Cockglode House is one of Nottinghamshire’s “lost houses”.  Until demolition in 1956 it was sited north of the Edwinstowe – Ollerton Road (A 6075).   When Sherwood was a Royal Forest, it is said that the Ranger’s Lodge for the Hays of Birkland and Bilhaugh stood here, and in early times would have been in the occupation of an official of the Crown. By the 1700’s it was disused and described as “a tumble-down cottage”.

The publication “Parish Registers of Edwinstowe for 1634 – 1758” (edited by George W Marshall, L.L.D., F.S.A., and Appendix by Cecil G Saville Foljambe, Esq., M.P. F.S.A.) provides evidence of occupation in Cockglode, as indicated by the following records:

BAPTISMS

1665                28^th May             Thomas s John Officer & Mary               Cockgload                    

1667                19^th January      Edward s Jo Officer &…..                           Cockgloude House

1674                17^th January      Joshua s Thomas…..                                Cockglode

BURIALS

1654                21^st Dec.            John Dutton father of a family                Cockglode, Bilhay

1663                26^th Sept            Robert Duttonne                                      Cockgloade

It is also worthy of note that the surname Officer or Offiser appears in the registers for Edwinstowe residents:

BAPTISED

1667                10^th Nov.           Roger s Roger Officer & Mary, Edwinstow

1670                18^th June           Marye d Roger Officer & Mary, Edwinstow

1672                8^th June             John s Rodger Officer, Edwinstow

1673                1^st June              Mary d Rodger Officer

BURIED

1671                18^th Aug            Mary Officer, Edwinstow

1672                12^th June           John Officer

1679                16^th Feb             Elizabeth Offiser

1682                14^th June           Rodgger Officer

When Charles Green died on 4^th October, 1664 his abode was listed as “Cabbin in Birkland”.  Is it possible that a similar description could have been applied to the dwelling in Cockglode at that time?

In the year 1818, the Crown wanted the Advowson of St Mary-le-Bone owned by the Duke of Portland, so an exchange was agreed for Bilhaugh and Birklands in 1828. This allowed the Duke of Portland to complete a secondary deal with Earl Manvers at Thoresby exchanging Holbeck for Birklands and Bilhaugh, including Cockglode.  Thus, in 1833 Cockglode became part of the Thoresby estate.

Early 20th century postcard showing ‘Burstheart Hill’ & ‘Entrance to Cockglode, Ollerton’.

1724 – 1776

In 1724 (or thereabouts) the Rev. William Sterne (Rector at Averham) signed a counter-part lease with the Earl and Countess of Oxford, for a period of 41 years at £2.2.0 . p.a. to build a house at “Cuckload Spring (19ac. 1 r. 34 p) in Ollerton,” and was responsible for planting an impressive avenue of Scots Pines. William was ordained in 1697, and was Rector at Cockayne Hadley between 1700 and 1711, Rector at Averham from 1711 until 1733, then at West Dene from 1733 until his death in 1754.   The Rev Sterne’s ancestry included Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York from 1664 – 1683 (who was born in Mansfield), and Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) novelist and clergyman, whose notable works included  “The Life and Opinion of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman”.

Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York  – Wikipedia

Laurence Sterne – Wikipedia

The following information was printed in The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal vol. 1.1870  and reproduced by kind agreement with the Yorkshire Archaeological Society.

 “(164). 13. Mrs Mary Sterne, (widow), bur. March 29^th, 1714. Mary, widow of Richard Sterne, esq of York (see No. 152), and daughter of Joseph Loveland, canon of York and Norwich.  By will dated 17^th June, 1719 (Pro. 29^th April, 1724), she bequeaths my Lord archbishop/sterne’s picture and his Lady’s to her late husband’s nephew, the Rev. William Sterne of Averham, co. Notts.”

Sterne Coat of Arms 

Avenue of Scotch Firs, Ollerton

The following is an extract from Nottinghamshire History “the Scenery of Sherwood Forest” by Joseph Rodgers (1908)

ONE can imagine this house, standing alone in a grove of old forest trees, to have been erected from the same love of nature that inspired Sir Thomas Wortley to build the Lodge at the summit of the Crags on Wharncliffe Chase “for his plesor to here the hartes bel.” Its name speaks of the winged creatures of the wood.

