By John D Ellis
William Cork was born in the West Indies sometime between 1786 and 1790. It is not known where and when he enlisted in the Royal Navy, but by 1816 he was an Ordinary Seaman on HMS Psyche whilst it was being constructed at the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard in Upper Canada. At that time it was noted that he had previously served on both HMS Royal Sovereign and HMS Indian.
In 1831 William Cork was serving as the Captain’s Cook on HMS Maidstone at the Cape of Good Hope. The Maidstone was a 36 gun frigate, and in 1828 had departed Plymouth for duty off the coast of Africa, only returning to Britain in 1832.
On September 1832 William Cork was examined for a pension Greenwich Hospital. He was 46 years of age and had served in the Royal Navy for 21 years and 4 months, with his last ship being HMS Maidstone. It was found that he was debilitated “due to service” and he was subsequently awarded a pension of £18/4s per annum for life. Cork subsequently became a Greenwich out-pensioner.
Despite receiving a pension, William Cork returned to the Royal Navy. He served in HMS Victory between October 1832 and January 1833. HMS Spartiate between February and May 1833. HMS Regine from January to April 1835 (the latter vessel cannot be identified).
In 1840 Greenwich Hospital noted that William Cork was in receipt of an out-pension of £18 per annum. His pension was being paid at Devonport Dockyard, and he and his wife Jane were residing at 5 Sun Lane, Devonport.
In the 1841 Census Jane Cork (born c.1816) was living at Cornwall Street, Stoke Dameral, Devon. With her were her two sons William and Thomas (both born in Devon c.1835 and c.1836 respectively), and a daughter Elizabeth (born c.1839 in Devon). William Cork was at sea again, this time serving as the Captain’s Cook on HMS Bittern. William and Jane had married in Stoke Church, Stoke Dameral in 1832.
When not at sea they resided in the village of Cawsand, Cornwall.
In Plymouth in April 1845, William Cork registered as a Merchant Seaman. His ticket (number #247004) noted that he had been born in St Martins in the West Indies c.1789. He was 5/8 and ¼” tall with black hair, a black complexion and black eyes. A cook and steward by occupation, he was signature illiterate. It was noted that he had first gone to sea as a boy in 1809 (however, in 1809 he was certainly no “boy”) and had previously served in the Royal Navy and had seen foreign service. When not working he was a resident of Cawsand, Cornwall.
In 1851 the Cork family were living in the village of Ford, Rame in Cornwall. William Cork was described as 72 years of age, and a Greenwich Pensioner born in the West Indies. Jane Cork was 38 years of age and born in Cawsand, Cornwall. Thomas and Elizabeth (both “scholars”, i.e. at school) were still living with their parents (the former being 14 years of age and the latter being 11 years of age – both had been born in Devonport).
William Cork (junior) was not living with the family, but it had certainly expanded since the 1841 Census: Sarah had been born in 1843. Louisa in 1844. Robert in 1846. Ann M in 1848. Amelia in 1848. Susannah in 1849. All six children had been born in Rame, and date the residence of the Cork family in the area to 1843. (Ford is a hamlet between Rame Head and the village of Cawsand – not to be confused with the Rame in West Cornwall).
William (junior) is almost certainly the William Cork, born in Devonport c.1835, who was a scholar at the Greenwich Hospital School for the sons of seafarers (now known as the Royal Hospital School).
In February 1852, a case for breach of the peace was brought against “William Cork an old black pensioner, and inhabitant of the parish of Rame” by the local magistrate, John Borlase. However, the case was dismissed for want of proof.
William Cork died in Rame in December 1857. His family continued to live in Devon and Cornwall long after his death.
The website www.ramefamilytree.co.uk provides referenced biographies for the family and reveals that they were close-knit, and maintained their links with the Royal Navy (as Ratings, wives and children) for at least another generation. See the Appendix.
Appendix – The Cork Family.
Jane Cork (1811-1888). Born Jane Nancarrow, the daughter of William Nancarrow and Ann (nee’ Starks) in Cawsand c.1811. Married William Cork in Stoke Dameral in 1832. In 1881 she was living in Kingsand near Cawsand. The Nancarrows were a Royal Navy family: Jane’s brother William served as an Ordinary Seaman on HMS Revenge in the 1830s (TNA ADM 27/49/SB 442) (*see postcript).
