William Cocker

William Cocker

William Cocker
Born(1836-12-09)9 December 1836
Died14 April 1911(1911-04-14) (aged 74)
SpouseBetsey Pilling (m. 1858)

William Henry Cocker (9 December 1836 – 14 April 1911) was the first mayor of Blackpool, Lancashire, England, serving, in his initial term, from 1876 to 1879.[1] He served again from 1884 to 1885 and from 1886 to 1887. He was selected as the first Freeman of the Borough in 1897.[2][3] Cocker was noted for taking Blackpool from a "small coastal village into a major tourist destination,"[4][5] and has been called a founding father of Victorian Blackpool.[6]

Early life

Cocker was born in 1836 to John Cocker and Jane Banks, daughter of Henry Banks, in a house his father had built in Hygiene Terrace on Blackpool Promenade. His father had moved to Blackpool from Tockholes, near Darwen in east Lancashire, in 1828.[7] William was educated at Preston Grammar School.[8]

Cocker became a close friend of John Bickerstaffe, who went on to become another important figure in Blackpool's development.[9]

In 1858, he married Betsey Pilling, a native of Rochdale.[7]

Career

Cocker retired from his career as a surgeon in 1875. Two years earlier,[10] he had opened a menagerie and aquarium in Blackpool's Prince of Wales Arcade, which later became the site of Blackpool Tower. The aquarium was incorporated into the tower building.[6]

Personal life

In 1878, Cocker laid the foundation stone of Blackpool's St John's Parish Church, and had donated £1,000 towards the cost of the church's construction.[11]

Death

St John's Church, Blackpool, beside which Cocker is buried
Cocker Clock Tower, Stanley Park, Blackpool

Cocker died in 1911,[7] aged 74. Having survived his wife for three years,[7] he was interred alongside her, his parents, brother and sister-in-law in a small grassy burial ground at the eastern end of St John's Parish Church. He was also buried beside the tomb of noted Blackpool historian Reverend William Thornber. Having died a poor man, living in relative poverty in a house on Whitegate Drive,[7] there was no money to add an inscription to Cocker's marker.[2]

Legacy

The clock tower in Blackpool's Stanley Park is named for Cocker.[12] It was built in 1926 to honour his contributions to the town. John Bickerstaffe unveiled the clock.

Blackpool's Cocker Street is also named for him.[4] A portrait of Cocker, by an unknown artist, hangs in Blackpool Town Hall.[13]

References

  1. ^ Mayors of Blackpool – Blackpool Council
  2. ^ a b "Story of the man dubbed 'father of Blackpool'". Blackpool Gazette. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  3. ^ Honorary freeman freedom of the borough and Blackpool Medal – Blackpool Council
  4. ^ a b Ed (3 September 2024). "The Impact of William Cocker". Blackpool Timeline. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  5. ^ The Windsor Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women. Ward, Lock and Bowden, Limited. 1896. p. 399.
  6. ^ a b Jackson, Lee (25 June 2019). Palaces of Pleasure: From Music Halls to the Seaside to Football, How the Victorians Invented Mass Entertainment. Yale University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-300-24509-7.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Famous Blackpool People - Famous Blackpool People - - Blackpool Postcards". Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  8. ^ Tracy, William Burnett (1903). Lancashire at the opening of the twentieth century, by W.B. Tracy. Contemporary biographies, ed. by W.T. Pike. W. T. Pike. p. 164.
  9. ^ Lancashire Evening Post, 6 August 1930
  10. ^ "Closed collections - The Bartlett Society". Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  11. ^ Blackpool Gazette (2007), pp. 16–17
  12. ^ "Blackpool clock tower revamp begins as part of £500k park works". www.bbc.com. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  13. ^ Blackpool Town Hall – Art UK

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.