The most remarkable feature within these grounds is the avenue of Scotch Firs near the Ollerton entrance. The fir is always a stately tree and being planted here in formal lines has a grand and majestic look. Unfortunately, it does not attain to any great age, for the roots scarcely penetrate into the sandy soil, and the rich loam of the surface is very thin. From this cause the avenue has lost some of its finest trees. On counting the rings of one which died in 1877, it was found to be 150 years old.

It is pleasant on a summer’s day to rest at the foot of one of these tall firs, for in this secluded garden of the forest, the commonest sounds of nature, even the droning hum of the bee, or the chirp of the grasshopper, are full of poetic feeling. Sometimes, during the deepening twilight of the spring, the nightingale makes the wood re-echo with its sweet melancholy strains. In early summer the cuckoo haunts these firs all day; its notes varied by the song of the thrush or the blackbird, the quick tapping of the nuthatch, or the wild cry of the woodpecker. Perhaps a slight stir is heard among the trees overhead, and a squirrel descends to the ground from his nest; he suddenly stops, and, with head poised on one side, fixes his bright eye upon the intruder, but seeing no hostile movement, proceeds very leisurely on his way. This morning there might be noticed under the garden paling, looking quite dazed in the sunlight, a young owl that has evidently wandered from its nest; whilst the loud note of warning is often sounded by the rustic youth near the hen-coops, to scare away sly Reynard.

1776 – 1797

In 1776 Dr George Aldrich , who was searching for a house in the area, was attracted to Cockglode and requested help from the Duke of Portland and the Duchess of Kingston to get a lease of Cockglode.  He was credited as having built the elegant residence.

 

Cockglode House as sketched by John Throsby, c.1790

Courtesy of Sherwood Forest Trust

Burial records in Ollerton Church record that his first wife, Anne Bland, died on 19^th January, 1785.  Subsequently he married Sibylla Benson in 1788.  Burial records in Ollerton church record the death of Dr Aldrich on 22^nd July, 1797. He left an annuity of £12.10s to enable a service to be held every Sunday in Ollerton Chu rch.

Copy of burial register in Ollerton Church.

In November 2019 BBC 4 televised a programme relating to a portrait of George Aldrich, painted by an Italian artist (Pompeo Batoni), which posed a mystery as to why such a highly regarded artist painted a Nottinghamshire physician.

Wikimedia

1797 – 1837

The next occupier of the house was Sir Robert Shore Milnes, Bart., who served in early life in the Royal Horse Guards Blue, had been Governor of Martinique, and Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada from 1799 to 1805.  In 1785, he married Charlotte Frances Bentinck, great granddaughter of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, which may have been the reason for choosing to live at Cockglode. He was created a Baronet in 1801, and died at Tunbridge Wells in December, 1837. His wife died at Tunbridge in 1850.

 

Portrait of Sir Robert painted by Joseph Wright of Derby.  Wikipedia

1837 – 1869

The next tenant of Cockglode was Colonel the Hon. Savile Henry Lumley who married, in 1806, Mary Henrietta Tahourdin, born in 1778.  He died in 1846, and was buried at Edwinstowe. His widow remained tenant of Cockglode until her death in July, 1869.  Both are buried in a vault in St Mary’s Church, Edwinstowe.  The 1841 census records show that there were 3 servants and a gardener employed at the house.  According to the 1851 census the household employed a housekeeper, cook, housemaid, kitchen maid, coachman and a footman. In 1844 the house was enlarged.

1869 – 1897

Cecil George Savile Foljambe became the next tenant.  In 1869 he married Louisa Blanche Howard who died in 1871.  They had 2 children.  A window in the south wall of the chancel in St Mary’s church commemorates his wife Louisa.  In 1877 he married his wife’s cousin, Susan Cavendish, eldest daughter of William Henry Frederick Cavendish. She died in 1917.  They had 11 children.  A Nottinghamshire M.P from 1880 – 1892,  he was raised to the peerage in 1893 as Baron Hawksbury of Haselbech, then became Earl Liverpool in 1906.   Having lived at Cockglode for twenty-eight years he left for his Yorkshire home, Kirkham Abbey, in 1897, where he died in 1907.  At the time of the 1871 census staff included a butler, housekeeper, kitchen maid, and housemaid.  The census for 1881 included a butler, housekeeper cook, nurse, lady’s maid, footman, groom helper, housemaid, kitchen maid, nursery maid, and house maid.