William Nancarrow Cork (1834-1919). Born in Devonport. Attended the Greenwich Hospital School for the sons of seafarers. Worked variously as cordwainer, fisherman and general labourer. Married Susannah Hern and had issue. Died in Plymouth.
Thomas Cork (1836-1926). Born in Devonport. Married Ann and had issue. He served in the Royal Navy between 1851 and 1856, on HMS Monarch, Trafalgar and Meander (the last ship cannot be identified). In 1861 he was serving on HMS Majestic. By 1881 he had left the Royal Navy and was living in Deal, Kent and serving with the coastguard. In 1883 he successfully applied for a pension for his service in the Royal Navy, (TNA ADM 29/86), and retired to Kingsand where he died in 1926.
Mary Cork (1837). Born in Devonport and died in infancy.
Elizabeth Cork (1839-). Born in Devonport. Married firstly Jacob Courtman and had issue. In 1871 she was a widow working as a laundress living in Roath, Wales and her sister Louisa was living with her. Married secondly James Hubbard in Bristol.
Sarah Jane Cork (1842-). Born in Rame. Married James George Hooper, a Rating in the Royal Navy who was later employed as an engine-driver on a steam-boat. In 1891 she was living in the village of Millbrook on the Rame Peninsula, and her sister Amelia was living with her.
Louisa Cork (1843-). Born in Rame. In 1871 she was living with her sister Elizabeth in Roath, Wales. Married Richard Jones, a Rating in the Royal Navy and had issue. In 1891 she was living in Rame, Cornwall.
Robert H Cork (1848-1878). Born in Rame. Initially worked as a groom and a grocer. Later served in the Royal Navy as a stoker on HMS Iron Duke. Died in Plymouth.
Ann Marie Cork (1847-1853). Born in Rame and died in infancy.
Amelia Cork (1848-). Born in Rame. Married Alexander Horatio Richardson and had issue. In 1891 she was a widow, working as a charwoman and living with her sister Sarah.
Susannah Cork (1848-1898). Born in Rame. Married Horatio Damacastria and had issue. (The surname was later changed to Doncaster). In 1891 she was living in Bristol. Died in Glamorgan, Wales.
Postscript
(*) Following the original publication of this article, Historycalroots.com was contacted by a direct descendent of William and Jane (nee’ Nancarrow) Cork: Mr Rodney Cork, (of Perth, Western Australia) is the Great-Great Grandson of William and Ann Cork via his father (William), Grandfather (William James Nancarrow Cork), and Great-Great Grandfather (William Nancarrow Cork). Rodney commissioned Mrs Katherine Cobb (an ‘AGRA’ member) to research his genealogy and the result was that he found he was a direct descendent of a Black Royal Navy rating from St Martins in the Caribbean who served during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) and settled in Cornwall.
The naval tradition has been maintained by the Australian branch of the Cork family: Rodney Cork served in the Royal Australian Navy between 1963 and 1969, including time on HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Vampire, (the former during the Vietnam War). Similar to HMS Victory (on which William Cork served between 1832 and 1833), HMAS Vampire is preserved ‘afloat’ (in Sydney).
Names have also been retained: Rodney Cork was the son, grandson and great-grandson of ‘Williams’ (after the original William) and his son bears the name ‘Nancarrow’ (the maiden name of Jane Cork).
Sources: Surname also rendered as Cook. Two places of birth are given in his records: St Kitts or St Martins (the latter appears more frequently). The National Archives (TNA) ADM 6/293. ADM 22/394. ADM 22/430. ADM 22/406. TNA ADM 27/71. TNA ADM 27/76. ADM 37/817. ADM 38/2302. Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1835-1857, 1845-1854. BT 113/124. www.findmypast.co.uk http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~pbtyc/genealogy/18-1900/M/02849.html 1841 England Census. Cornwall Street, Stoke Dameral, Devon. findmypast.co.uk 1851 England Census. HO 107/1900/97/6. Ford, Rame, St Germans, Cornwall. findmypast.co.uk 1851 England Census. HO 107/1587/495/26. Greenwich, London, Kent. findmypast.co.uk Western Courier, West of England Conservative, Plymouth and Devonport Advertiser, 11th February 1852. www.ramefamilytree.co.uk/ind1850.html threedecks.org