help us grow this remarkable and colourful fruit-bearing Tree for the benefit of this and future generations. Send us all and any Cobbold and Kin news. We appreciate your interest and your support. As this article is written, a special thank you to Juliet Felton, whose donation has enabled us to add 15 new photographs to the website. Every contribution makes this beautiful Tree and its precious archive stronger and more splendid!