* A snap-shot of life in the 1800s at the end of the document

Wikipedia

Louisa Blanche – Acknowledgement Wikidata

Louisa and Margaret – Acknowledgement Wikidata

The stained glass in the south window of the chancel, in St. Mary’s Church, to the memory of Mrs. Cecil Foljambe, the first wife, Louisa, of Mr. Cecil Foljambe, of Cockglode, is a pleasant piece of colour, and a fine specimen of modern work. It was painted by Cecil in 1873. Louisa died 1871.

 

Acknowledgement – Wikipedia

Cockglode house c.1910

1897 – 1912

In 1898 George Savile Foljambe left Brackenhurst, near Southwell, and leased Cockglode for himself, his wife Dora and their 5 children.  Cecil Foljambe, the previous occupant of the house, was George’s uncle. (Cecil was the Squire Francis Foljambe’s half-brother).  A book published by a relative of the family (Jackson, J. 2010 Family at War, the Foljambe family and the Great War. Haynes Publishing, California)) includes a letter written by George’s younger son, Francis Foljambe, in which he wrote that Cockglode was “about as isolated and remote as any place in the whole country”, but it seemed to suit the young sons who spent their time at Cockglode riding with the Rufford hunt, shooting jackdaws and ferreting. 

Records mention expenditure on Cockglode between 1898 and 1911 amounted to £1,684.18.9.

1912 – 1940

In 1912, Eva Henrietta Hutton (twice widowed – first husband Captain Hon Cornwallis Maude;  second husband Colonel George Holden Hutton) came to live in Cockglode with her daughter, Lady Eveline Maude.  She had agreed with Earl Manvers, an annual rent of £200, from Lady Day 1912 to 1914, which included the fishing rights on the river Maun.  At this time the insurance premium for the house and outbuildings cost £1.10.0.  Both Mrs Hutton and Lady Eveline took an active interest in the local community.

Sketches and paintings from the portfolio of Lady E. Maude dated 1906.

The Bell Pull from the house.

Mrs Hutton on the lawn, Cockglode House

When Mrs Hutton died in 1940, Lady Eveline left Cockglode to live at “The Kennels” at Thoresby.  There is a belief that Lady Maud Hoare lived at Cockglode, which is not the case.  The confusion appears to be the Christian name Maud (Lady Hoare) and surname Maude (Lady Eveline).

1940 – 1956

Cockglode became difficult to let as a large house, so it was converted into eight flats:  two each side of a central front door, the other four accessed by the one staircase. Each flat typically comprised two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen, and pantry.  The bathroom was shared.  The rent was collected by Miss Freeman who came over from an office on Fourth Avenue, Edwinstowe.  (The office was sited where currently stands P G Lock, the butchers, and incorporates the date 1933 in its brickwork).

Thoresby Colliery was opened in 1928, and sited adjacent to Cockglode.  As the colliery expanded to mine deeper coal seams more land was required for tipping the waste spoil, so the NCB bought Cockglode and its immediate grounds.  The sale price for the plot of 18- and three-quarter acres, was £3,500 and included the house and the roadway.

1956

Cockglode was demolished and disappeared under the colliery tip.

1958 – 2019

To mark the millennium, local Rotarians planted trees to cover the restored colliery tip, and the area has been named “Cockglode Wood.”

Entrance to and view from “Cockglode and Rotary Woods”

Much of the habitat management work is done on a voluntary basis by the Friends of Sherwood Heath in conjunction with the Sherwood Forest Community Rangers.

Acknowledgements to:  Ian Gordon Craig (Thoresby blogspot), Nottinghamshire History, The Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, and Sherwood Forest Trust.  Also, Stonebridge Trust Pierrrepont Archives, for dates regarding lease of the property.

