At a talk given earlier this year to The Woodbridge Society the Trust offered £100 to kick start a small fund for the refurbishment of the lantern in the porch of St. Mary’s Church. The lantern was given in memory of Rev. Rowland Francis Cobbold (#258 on the family tree) and his wife, Lilian née Parkes. The offer was accepted, further funds being raised by a concert and an additional donation from Rear Admiral Richard Cobbold (#545), so that the work will begin shortly.
Amongst the connections between Cobbolds and Woodbridge we know that Felix Thornley (#201) was the unsuccessful Liberal parliamentary candidate for Woodbridge in 1900 and in addition to Rowland Frances (above) who retired to Farlingaye Hall, his older brother, Alfred Townshend (#253) chose Holly Lodge, Seckford Street for his final home.
In an article on this subject in the Society’s Newsletter, Autumn 2015, Chairman Alan Vaughan quotes the obituary of Maj. Ernest St. George Cobbold (#199) who had been managing partner of the Woodbridge branch of Bacon Cobbold and Co’s bank and Secretary and Trustee of the Woodbridge Savings Bank.
‘He was commanding officer of the Woodbridge Rifle Volunteer Corps, a county magistrate and Chairman of the Woodbridge Board of Guardians. Upon the formation of the Seckford Reading Room and Social Club, Mr Cobbold, then a governor of the Seckford Charity was chosen as a Senior Vice-President, and he has left reminiscences of the interest he took in that institution in the large and handsome cases of stuffed birds and natural history specimens that now ornament the Reading Room. He was also the Worshipful Master of the ‘Doric’ Lodge of Freemasons and Treasurer of the ‘Deben’ Lodge of the Oddfellows. In the halcyon days of the Woodbridge athletic sports he was a warm supporter of that popular Easter Monday gathering.’
As Alan Vaughan observes ‘Ernest’s obituary is a window on life in Woodbridge at that time.’
