"sanguine vita" Down through the ages our surname has had numerous variations in spelling. My grandfather told me one story that his grandfather decided there were more than one Cobb so the name should have an "s" added to make it plural. We will follow Mike Cobb's format:

• The early British born generations are spelled COBBES.
  
• The early American born generations are spelled COBBS.
  
• The modern international spelling is COBB unless otherwise noted, as several branches of the family, including ours, still spell the name COBBS.

We want to recognize the efforts of Mike Cobbs and all the File Managers of the Cobb and Cobbs site, without whose effort very little would be known about our family and its history. Mike connected with Alexander Robert Cobb, the grandson of Robert Stanley Cobb, who provided his grandfather's genealogical work on the Cobb history in Britain. We have borrowed much from these works to make our files here for you to use. We strongly recommend that you visit Cobb and Cobbs to see the whole story. The first Cobb from County Kent, England, to be recorded in the College of Heralds was the man known to genealogists as John Cobb of Kent (c1324). His American descendants are all from the line of Ambrose Cobb, who arrived in Virginia, in 1635. Researchers have been trying for generations to identify John’s father. Although the most likely answer has been known for almost a decade, a challenge has been presented within the last two years. On the one hand is the claim that John’s father was one Walter Cobbe. On the other hand we have a claim that John’s father was a man named Henry Cobb. Read more about The Hoax. We have the work done by Robert Stanley Cobbs, MC, FRIBA, who in the 1950's began to research the Cobbs in Kent, England. He published this work for his family, not intending it to be a source document for others but, it is a great reference for those descended from Ambrose Cobbs here in the United States. You can begin your search with the Cobbs of Kent or start with the Ambrose "the Emigrant". Chapter V

 

The New Romney Cobbs

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The eldest son and heir to the Aldington property, James, who is referred to under the title Aldington >Cobbs, went to Bury St. Edmonds and died there in 1664. He had married the daughter of Sir Edmond Bury and left no sons to succeed him. Hasted, in his History of Kent, states that James, or his executors, sold his property at Aldington and Hodeford to Thomas Godfrey. These properties which were acquired by the Aldington Cobbs in early times had not been inherited from the Newchurch Cobbs and the Reculver branch had therefore no claim to them. However, it seems that some of the lands owned by the Aldington family near New Romney, which had come originally from the Newchurch Cobbs (notably Goddy Hall and Land and Hope All Saints) fell to Robert Cobb of Reculver either by inheritance under Gravelkind custom, or by purchase on the death of James. It is not explained, however, why these lands did not go to either of James' brothers, Thomas or William.

 

Robert of New Romney was a child of 4 years at the death of his father, Robert of Reculver and the property at Reculver and Chislet was sold after his mother's death in 1684 and he and his sister Ann went to their inheritance at New Romney.

 

Reculver and Chislet overlooked the Wantsum Channel which divided the Isle of Thanet from the mainland and it may have been a favourable time to sell the properties as the channel was setting up the sea route from Sandwich to London.

 

Ann, who may have been much older than her brother, married Robert Chalker, Town Clerk at New Romney and outlived him and afterwards married Edward Cranford, a landowner of Great Mongham, not far from her old home at Reculver. By the age of 36 Robert was mayor of New Romney and served as such in 1708 and 1710.

 

Robert married an heiress, Catherine Curteis, of Ashford. Her grandfather, a Mayor of Ashford, had been dismissed from the office at the time of the Revolution for his loyalty to Charles I, but her father was a member of Parliament after the Restoration. Robert died on 15th December 1727 at the age of 55. He is buried in the South aisle of Romney Church, with his wife, who died on 5th May 1751, aged 75 years. His arms are impailed with those of the Curteis family which show a chevron between three bulls' heads.

 

Catherine left a will, written ten years before her death, in which she leaves silver and other personal possessions to her sons and makes some reference to the house in which they lived, which remained in the family until 1825. Archaelogia Cantiana Vol 41

 

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written many years later says "The remains of the Old Cobb Mansion, now our workhouse, with its magnificent semi-circular sixteenth century walled garden, gives us glimpses of a social life which has long-since vanished from our midst."

 

Robert of New Romney left four sons, Thomas who was rector of Upper Hardres, near Canterbury and later of Lydd; Benjamin, Robert and John.

