The Woodcock Family

My great grandmother Edith Fordham (nee Woodcock) (1878-1948) was one of 9 Woodcock children, born in and living largely around the village of Thorney, Northamptonshire.

Her sister Kate married a photographer Frank Sweetland Cocks - because of this the family is disproportionately well recorded amongst the pictures and notes handed down through the generations.

The picture to the left is just one example of Frank's photography - it is of his wife Kate and daughter Irene.  In my view it is one of the best and probably the most artistic picture.

The picture to the right is taken from a locket owned by Cousin Irene Cocks, it came from her mother, Kate Bertha Cocks (nee Woodcock) and is likely to be her mother Amy Woodcock (nee Pentalow) taken circa 1910.

Also because I grew up in South Lincolnshire with Peterborough as the nearest main city I was able to get to the library there fairly easily and track down significant amounts of information.

Further, this was the side of the family of whom my great Aunt Cicely had the most contact and clearest memory.  In addition, and this is the crucial factor in having so much information I have managed to track down relatives from almost every descending branch of the family - locating third, fourth and fifth generations of cousins.