*COCKGLODE HOUSE – Census 1841

NAME	STATUS	AGE	OCCUPATION	BIRTH PLACE
Susan Watkinson	F	30	servant	Notts
Ann Parker	F	20	Servant	Notts
Mary Ridley	F	20	Servant	Notts
William	M	45	Gardener	Notts

Cockglode House – Census 1851

NAME	STATUS	AGE	OCCUPATION	BIRTH PLACE
Maria Lowe	U F	38	Servant Housekeeper	Edwinstowe
Susannah Wadkins	U F	40	Servant Cook	Ollerton
Dorothea Toor	U F	19	Housemaid	Budby
Sarah Beverly	U F	20	Kitchen maid	Mansfield Woodhouse
John Maltby	U M	29	Coachman	Southwell
William Newton	U M	13	Footman	Edwinstowe

Cockglode House – Census 1871

NAME	STATUS	AGE	OCCUPATION	BIRTH PLACE
Henry Wells	M	57	Butler	Rufford
Sarah Smith	U	29	Housekeeper	Grantham
Harriet Southall	U	19	Kitchen maid	Cresswell
Fanny Cutts	U	20	Housemaid	Wellow
Cecil G S Foljambe	M	34	Head of House. Retired Ltnt RN, M.P., J.P.	Worksop
Susan Louisa	W	32		Caldicot, Herts
Arthur Wde BS	S	10	Scholar	Eastbourne
Gerald W F S	S	2		St Martins in the Fields, London
Edith M E M	D	1		London

Cockglode House – Census 1881

NAME	STATUS	AGE	OCCUPATION	BIRTH PLACE
Alice E G M Foljambe		6 months		Edwinstowe
William Foxhall	U	29	Butler	London
Emma Lay		43	Housekeeper Cook	Berks
Margaret Tosh	W	35	Nurse	Scotland
Lydia Green	M	26	Lady’s maid	Devon
William Taylor	U	22	Footman	Hamps
George Shacklock		20	Groom helper	Sheffield
Jane Downing		19	Housemaid	Boughton
Mary Innes		21	Kitchen maid	Hereford
Margaret Williams		18	Nursery maid	Montgomeryshire
Louisa Kitchen		15	Housemaid	Wellow

Cockglode House – Census 1891

NAME	RELATIONSHIP	STATUS	AGE	OCCUPATION	BIRTHPLACE
Cecil Foljambe	Head	Married	49	MP for Mansfield	Worksop
Susan Foljambe	Wife	Married	48		Caldicot
Arthur Foljambe	Son	Single	20	Second Lieutenant	Eastbourne
Gerald Foljambe	Son	Single	12	Schoolboy	St Martins in the Fields
Edith Foljambe	Daughter	Single	11	Under tuition	St Martins in the Fields
Alice Foljambe	Daughter	Single	10	Under tuition	Edwinstowe
Mable	Daughter	Single	9	Under tuition	St Martins in the Fields
Josceli Foljambe	Son	Single	8	Schoolboy	St Martins in the fields
Constance Foljambe	Daughter	Single	6		Edwinstowe
Robert Foljambe	Son	Single	4		Edwinstowe
Bertram	Son	Single	3m		Edwinstowe
Robert Harris	Servant	Single	49	Butler	Hartwell
Emma Lay	Servant	Single	56	Cook and housekeeper	Woodley, Berks
Margaret Morrison	Servant	Single	50	Nurse	Queen St.
Elizabeth Bullen	Servant	Single	38	Lady’s maid	Soham
Susan Wright	Servant	Single	21	Under nurse	Shenton, Lei.
Edith Witter	Servant	Single	25	Head housemaid	Waverton
Marion Hampson	Servant	Single	19	Kitchen maid	Newark
Annie Dallywater	Servant	Single	18	Second house maid	Spalding
Sarah Haywood	Servant	Single	17	Nursery maid	Ollerton
Annie Johnson	Servant	Single	18	Scullery maid	Codner Park
Joseph Clark	Servant	Single	25	Footman	Wooton
Sam Paling	Servant	Single	21	Stable helper	Botheley

Wikipedia, Nottinghamshire Archive & Lists of Clergy of the Church of England database.