Concerning the Origin of the Cockes of Henrico

Abstract

1. Lieutenant-colonel Cocke.-The scanty records that have come down to us from early colonial days afford but dim picture at best of individual actors who took part colonisation of Virginia. As far as they have been ascertained, authentic facts concerning ancestor of Cocke Family of Henrico county may be briefly stated. In 1636 Cocke patented 3,000 acres of land on James river Henrico county due him for transportation of 60 immigrants (Va. Mag. Hist. & Biog., VI, 186; see also III, 285, 405 and V, 72).* There can hardly be any doubt that this was Cockel of Bremo (or Bremor), progenitor of Cocke Family of Henrico county, whose estate adjoined lands of John Pearce and Thomas Harris. In this same year (1636) his neighbour, Captain Thomas Harris, patented 700 acres addition to his previous holdings near the Bremoes dividend (Id., V, 72). Long after Cockel was dead, his son, Cocke2, elder, was plaintiff suit that was brought 1692 against John Woodson, Jr., for trespassing on part of his land known by ye name of Curls Swamp. The defendant alleged that this land was not plaintiff's land at all, but was a parcell of Lands late ye possession of Nath' Bacon Junr dec'd, which had been originally granted by Pattent to Captain Thomas Harris, deceased, and afterwards conveyed by him to Bacon. The litigation continued some seven or eight years until finally early 1700 court sitting at Varina appears to have decided suit favour of Cocke2 on ground that land question was adjacent to Bremo and was comprised in plaintiff's pattent bearing date 25th of ffebruary 1638 (Id., XXXVII, 354-357). Again 1639 Richard Cocke gent received grant of 2,000 acres of land county of Henrico for transportation of 40 persons (one of whom was negro woman); of which 300 acres was at Bremo, and rest, called by name of Mauborne Hills, was at head of Turkey Island Creek (Id., III, 285; XIV, 192). From time to time Cocke continued to acquire more land. In 1652 he patented 2,842 acres, and some twelve years later, 1664, he and his neighbour John Beauchampt patented 2,974 acres on south side