Sir William Cocker
 

William Wiggins Cocker, born 1897 in Higher Antley Street, Accrington (family originally came from Preston) As a boy he attended Hannah Stret School and later St Andrews.
After starting work as a commercial traveller with Woolley of Blackburn (it later became Cupal), and then founding a small one-man business in Infant Street (think where the wedding cake shop now is, once occupied by Robinsons coach and travel agency) - With help from his cousin, Dr Wesley Cocker, they began to manufacture chemicals, selling resins to the paint trade and together made the active ingredient for the famous antiseptic we all know as "DETTOL". He then expanded his operations to build "Cocker Chemicals" in Nook Lane, Oswaldtwistle.
He was managing director of the firm until 1963 when he went to live in St. Annes.
Much more detail on this gentleman is available.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

When councillor cocker lived on queens road facing the hospital kitchens in a very big house I delivered his sunday papers he was a very generous man and not a bit snobbish and he donated quite large sums of money to both st mary mags church and the church lads brigade

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

He had a lovely Rolls Royce - probably the only one ever seen in Accrington. I got a lift home in it a couple of times, because he was an honorary uncle to my friend Anne-Marie who lived on Queens Road. He was a very nice man, I remember, but the smell from his factory was awful!

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

We could do with more of his ilk on HBC...A true Accringtonian...and a Gentleman

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

The house is called "Glen Wold" and was built by my greatgrandfather, Alfred Greenwood. I understand he also built two houses next door. He lost all his money when Bury Brothers collapsed.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

hi atarah
can you please give more details about sir william cocker and where he lived

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

According to my late mother Conly Riley of Rileys Chemicals had a Rolls Royce - he let my mum drive it, much to the annoyance of Mrs Riley!

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

And a wonderful stench the factory made, blew out over the whole of Ossy when the wind was in the right direction.
Strange but a lot of people I have known who worked at Cockers seemed to die before they reached retirement age!!

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Were Cocker's Chemicals and Riley's Chemicals connected in any way? My mother worked for Rileys in the war years, they apparently made war gasses. She sadly died aged 64, just after retiring in 1984. The main problem was respiritory, but to be fair she smoked heavily all her life.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

In the late 60s and early 70s I lived in Eagle Street off New Lane Ossy, which overooked Cockers, it was about 100 yards accross open fields, in fact after a while you actually got used to the smell. The brook that flowed past Cockers carried on down through the Swanney, it was the cleanest river bed in England at the time all the stones were bleached and the brook actually frothed up with white foam blowing everywhere

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Is this the place?
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.s...F___&encType=1

Click the "Birds Eye" button at the top of the map.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I think I've answered my own question (i.e. No)

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...tml#post606351

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Thats a handy little site rt had a good shuftey

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I use it a lot. I have screendumps of maps and aerial photos on Brother's Keeper of all the places associated with my family.

Tip - if a search for an address doesn't work, Google the address, you're likely to find the Postcode then enter that in the search box on the map, making sure you select "locations."

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Ya rt I used the post code of a previous address to find it, have added the site to my favourites, cheers

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Great thread, very interesting.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

also Harry Bradshaw who owned National Mill Stores,Branded Lines, n the Home @ Export warehouse which was next door to the "Arden" inn had a Roller used to clean it fer him in 64.;)

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

He also as a building named after him at St. christophers high school

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

he was one of the first school governors for St Christophers
back in 61

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Never knew that, u learn something new every day.:eek:

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I've started a website centred on Glen Wold here:-

Glen Wold

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Quite interesting that rtbarton

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Thanks Atarah and everyone else who has logged info about Sir William Cocker, I'm tracing my family roots. I believe he is my mother's, mother's cousin.
Regards Antty Patty
PS: what is a God member?

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

If you stay around and post regularly your status will change, dependent on your input & participation your tally increases & you attain various levels, that's all nothing special really!

It just means we're a bit gobbier, self opinionated & spout more drivel than most. :D

Keep at it & you'll get there.;)

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Should be near God the Father now Dave:D

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Sir William was also on the board at Stanley sometime prior to '62.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I met Sir William a couple of times when I worked at Cockers in the 60s - seemed a nice chap. By then he had more or less bowed out of the business and his son (Dr.) Eric was prominent - complete ******!

Tried googling cocker but all I get is coker & cocker spaniels - sad.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Sir William Cocker became Chairman of the Governors at Accrington High School, I think about 1961. He was always present at Speech Day. Later he married Mrs. Rhoda Slinger, widow of the well-known butcher and mother of Edward, Thomas & John. I think they went to live at St. Anne's. Mrs. Slinger taught French at the High School and was an excelllent teacher - she really made you learn the subject but was also very entertaining and interesting. When she died a number of years ago I sent a small donation c/o her son Edward and told him what an inspirational teacher his mother had been.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

Sir William's daughter, Mary, married Austin Smith, a partner in Simpson & Ashworth, Solicitors in Cannon Street. He was a widower, and she was his second wife. Austin Smith lived in Southport and used to commute to Accrington almost every day.
Talking of Rolls Royces and local solicitors, what about Dick Rowlands' enormous 2 seater 1926(?) Roller? He inherited it from his father (also a solicitor) who bought it from Lord Roseberry - allegedly because it was the only car he could get behind the wheel of.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I think that would be the same Rolls, that as lads walking home from school about 1948/9 would be parked at the end of Grimshaw st Clayton-le-Moors, we would stop and gaze in awe at it. Rowlands had an office on the main road just around the corner.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I'm assuming that's the same car he was still driving in the 60's. They made them well back then!

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I am a very new member to the site and have scrolled through most of the information and came across Sir William Cockers name. I worked for Sir William and his son Dr. Eric Cocker in the late sixties, 'no computers then, just a typewriter and a phone'. .....Sir William moved to a house called 'Dyke Nook' on Whalley Road, then later moved to huge bungalow in St Anne's. Cocker Chemicals and Riley's chemicals at that time had no links and as far as I know never did!! Cocker Chemicals were linked to a company in the USA call 'Florasynth' together they produced synthetic food flavourings, I would type and send letters to the USA and it could take 10 to 14 days for a reply to reach us, transatlantic calls were so expensive, so a 'telex' machine was installed in my office, it was the size of a baby grand piano. I sent the first message to the USA it took around an hour to receive it on the other side if the Atlantic.....emails weren't thought of for appx another 25 years. I left in July 1970 to have my first child.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

According to the phone books, Sir W W Cocker lived

Antley Street 1928 - 1936
Glen Wold 1937 - 1951
Dyke Nook 1952 - 1964

The last reference to Cocker Chemicals I can find is in the 1984 Phone Book.

Re: Sir William Cocker
 

I remember him as one of the Governor's at St Christopher's