 

Benjamin married Catherine, an heiress, daughter of Allen Grebell of Rye who was murdered in 1742, just before his daughter's marriage. Grebell built Lamb House and the following is an extract from A. G. Bradley's "An Old Gate of England" which gives an account of the house and the event:

 

Lamb House, both within and without, has all the attractive characteristics of the early Georgian style, even in its ornamented capped doorway and the flight of steps ascending thereto. It is flanked by an old-fashioned garden which provides the dwellers upon the north side of the already favoured Watchbell Street wit a green and bowery outlook from their back windows. It is only worth noticing here that the house was built and first occupied by the Grebells, a family of note in the town, because the chief Grebell of the day was stabbed by an irascible butcher (1742) in mistake for his relative Lamb, into whose possession the house by that time passed, Mr. Lamb it seems had passed a severe sentence on the said butcher for using false weights. The murder made a tremendous sensation and has rung down the ages in Rye and if so remote an incident may scarcely seem worth the telling, it must not be shirked, as the skull of the butcher, as well as the] gibbet on which he hung upon the marsh outside the town, is carefully preserved in the Town Hall, and duly exhibited among its other treasures, to visitors.

 

But it is remarkable that it should have fallen to a simple I gentleman in a country town to entertain Royalty on two different occasions in the same house. For George the First, in the year I 1725, on returning from one of his numerous visits to Hanover, was blown ashore while making for Dover on Camber sands. Tradition I says that he and his party had to grope their way on foot to Rye I through snow-storm and darkness, but Lydd has something to say about that, as we shall see later. At any rate, Mr. James Lamb, both as Mayor and as owner of a well-found house, gave food and shelter to the boorish little German for one or two nights and days, as the weather had destroyed communication with London, where it was seriously feared that the King was lost, as a reference to the history of the reign will show. Great though the honour, it must have been an extremely inconvenient moment, for an addition to the family occurred that very night. The King, however, though he hated England and English ways and could not speak our language, seems I to have made himself agreeable oh this auspicious occasion. With

 

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dry suit, before a good fire and plenty of beer and tobacco, George I was probably at his best, such as it was. In any case he did the right thing, became Godfather to the boy, blessed him and gave him his own name George and a gold cup into the bargain, which is still preserved in the family.

 

The second occasion was in 1755, just before the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, when the Duke of Cumberland, the so called "Butcher of Culloden", but the best of the whole breed, visited Eye to inspect the defences of the neighbourhood, and was entertained by Mr. Lamb, who was still Mayor.

 

These particulars have been kindly given me by almost the only living representative of the Lamb-Grebell families - which had otherwise died out in Eye. In regard to the Grebell murder, which took place from this house, my informant gives some particulars, unknown to the local chroniclers, in part at least, that are physiologically interesting. Mr, Grebell had been supping with his brother-in-law Lamb, and having some business in the town, borrowed his scarlet overcoat. On returning late through the churchyard, he felt some one push heavily as he thought against him, and merely remarking "Get away, you drunken hound" passed on to Lamb House, quite unconcerned. He duly reported the incident, but as the family were going to bed, said he felt so tired that, instead of going home, he would have a sleep in the armchair by the fire. In the morning he was found dead, with a stab in the back, which had caused internal bleeding,"

 

Benjamin was Mayor of New Romney, first in 1736, when he was 29 years old and thereafter in 1740, 1743, 1746, 1749, 1752, 1754, 1756 and died during his mayoralty on 6th October 1756. He is buried in the South aisle of New Romney church and the memorial stone shows his arms impailed with the Grebells'. His brother Robert died when he was 27 years old and left Benjamin his lands and tenements which he had in Romney and Hope All Saints. To his brother Thomas, the Rector of Upper Hardres, Robert left ?1,300 - worth, perhaps, ?26,000 in to-day's currency.

 

Thomas Cobb, Rector of Upper >Hardres, who was a curate of Lydd in his younger days, returned there in his old age. He was Mayor of Lydd in 1747. He died in 1794 leaving a son, Robert, who was Mayor of Lydd in 1785-1787, and four grandchildren, Thomas' memorial at Lydd Church, which has been destroyed during the bombing of the church in the late war, records:

 

"Sacred to the memory of Revd. Thomas Cobbe, M. A., son of Robert and Catherine Cobb of New Romney, who after a long life devoted to the faithful performance of pastoral duties, and the practice of every virtue that could adorn it first as curate of this parish and afterwards as rector of Upper Hardres and Stitling of this county, died August 26th 1794 in the 92nd year of his age."

 

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He built Cobbe Hall in Lydd, which he left to his son Robert - a fine Georgian building in the main street near the church, which now belongs to All Souls, Oxford. His son, Robert, owned the Manor of Scotney, otherwise Bletching Court, which lies about 1/2 mile northward of Seavens Court in the parish of Prombell, and about 150 acres of land which had previosly belonged to his uncle Benjamin, It is a poor building and probably was the residence of Robert's overseer.

