Edward Cockey and Sons

Jack, stamped 'Cockey Frome'

Field roller in Somerset

Dorset County Museum

Cast iron rosette from a Portsmouth gasometer on display at Frome Museum

March 1903.

February 1904.

October 1909.

August 1912.

February 1914.

of the Iron Works, Selwood, Frome, Somerset, and 39 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW

See also Edward Cockey.

1813-27Edward Cockey of Market Place, Frome, was listed as an iron founder and brazier in baptism records for his children

1816 Edward Cockey founded the firm as Iron and Brass Founder and General Engineer.

Thanks to Cockey, Frome had gas street liqhting as early as 1831.

Became Edward Cockey & Sons, which by 1851 was employing 76 men and boys.

1853 Patent. '1728. And to Edward Cockey, Henry Cockey, and Francis Christopher Cockey, of the firm of Edward Cockey and Sons, of the Frome Iron Foundry, Frome, in the county of Somerset, Engineers, for the invention of "improvements in the manufacture or production of cheese."'

1855 Patent. '1040. To Edward Cockey, Henry Cockey, and Francis Christopher Cockey, of the firm of Edward Cockey and Sons, of the Frome Iron Foundry, in the county of Somerset, Engineers, for the invention of "improvements in clod crushers and land rollers."'

1857 Patent. '2673. To Edward Cockey. Henry Cockey, and Francis Christopher Cuckey, of the firm of Edward Cockey and Sons, of the Frome Iron Foundry, in the county of Somerset, Engineers, for the invention of "improvements in regulating the flow of fluids"'

1858 Gas regulating valves by Cockey & Sons described and illustrated

1860 Henry Cockey and Francis C. Cockey of 'Frome Foundry' patented a 'peculiar mode' of driving chaff and root cutting machines, corn crushers, tile machines, etc. Described and illustrated in The Practical Mechanic's Journal, August 1861.

1861 'To the Editor of The Frome Times. Sir, —Will you kindly permit me a short space to correct your correction of the letter of a "Lover of Quiet" which appeared in your last issue. Your correspondent complains, and very justly too, of the extreme nuisance arising from the operation of boiler riveting carried on at Messrs. Cockey’s foundry. In your editorial note you express an opinion that "we could endure considerably more noise if we could secure more trade to the town." The "we" being, I suppose, editorial, I can say nothing on this point (which resolves itself into a question of your individual endurance and strength of nerve), but offer a very decided opinion that if you lived, as I do, within a stone’s throw of the nuisance, and the weekly appearance of The Frome Times depended upon your writing a leader there, the aforesaid Frome Times would soon become non est. You must also pardon me if I fail to see the intimate connection between the "noise” and our trade. The Messrs. Cockey employ three men in this particular branch — the addition to or the substraction of these three from their large number of workmen can therefore make material difference to the aggregate trade of the town, while to any one in the vicinity, whose nerves are not of the strongest, it may be a question of life and death. Surely, if one of the Board of Guardians, at one of their fortnightly sittings, had to request a cessation of the noise before business could be proceeded with, meaner folks, living daily within its baleful influence, must be excused if they cry out. Next, you believe that "the foundry was in its present position before Bath-street was erected." Whether it was or not I cannot say, but some of the houses in Bath-street were built before Bath-street existed, save the womb of futurity, and can undoubtedly claim greater antiquity than the foundry. But it is not of the foundry proper that we complain, but of a new building erected within the last year, and in which work is done quite foreign to the ordinary routine of foundry operations. Trusting that your readers will lay the imperfections of this letter to the score of the difficulties under which it was written, I remain, (at least I believe do,) dear Sir, yours distractedly, A Fly in the Drum. Frome, September 4, 1861.'

1852 Prize Medal, International Exhibition, for Cockey's Patent Centre Valve.

Were amongst the earliest makers of Gasholders.

1867 Patent. '1578. And Henry Cockey and Francis Christopher Cockey, of the firm of Edward Cockey and Sons, of the Iron "Works, Frome, in the county of Somerset, Engineers, have given the like notice in respect of the invention of "improvements in seal or dip pipes in connection with gas and other retorts."'

