THE CHURCH OF ST. CLEMENT, Ipswich Oct. 2022
The last time we wrote about St. Clement’s (we should write the Church of St. Clement but are permitting ourselves to slip into current usage) it was to describe a beautiful leather tribute book given to an ailing church warden, signed by over 200 parishioners, of whom five were Cobbolds, in January 1909. It was the gift of Delia Golding and we wrote about in this column in July 2019.
St. Clement’s, one of Ipswich’s twelve medieval churches is currently being cared for by the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust. The main structure dates from the late 14th and early 15th centuries and is one of three dockland churches and was long known as The Sailors’ Church, St. Clement being the patron saint of sailors. Partly because of the number of family monuments it is sometimes known as the Cobbold Church.
Although Thomas Cobbold (1680-1752) #31 on the family tree, the founder of the brewery was buried at St. James’ Bury St. Edmunds his son, also Thomas (1708-1767) #44 was the first to occupy the family tomb at St. Clement’s. We understand that the tomb is beneath the altar but a headstone to ‘young’ Thomas stands just near the font and describes him as a ‘Common Brewer’ meaning that, in days when most pubs brewed their own, he had started a wholesale trade.
The third-generation brewer, fair haired and blue eyed, John Cobbold (1746-1835) #56 who has certainly earned his modern nick name of ‘Big John’ on account of his prolonged business stewardship and his huge philoprogenitive capacity (he fathered 22 children) also occupies the tomb with both his wives, Elizabeth Wilkinson (1753-1790) #57 and Elizabeth Knipe (1765-1835) #58
Also in the vault are the remains of Reverend George Routh (1740-1821) #63 who was Rector of St. Clements in the 1770s. He married Mary Cobbold (1750-1832) #62, who subsequently joined him, daughter of ‘young’ Thomas. They had no children of their own but adopted Henstridge Cobbold (1775-1849) #2873, the daughter of Mary’s brother William. Following the death of her husband Mary erected a monument to him on a piece of land they owned in Foxhall, Ipswich and the neighbouring farm became known as Monument Farm. The land must have become valuable as when Henstridge was elderly she appears to have been a wealthy woman.
No church is complete without bells and those in St, Clement’s were made byJohn Darbie, an Ipswich bell founder between 1660 and 1680. In 1884 a carillon was installed, the gift of Felix Thornley Cobbold (1841-1909) #201 in memory of his father John Chevallier Cobbold (1797-1882) #114. These bells were rung vigorously in 1891 to celebrate the homecoming of John Dupuis Cobbold (1861-1920) #307 and his bride Lady Evelyn (1867-1963) #308.
Monumental inscriptions are also prominent for Adela Harriette Cobbold (1837-1917) #187 and Mary Anne Cobbold (1806-1868) #8595 and the church witnessed at least three other Cobbold baptisms, six weddings and a funeral!
