The majority of family members shown on our interactive family tree share a common ancestor in the form of ‘big’ John Cobbold (1745-1835). He was the grandson of the founder of the brewery, inherited the business when he was only 22 years old and added to its prosperity enormously. The high regard in which he was held for his business acumen was only exceeded by envy for his philoprogenitive capacity which gave us 15 ancestors by his first wife and another 7 by his second.
One day an email arrived from a collector in New Zealand saying that he had in his collection a mourning ring inscribed “Sarah Cobbold ob 30 July 1777 ae 60”. Did we know who this was, he asked. Well, we most certainly knew that it was none other than ‘big’ John’s mother and to cut a long story and a protracted negotiation short the Trust has acquired the ring.
When it arrived it was clearly a lady’s ring so we fell to wondering who might have worn it. On the assumption that it will have been made and worn immediately after the death there are relatively few candidates. ‘Big’ John’s first wife Elizabeth (née Wilkinson 1753-1790) is a possible but much more likely is one of his two living sisters, either Sarah (1744-1839) who married William Rout of Stowmarket or Mary (1750-1832) who was married to Rev George Routh, who was Rector of St Clements and St Helens at that time.
Mary’s candidacy would seem to be slightly enhanced by the fact that her father, Thomas (1708-1767), the 2nd generation brewer had been the first to occupy the family tomb in St Clements having been laid there beneath a stone declaring him ‘Common Brewer’ only 10 years previously. Of course the term ‘Common Brewer’ did not have the derogative overtones that it carries today; it simply indicated that he supplied beer to other pubs as well as his own.
The ring is gold and carries 21 small diamonds around a glass oval in front of what would have been either a picture or a lock of hair had not some decay occurred. It appears that it would not be difficult to open the ring to see whether a DNA sample could be obtained.
In October 2011 The Daily Telegraph carried the story of a mourning ring being restored to its rightful owners (the Hare family in Norfolk) after an absence of 180 years. Our score is 234!
Sarah is #45 on the family tree.
