DAVID COBBOLD (1937-2022). A Personal Reflection. May 2022
I first met David, albeit very briefly when, as an undergraduate he had digs in Park Parade, Cambridge, close to those of a friend. Little did I know then how significant he would become in my later life. Those were the days when his father was Governor of The Bank of England and we were both expected to stand our friends free beers because the Cobbold brewery in Ipswich owned pubs in Cambridge.
In the early days of my interest in family history Jill and I were invited to lunch one Sunday with his parents. Lost in the lanes of Hertfordshire, before the days of satnavs, we were late arriving not knowing that punctuality was one of his parents’ red lines.
Luckily, I survived because later when I enquired whether David would be happy to become the founder patron of The Cobbold Family History Trust he readily agreed and his generous support has been welcome and appreciated ever since. One memorable year, when visiting Knebworth, he gave the Trust a watercolour of the wedding procession of his great, great grandparents in 1837. They were Reverend Charles Boutell, author of Boutell’s Heraldry and many other archaeological works and Mary Chevallier, daughter of Reverend John (Barley) Chevallier, the discoverer of the eponymous malting barley which became the barley of choice for over half the nation’s maltsters..
The illustration, which showed the names of everybody in the four coaches, led us to some most interesting research and was chosen for that year’s Trust Christmas card. This is but one instance of his help to a fledgling body and typifies his life-long caring for the underdog. Before illness robbed us of him, he knew that the Trust’s archive was destined to come to Knebworth and I derive particular pleasure from his approval. My life and that of the Trust were unquestionably enhanced by having had the privilege of his patronage.
Anthony Cobbold
