This page and its posts will set out to illustrate the background of the Coghill Family.

The family lineage is recounted in Debrett’s and Burke’s Peerage and further information is provided here and in Posts to this website under the Category ‘Coghill’.

There have been several hypotheses about the original Coghill from which there is no clear consensus and no glaringly obvious answer as to who the first Coghill really was – if indeed there was a single originator of the name.

Of the opinions articulated in various sources, there has been a regular recital of an old story suggesting that the first known Coghill ancestor was a John Cockhill of Cock Hill who lived in the fourteenth century.

Indeed, Burke’s Peerage refers to the family origins as follows:

“Sir John Coghill of Coghill Hall, W.R., Yorks., and Drumcondra, co. Dublin. LL.D., Master in Chancery in Ireland, seventh in descent from John Cockhill of Cockhill, living at Drumcondra in the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV”

Colonel Bellingham’s Diary (1688-1690) recounts the similar story as follows:

“he [Sir John Coghill] was Master in Chancery in Ireland.  He was the seventh in decent from John Cockhill of Cockhill, who was in the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV living at Russesborough” [1]

It is certain that the Coghill family has firm roots in the historic Doomsday town of Knaresborough in the West Ridings of Yorkshire.

Some distance outside Knaresborough is a hill called Cock Hill, near to the River Cock, and this may have given rise to a man being called John of Cock Hill, mutating to John O’Cockhill and finally to John Cockhill.  On the other hand, in the absence of any documentary evidence to support this hypothesis, this may be no more than a flight of fancy.

Another interesting alternative is offered by an old book about Knaresborough (Knaresborough and its Rulers by William Wheater, 1907)  as follows:

“Burke commences the lineage with Sir John Coghill LL.D., Master in Chancery in Ireland;  he has, however, a footnote to record that the knight was seventh in descent from John Cockhill, living at Knaresburgh in the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV.  The rolls explode the “Cockhill of Cockhill” nonsense.  John was a shrewd clothier, probably a descendant of a John o’ the Cog-hill, where were made rough cloths called “cogs” in vogue before our John saw the light.  This career presents him as the builder of Coghill Hall, on the site of the very old Wether Hall an ‘outside’ magisterial residence when the lord of Scriven was a sheriff and the Danesgeld was paid at Danyell-brygg.”

Whatever the origins, the first mention I have found of John Coghill is with the nickname ‘Ready Money John’ trading as a clothier in ‘lez tentures’ or at ‘le Tentergate’, described by William Wheater as follows:

“Two old features of Bond-end [“wholly in Scriven-with-Tentergate, is an ancient roadway, first marked by the British trackway through the forest from Ottley to Boroughbridge”] were Wederall-garth and the Baiards croft.  The former is now represented by Conyngham House, formerly Coghill Hall, built by the Coghills in the first half of the fifteenth century.  At that time three members of the family are in evidence, Margaret, a widow, the mother of John and William and her family.  John Coghill was a clothier in ‘lez tentures’ at ‘le Tentergate’; well-known, probably as “ready-money John”, and appreciative of the instrument he used; in the police records certified for risky accumulation.  Keen rivalry existed between John Coghill and his neighbour John Roundell, although in different trades.  For one thing both were keen to grab property in Harrogate, then in unprecedented success.  John Pykeryng and Agnes his mother, widow of Robert Pykeryng, in 1442 surrender by John Dykson, sergeant of the bailiff of the liberty of Knaresburgh, “Wederallgarth in le bondende” to John Coghill.  John Roundell, a considerable owner in Harrogate and Knaresburgh, had just died, leaving a widow, Margaret Christiana Roundell, and Robert Roundell.  With his sharp-witted neighbour no longer watching him, Coghill enclosed ‘a road to the Nydd at the north end of Danyell-brygg”, probably the present carriage entrance to Conyngham House.”

It seems, therefore, that “Ready-Money” John lent money extensively and he obtained Wether Hall in Knaresborough and subsequently engaged in several property transactions to build up his estate and on the site constructed a new hall, COGHILL HALL.  According to William Wheater:

“One of the oldest trading sites was the Pelwell, the “pale field” where the ‘pale’ is a fixed boundary – as the English Pale in Ireland wherein the English lived under their own laws apart from the Irish.  That is the Pelwell of Bond-end.  The early cloth-workers gathered here… The Coghills are of this district.  In 1437, John Coghill obtains two acres in Pelwell from William Burton, and a rood from Agnes Pickering, widow.”

“In 1461 John Cokill exchanges an acre and a half upon Bygyngbarth in Knaresburgh fields with John Cundall, for half an acre upon Pelwell.”

In 1462, the Knaresborough court records show that a John Coghill was accused of cloth-stealing when he “is found to have in his possession a grey horse, a ‘tunic de velwett, blod color’, a piece ‘des beuges’; though he pleads ‘not guilty’ and seeks inquiry”.  [2]

James Henry Coghill in his book ‘The Book of Coghill’ written in [1878] notes that Thomas Coghill (or Coughyll), son of John Cockhill (almost certainly a deviation from the John Coghill referred to above, not least because Coghill Hall was passed down through the family by successive wills) married Marjory Slingsby (211 111 112 111 111 2) in 1461.  I am assuming, for the purposes of this treatise, that Thomas Coghill (211 111 112 111 111 1) was John Coghill’s son but I am aware of the possibility of having missed a generation.

