Tamworth and Three Generations of Coops

One of the exciting things about travelling is that it presents an opportunity to visit ancestral places and walk where your ancestors once walked. Sometimes, it also provides an opportunity to learn a little about the history of an area. When my husband and I visited England in November/December 2019, we took the opportunity to visit Tamworth, a market town in Staffordshire. 

Our time in Tamworth was short – about the equivalent of one day (an afternoon and a morning).  However, in the short time we were there, it became very apparent that the townspeople strongly value Tamworth’s long rich history; a history that goes back a long way before my husband's Coop ancestors were ever there.

We were staying on the opposite side of the River Tame to the centre of Tamworth but it was just a short walk away, across a bridge over the River Tame, past Tamworth Castle and on to the central area of Tamworth.

Tamworth Castle – built 1080AD - photo taken by Author

Tamworth’s long history was evident everywhere we went. In the evening we walked into the town where a Medieval festival was underway. The bridge over the River Tame has a number of Flagstones embedded in it. Each of these highlights a particular moment in Tamworth’s history. The light was fading when we walked over in the evening so I didn’t fully appreciate them until the next morning when we retraced our steps. I took a picture of each one – 600AD – 1080AD. What a great way to highlight aspects of the town’s history[1]:

Tamworth was the Ancient Anglo Saxon Capital of Mercia established 600AD

King Offa of Mercia 755-796 builds his royal palace in Tamworth

AD 874 Tamworth is attacked by Vikings

In 913 Queen Aethelflaed captures Tamworth and refortifies the town

Staffordshire Hoard Buried near Tamworth

Tamworth Castle was Built in 1080 Following the Great Norman Conquest of 1066

It was at least 724 years later that my husband’s relatives arrived in Tamworth. Three generations of my husband’s Coop ancestors, at some point in their lives, lived in the Tamworth area: Samuel (1760–1840), Thomas (1785–1847), and Thomas (1816-1886).

Samuel Coop (1760–1840)

Samuel Coop, my husband's 4th Great Grandfather, was born at Elton, Bury, Lancashire on 4 November 1761 and baptised at St Mary the Virgin in Bury, Lancashire on 25 December 1761[2]. He married Ann Kay on 12 October 1784 at St Mary the Virgin in Bury.  The marriage record shows that at time that he married he was employed as a Weaver[3]

Samuel and Ann, with their children, most likely moved to Tamworth sometime between 1790 and 1794[4].  I haven’t been able to find any information, as yet, as to what his occupation was after the family moved to Tamworth.

Samuel died on 5 January 1840 at Tamworth[5] and is buried, with his wife Ann, in St Editha’s Churchyard in Tamworth[6].

Samuel and Ann's gravestone reads[7]: 

ANN 
wife of Samuel Coop 
who died March, 13 1823. Aged 62 years. 
Also of 
SAMUEL COOP 
who died January 5th 1840 Aged 78 years

Thomas Coop (1785-1847)

This Thomas Coop, son of Samuel, is my husband's 3rd Great Grandfather. He was born in Bury, Lancashire, England on 1 January 1885[8].  It appears he moved to Tamworth with his parents, Samuel and Ann [Kay] Coop sometime between 1790 and 1794[9]. Thomas married Anne Hall on 5 April 1808 at St Martins in Birmingham, Warwickshire:

Extract from: Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937 via Ancestry.Com

Thomas and Anne settled in Tamworth and raised their children there.  All of their children were born in Tamworth.  The 1841 census shows them living in New Street, Fazeley, Tamworth[10]. Thomas worked as a Butcher and had his own shop. Pigot’s Directory of Staffordshire[11] shows that, in 1835, Thomas’ butcher’s shop was in Lichfield Street, Fazeley, Tamworth.   

Thomas died on 9 September 1847 at Fisherwick in Staffordshire.  Fisherwick is a village near to Tamworth.  He was buried at St Editha’s Church, Tamworth on 12 September 1847[12].

Extract from: Burials in the Parish of Tamworth 1847 via FindMyPast 

Thomas Coop (1816-1886)

This Thomas Coop, son of Thomas', is my husband's 2nd Great Grandfather.  He was born to Thomas and Anne [Hall] Coop in Tamworth in about 1816 and baptised on 14 April 1816[13] at St Editha’s Church in Tamworth. 

Extract from: Baptisms in the Parish of Tamworth 1816 via FindMyPast

It appears that Thomas grew up in Tamworth. However, at some point, he chose to travel south to London. There he met and married Elizabeth Large (1837).  For a while, Thomas and Elizabeth lived in Marylebone before emigrating to Australia.  After Elizabeth died, Thomas travelled to New Zealand where he lived for a while before returning to Australia where he died in 1886. You can read about Thomas and Elizabeth and their life beyond Marylebone in my post Thomas and Elizabeth - Marylebone to Australia and more about Thomas in my post about his son, also Thomas, Thomas Coop - Youth to Early Adulthood.

St Editha's

Our visit to Tamworth would not have been complete without a visit to St Editha’s. As well as being the place where Thomas (born 1816) was baptised, a number of Coops are buried there, including Thomas (born 1785) and his father Samuel (born 1760).

St Editha’s Church, Tamworth – November 2019 - Photo taken by Author

Note:  I have now moved my blogging efforts from this platform to We Are.xyz so that I can integrate building my family history archive with blogging. This post, or an updated version of it, can be found at: https://app.weare.xyz/blog/the-dual-genealogist/blogposts/tamworth-three-generations-of-coops

Notes

[1] Photos taken by the Author.

[2] British Births and Baptisms 1538-1975 Transcript via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020.

[3] Lancashire Banns and Marriages Transcript via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020.

[4] Samuel and Ann’s daughter, Jane, appears to have been born in Bury in about 1790, while their son, John, appears to have been born in Tamworth in about 1794.

[5] Registered 1st Quarter 1840. Registration District: Tamworth. Vol.16. Page 367 England and Wales Deaths 1837-2007 Transcript via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020.

[6] Staffordshire Monumental Inscriptions Transcript via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020.

 
[7] Photo via Find a Grave, database and images (photo added by Ray Durrant) - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193754031/samuel-coop : Accessed 25 April 2022 - memorial page for Samuel Coop (4 Nov 1761–5 Jan 1840), Find a Grave Memorial ID 193754031, citing St. Editha Churchyard, Tamworth, Tamworth Borough, Staffordshire, England ; Maintained by Ray Durrant (contributor 47973071).

[8] Ancestor Search via Lancashire Online Parish Clerks [Website]. Accessed 24 April 2022 

[9] Thomas’ sister, Jane, appears to have been born in Bury in about 1790, while his brother, John, appears to have been born in Tamworth in about 1794.

[10] Class: HO107; Piece: 981; Book: 1; Civil Parish: Tamworth; County: Staffordshire; Enumeration District: 5; Folio: 19; Page: 31; Line: 4; GSU roll: 474616 Image via Ancestry.com. 1841 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.

[11] Midlands Historical Data collection of Trade Directories. Tony Abrahams. via Ancestry.com. UK, Midlands and Various UK Trade Directories, 1770-1941 [database on-line].

[12] Staffordshire Burials Transcript and Image via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020.

[13] England Births and Baptisms 1538-1975 Transcript via FindMyPast [Website]. Accessed 9 July 2020