History of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea
Joseph James Cockrill
| Parents | William Cockrill Sarah Scott Cockrill, nee Ballard |
| Born | Bulls Lane, Gorleston. (Tuesday 12th August 1856) |
| Married | Elizabeth Limmer Lowestoft, Wesleyan Chapel (presumed) (late Spring, 1879) |
| Children | Harold Woodruff Cockrill Edmund Hazell Cockrill May Elizabeth Cockrill Harriet Eunice Cockrill Dorothea Rhoda Cockrill Bessie Cockrill Donald George Cockrill Marjorie Sarah Scott Cockrill |
| Died | At Home, 31 Stradbroke Road, Gorleston. (Friday 19th February 1932) |
| Buried | Gorleston Old Cemetery. (Tuesday 23rd February 1932) |
Joe Cockrill seems to have had a finger in a good many different pies during a long lifetime in Gorleston. For quite a while he worked within his father's business then branched out, starting his own business as a master builder, joiner and undertaker around about 1881 initially at 8 Mount Pleasant, London Road (now Lowestoft Road); then, later, 1 Victoria Villas, Lowestoft Road, was for most of his working life his home and builders yard: in old street numbering this was No 46, Lowestoft Road. From that yard he was well positioned for work at the south end of Gorleston, his building work was mostly on Lowestoft Road, Upper Cliff Road, Church Road and Springfield Road.
The Mariners' Refuge ....... stood near to the Gorleston Pavilion.
Built by Joseph Cockrill in 1893 and demolished in 1968
Two notable premises built by his firm were Palgrave Brown's Offices in Southtown, built in 1890, and the Mariners' Refuge, Gorleston, built in 1893 for the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. He also developed several of the side roads south of the Gorleston Railway Bridge. As an aside, it is said that he purchased the first ticket to be sold on Gorleston Railway Station.
Joe Cockrill also had an interest in working the land and acquired a small holding in South Gorleston, now the south side of Elmgrove Road. He kept pigs, grew and sold vegetables and flowers. The land was later developed as building land. For a long while he kept Shetland ponies and drove around Gorleston in a little cart drawn by a pair of Shetlands.
An incident worth recording is that, when a Rorqual Whale was stranded at Gorleston in June 1891 he, along with others, the naturalist Arthur Patterson in particular, had it gutted, preserved and stuffed as a travelling exhibition. A special trolley was built for it and the Gorleston Lifeboat crew even took it to the Earls Court Exhibition as well as exhibiting it locally and in Norwich.
Joe Cockrill married Bessie Limmer a granddaughter of Samuel Limmer who as a carter plied twice daily between Gorleston and Yarmouth. Joe and Bessie had quite a large family with twenty-two years separating the eldest and the youngest.
In 1908 Joe Cockrill's business got into financial difficulties and by April 1909 he was forced to file for bankruptcy, with a gross deficiency of just £39 11s 3d.
In the bankrupcy hearing he made a statement
"He had started in business with £80 made whilst working for his father. For some years he had done general jobbing repairs and small contracts that had earned him little more than a bare living. About 1892 he had launched out into speculations and did well until the turn of the century but then things began to go wrong. Although money had always been tight there was no pressure until December 1908 when he received his first writ, since then he had been continuously pressed. He had tried hard to sell some of his properties but as he could not find Purchasers he had to file his Bankrupcy Petition. His insolvency was solely due to his inability to sell his properties on which there was a margin between their valuation and the mortgages upon them. His house and shop were mortgaged to a Mr Brown. Five cottages off Baker Street, three of which were not completed, were mortgaged to a Mr Ruddock, who had also advanced money for building until there was now £780 due to him. Joe had joined Messrs Ferrier and Ferrier and Dr Wyllis in purchasing the Elmgrove Estate in which he had a fourth share. The ten plots in mortgage to Mr Brown had also been re-Leased to him by the syndicate. He was entitled to one-fourth share of the profit on the disposal of the rest of the estate which was only partly built and mortgaged to Dr Wyllis for £150."
He had filed his petition with £10 realised by the sale of a pony and cart.
Joe Cockrill seems to have recovered from this low point and continued in business in a small way, latterly his work was mostly small repair and conversion jobs. Eventually he sold the yard in Lowestoft Road and went to live in retirement at 31 Stradbroke Road.
His obituary records that he was a leading master builder in Gorleston for over half a century. At his funeral the plain oak coffin bearing a silver plate was carried by six men, five of whom were his old employees.
Joseph Cockrill Family Group 1903
Back Row: Harold and May Woodruff, Dorothea Rhoda, Joseph James, Harriette Eunice, Edmund Hazell.
Front Row: Donald George, Elizabeth nee Limmer, Bessie
Child: Marjorie Sarah Scott
Joseph Cockrill Family Group 1929
Back Row: Bessie Roche (nee Cockrill), Marjorie Barnes (nee Cockrill)
Centre Row: Bessie Cockrill (nee Limmer), Michael Manners Roche, Joseph James Cockrill.
Front Row: Annie Margaret Manners Roche, Hazel Barnes.
There follow some notes concerning his wife and their family:
Elizabeth Cockrill nee Limmer was born on Wednesday 21st October 1857, Bessie was the daughter of George Limmer, Blacksmith, of Gorleston and his wife Elizabeth.
The Grandfather, Samuel Limmer, Omnibus proprietor and Carter of Gorleston was born about 1790 but not locally. However, albeit that his origins were somewhat of a mystery, by 1840 Samuel Limmer was well established as a Carter at Pier Marsh, Gorleston, together with his wife Mary and children Emily 20, George (above) 20, Eliza 15, Samuel 15, John 13 (who went on to be a horse bus driver in Bells Marsh Road, Gorleston), Francis 11 and Elizabeth 10. The prominence of the family in that vicinity is commemorated in the name "Limmer Road".