 

Benjamin's other son, also called Benjamin, born in 1753, has always been said to have been the spendthrift who dissipated the family fortune, for, like many others who found themselves in financial difficulties in those times, he left for Calais when he was over 74 years old and died there in his old age. He lived in the extravagant Regency age and apart from his mansion at New Romney, owned a house in Great Coram Street, Brunswick Square.

 

A. G. Bradley in "The Old Gate of England" writes of his times:

 

"Echoes of social splendour or Romney in Georgian times may still be found on the lips of the oldest inhabitants, gathered from their fathers and grandfathers; the string of carriages which filled the High Street from end to end when a Miss Cobb was married or the resounding convivialities which cheered the place when a Master Godfrey was born. The old houses where these magnate of the Marsh, this amphibious fifth continent of the earth, in its great days ate and drank and danced, the world forgetting and by the world forgot, look rather seedy now.

 

The Cobb mansion is the workhouse and the lines of its ample gardens may still be seen far out in the fields."

 

The Mansion was pulled down between the two great wars, but the writer remembers the spacious rooms with Adam fireplaces and no less than seven staircases.

 

It is said that Benjamin was always accompanied at the back of his carriage by a black servant dressed in red; somewhat ostentatious, perhaps, a family failing which has persisted for 700 years.

 

It is evident, however, that Benjamin earned and retained the respect of the township until he was an old man, for he was elected Mayor for the first time in 1777 when he was 24 and six times afterwards, the 1 time being in 1827 when he was 74. It seems that misfortune overtook in his old age, by which time, one thinks, he should have sown his wild oats It may well be that Benjamin's sons, Smith and Thomas, both in the Navy, were bothered with their father's affairs and that he left for Calais on their instigation. Benjamin married first Elizabeth, daughter and heires

 

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of John Rolfe the Common Clerk of New Romney and Mayor in 1785; who died in 1782 at the age of 28 childless; and afterwards to Jane, daughter and heiress of Elias Smith of Dymchurch, by whom he had eleven children over a period of ten years, two of whom were twins. Jane died on 30th June 1799 at the age of 32, when the twins, Robert and Thomas were two years old and the eldest son, Smith, ten. Benjamin died in Calais in 1835 at the age of 82 years and was buried there, but there is a memorial stone to him and his wives in the East of the South aisle at New Romney church. It can only be hoped that he enjoyed good company in his last days at Calais when Nelson's Lady Hamilton and many other notable persons were in retirement, Benjamin's arms, on the memorial stone at New Romney Church, carry two escutcheons of pretence to indicate that both his wives were heiresses.

 

Of Benjamin's sons, Smith, Benjamin, Robert and Thomas, three were in the Royal Navy.

 

Smith, born in 1786, who was Mayor of Romney in 1818 and 1824 and died in 1833 aged 47, was buried in a vault which he built in the church at Romney for himself and other members of the family. Captain Smith Cobb, R.N., contributed to the cost of the publication of 'County Genaeologies - Pedigrees of the Families of Kent', by William Berry, published in 1830, and in this the family pedigree is brought up to date and the arms inscribed. Berry was on the staff of the College of Heralds and prepared a drawing showing the quarterings of the Cobb's arms which was in the possession of Mr. Raymond Cobb of New Romney in about 1928. The official reference number of the Cobb pedigree with the College of Arms is Surrey 13/ 185. Smith Cobb was presented with a silver salver and tea service by the Town and Corporation of New Romney in 1821 which records that it was given "In testimony of their sense of eminent service rendered by him in support of their charter."

 

Charles, who was killed off Boulogne by a hit on his head by a cannon ball during the French Wars, in 1811, when he was 25 years old, has a place of honour in the centre aisle of the same Church in New Romney. Commander Thomas Cobb was buried at Stockbury in Kent, and the following obituary notice was published in the Times of 29th April, 1892:

 

"The death of Commander Thomas Cobb, R.N., occurred on April 24th at Stockbury Vicarage at the great age of 96 years.

 

The deceased gentlemen was the father of the Revd. Thomas Cobb, Vicar of Stockbury (with whom he lived) and also of the Revd. Charles Cobb, Vicar of Rainham. He was also a twin brother of the late Revd. Robert Cobb, Vicar of Debtling. Commander Cobb was one of the oldest, officers of the Royal Navy.

 

Born October 5th 1796, he entered the Service as a second-class volunteer in 1810 on board the Venerable, 74. Captain Home Popham and afterwards served successfully as a midshipman and mate on the Onyx, 10, commanded by his brother, Commander Smith Cobb; the Bulwark, 74; Tersor, Bomb, and Severn, 28.