1868 Seal or Dip Pipes for gas retorts, patented by H. and Francis Christopher Cockey, described and illustrated.

1883 Produced the ornate castings for the structure of the Victorian Gallery of Dorset County Museum.

1886 Incorporated as a limited company, to convert to a company the business of gas engineers, contractors, and iron- founders, carried on by Henry Cockey and Francis C. Cockey, at the ironworks, Frome, Somerset

1908 Herbert Edmund Smith (who probably had worked for the company in Frome) of 39 Victoria Street patented "Apparatus for the Production of Water-gas, with Improved Method of Carburation by Means of Oil or other Heavy Hydro-carbons. "

1914 Gas engineers and contractors, steel work. Employees 250.

Directors: W. F. Perkins, M.P. (Chairman), James Lawson (Managing Director), P. Griffiths, C. Holmes Hunt and H. King Hiller. Contractors for complete Gas Works; also Constructional Steel Work of all descriptions.

1914 Patent to Harry Stanley Sadler and the company, all of the Iron Works, Frome, for "Improvements in connection with Valves for the Distribution of and Control of Gas for Purifiers and for similar purposes"

1921 Patent to Edward Cockey and Sons of Garston, Frome, Henry King Hiller of 39 Victoria Street and John Frederick Harrison of Partick for "Improvements in apparatus for the washing and scrubbing of gases."

1921 All types of gas plant, gas lamps and gas mains

1923 Patent to David Henry Bachelor and John Burley Bachelor and the company, all of Garston Iron Works, Frome, for "Improvements in and relating to antifriction wheel bearings"

1923 Patent to Harry Stanley Sadler and the company, both of the Iron Works, Frome, for "Improvements in and relating to distributing valves adapted for controlling the passage of gas through a plurality of purifiers or the like."

1960 The firm wound up voluntarily in April 1960.

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Location

There is an 1868 reference to '... the FAIR, in Bath-street (opposite Messrs. Cockey’s Foundry)...'.

The 1884/1889 OS 25" map shows an Iron Foundry to the west of the junction of Bath Street and the south end of Palmer Street. It would be difficult to imagine a more unsuitable location for an ironworks, being on hilly ground in the centre of town, set behind a row of cottages facing Bath Street, with a frontage on the narrow Palmer Street. This frontage had a shop and a pub (The Old Bath Arms) as immediate neighbours. The buildings had evidently grown to fill the space available, and the shape is not conducive to stating its size, but suffice to say that it had maximum dimensions of about 80 yds in one direction and 70 yds in another. Much of the site is now occupied by a small car park.

Regarding the row of cottages facing Bath Street:

“There is a marked building line between number 14 and this property [No. 15], the last of the terrace...” It was leased over a long period to the COCKEY family, “renowned in Frome for their bell foundry… established by Lewis COCKEY, who came from Warminster about 1680 and built 45 Milk Street… The gap at the side of this house lead to COCKEY’s foundry behind.” . This source lists the occupants of Nos. 10-15 in this row, including, at No. 12, Jeremiah Cross (iron moulder in 1861), Jeremiah, Dennis and Arthur (iron moulders in 1871 census); No. 14, William Hiscocks Sr. and Jr., iron moulders in 1881 census (also listed at No. 15 - mistake?).

Note: The 1884/9 OS map shows another ironworks on a spacious site a short distance to the south west of the foundry, with access from Christchurch Street West, immediately east of Christ Church. Its occupant has not yet been established, but it would be much more suitable for construction large items such as boilers and gasometers. The 1902 map shows that houses had been built on the site, at a time when Cockey were still building gasometers, etc.

It is known that in 1893 the work moved to the Garston area of Frome, a short distance to the east of the original foundry. The 1884 map shows a small iron foundry south of the east-west railway line, at the western end of the railway triangle, and immediately north of Garston Lane/Garston Street. The 1904 25" OS map here shows an Iron Works on the site, with more and larger buildings, mainly concentrated towards the boundaries, leaving plenty of open space to erect gasometers, etc. Streets of terraced houses had been added between the dates of the two maps. The site is now occupied by a modern housing estate, with nothing to indicate the presence of an iron works. The railway branch line remains, serving a quarry. Garston Lane, which marked the southern boundary, and the terraced houses, have survived.

See Also

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