 

On his promotion to Lieutenant in 1824 he came ashore and did not serve again. Commander Cobb's family has been connected with the Navy for centuries.

 

He had two brothers in-the service, one of whom was killed in action with the French off Boulogne in 1811; his father was a Baron of the Cinque Ports and present in that capacity at the Coronation of George IV.

 

He was also a direct descendant of John Cobb of Cobb's Court I in Romney Marsh, who flourished in the reign of Edward II and assisted to furnish a ship in the Royal Navy of the Cinque Ports, I Commander Cobb was a Magistrate of New Romney, married in 1826 and had nine children, but there is no one of his name now serving as an officer in the Navy.

 

The remains of the deceased gentleman were interred at Stockbury on Thursday in last week, where his four sons were present, viz: Revd. T. Cobb, Revd. C. Cobb, Lieut. Col. Cobb, R.M. and Mr. Henry Cobb of New Rornney."

 

Commander Cobb was Mayor of New Romney in 1841 and nine times thereafter the last time being 1876 when he was 80 years old. His brother Smith had this honour in 1818-1824 before his father's last term of office.

 

Smith's son Benjamin was vicar of Newchurch from 1869 to 1875. On his death his wife gave a new chalice to the church of Newchurch to replace the one bequeathed by John the 'Advocante' in 1472 which had been lost during the Reformation.

 

Benjamin of Newchurch had five sons, Benjamin, Cramer, Raymond and Murton and Mitford, of which the latter was living in New York in 1955.

 

Commander Cobb had four sons. Thomas, who was first headmaster of King's School, Rochester and later Vicar of Stockbury, was the writer grandfather. He died on 8th June, 1912 at the age of 85. Charles, his second son, was first, Vicar of Dymchurch and then of Rainham. Whilst at Dymchurch he effected a notable rescue from a French ship on 5th January 1867 and the account given below was published nearly seventy years after the event, in the Sunday Pictorial of 29th March, 1936:

 

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They are accustomed to the wind and sea at their in the village of Dymchurch on the Kent Coast, and when a gale raged through the night early in January, 1867, it did not not disturb the Rev. Charles Cobb in his little vicarage, looking out on the Church.

 

It was early, for it was Sunday, and while at breakfast he read through his notes. Faintly, underneath the roar of the waves and the rattling of the window panes, came the sound of gunfire.

 

A French lugger, the Corrier de Dieppe, had been blown far off her course and wrecked on the Dymchurch Sands.

 

The Coastguards were trying to fire a lifeline aboard the wreck, in which four people could be seen clinging for dear life. The line fell short, a great wave crashed against the boat and broke her in two. Three men were washed overboard and drowned. One man remained, his arms twined in the rigging. John Batist, a Coastguard, clad in a cork jacket and with a lifeline round his waist, tried to battle his way out to the wreck. He failed and was dragged back by the men on the beach.

 

The Vicar, a powerful swimmer, took off his coat and said he would try without a cork jacket, which would make him too light.

 

His parishoners, who had gathered on the shore, begged him not to make this desperate attempt. Mr. Cobb was resolute. He plunged in and for some minutes, they seemed like hours to the watchers, he was lost to sight, and then he was seen clambering on the wreck.

 

He had still to reach the man in the rigging who was numb with cold and exhaustion.

 

After a pause to recover his breath, the Vicar started to crawl towards the sailor.

 

Three thimes he was washed back and saved himself as if by a miracle. The fourth time he got his hand on the ropes.

 

Meanwhile Batist, with his lifeline, had managed, by a mighty effort, to reach the wreck and together the Vicar and the Coastguard grasped the survivor and all three were hauled ashore.

 

The records tell how Rev, Charles Cobb won the Albert Medal in gold, and John Batist the bronze.

 

Charles Cobb was also awarded a medal by the Emperor of France. He died at Rainham, leaving one daughter, and his son-in-law succeeded him as Vicar of Rainham.

 

John, the third son, was a Lieut. Colonel in the Royal Marl Henry Cobb, the younger son of Commander Cobb, who remained in New Romney and was known as Captain Cobb, lived at Cobbes Corner, and was seven times Mayor of the town from 1871. His last term of office was in 1893.

 

Of Thomas of Stockbury's sons, Robert was a Director of Medical Services in India; Hamilton Smith, Canon and Preceptor at Rochester; Arthur Stanley (the father of the writer) married Margaret Ritchie Cassels in 1860. He was a banker and wrote two books on finance, viz. 'Threadneedle Street' and 'Metallic Reserve' in 1892. He died in 1902.