Marjory Slingsby (211 111 112 111 111 2) was the daughter of John Slingsby of Scriven Hall on the outskirts of Knaresborough (211 111 112 111 111 21) by his marriage to Joan Calverley (211 111 112 111 111 22), daughter of Walter Calverley (211 111 112 111 111 221).

Thomas (211 111 112 111 111 1) and Marjory (211 111 112 111 111 2) had at least two sons, Thomas Coghill (211 111 112 111 111) and Robert Coghill and we know that Thomas (211 111 112 111 111) married twice, firstly to Jane Tempest, daughter of Sir Thomas Tempest and secondly to Anne Nettleton (211 111 112 111 112)

Anne Nettleton (211 111 112 111 112) was the daughter of a gentleman [?] Nettleton Esq., of Roundegrange and his wife who was the sister of Sir Robert Suttle (or Sothill) knight of Suttle (Sothill) Hall, Yorkshire.

Marmaduke Coghill (211 111 112 111 11) was the eldest son of Thomas (211 111 112 111 111) and Anne (211 111 112 111 112), and, in 1555, rebuilt Coghill Hall near Knaresborough (now Conyngham Hall).  Marmaduke married Maude Pulleyn (211 111 112 111 12).

Maude Pulleyn (or Pulleyne or Pullein) (211 111 112 111 12) was the daughter of John Pulleyne Esq. (211 111 112 111 121) of Killinghall, Steward of Knaresborough and Ripon, by his wife Jane Roos (211 111 112 111 122) daughter of Thomas Roos Esq., of Ingmanthorp (211 111 112 111 122 1).

Thomas Coghill (211 111 112 111 1) was the eldest son of John (211 111 112 111 11) and Maude (211 111 112 111 12) and succeeded his father in the 22^nd year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1580).  He married Isabel Tallentyre (211 111 112 111 2).

Isabel Tallentyre (211 111 112 111 2) was the daughter of [?] Tallentyre Esq., of Carlisle and the sister of William Tallentyre, incumbent of Kirby Overblows in Yorkshire and Routhbury in Northumberland.

Thomas (211 111 112 111 1) and Isabel (211 111 112 111 2) had two sons and three daughters, of whom the eldest son was Thomas Coghill (211 111 112 111).  Thomas married Beatrice Halley (211 111 112 112).

Beatrice Halley was the daughter of William Halley Esq. (211 111 112 112 1) of York, and was buried at Knaresborough July 9^th 1623.

John Coghill (211 111 112 11) was the eldest of three children, was baptised at Knaresborough, March 11^th 1615 and married Lucy Tancred (211 111 112 12).

Lucy Tancred (211 111 112 12) was the daughter of Charles Tancred Esq., of Whixley (211 111 112 121), who died in 1644 and sister of Sir Richard Tancred (knighted by Charles I for his services and sufferings during the Civil War). His pedigree is well documented elsewhere.

The only documented child from the union of John and Lucy was Sir John Coghill LL.D. (211 111 112 1), who qualified in law was patronised by Bramall, Archbishop of Armagh (also a Yorkshireman) and became Master in the High Court of Chancery in Ireland.  He was knighted in Dublin Castle on 5^th June 1686 by Henry, Earl of Clarendon, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.  Sir John lived at Belvedere House in North Dublin[3] and married Hester Cramer (211 111 112 2).

Hester Cramer (211 111 112 2) was the daughter of Colonel Tobias Cramer (211 111 112 21) (died 1680) who had been awarded lands at Ballyfoyle (Co. Kilkenny) following the Civil War in Ireland and (by some accounts) was Sheriff of Dublin in 1653.  His father Balthazer Cramer (211 111 112 211) died in 1650 and was the son of Tobias (von) Cramer (211 111 112 211 1) who originated from Lower Germany (or possibly Strasbourg) and was made a Free Denizen of Ireland on 28^th May 1639 and died in 1649.

Hester (211 111 112 2) and John (211 111 112 1) had nine children of whom five sons died young, a daughter, Mary Coghill died unmarried, Dr. Sir Marmaduke Coghill, born 28^th December 1673, died unmarried (1739) but had a long and distinguished career as a lawyer, a judge and an MP, living at Drumcondra House in North Dublin; Dr James Coghill lived at Belvedere House adjacent to Drumcondra and married Anne Pierson and Hester Coghill (211 111 112) who married her first cousin Oliver Cramer (211 111 111).

Oliver (211 111 111) was the son of Balthazer Cramer (211 111 111 1), Hester Cramer’s (211 111 112 2) eldest brother, who inherited Ballyfoyle Castle and lands from his father.

Amongst other issue, Balthazer John  Cramer (211 111 11) was Hester and Oliver’s eldest son (the last of the family to inhabit Ballyfoyle); Oliver Cramer was the younger (married a Miss Rudkin and had two children, Hester Cramer and Marmaduke Cramer.  Marmaduke had several children. [4]

Balthazer John Cramer (211 111 11) married Judith Butler (211 111 12) the daughter of Viscount Brinsley Butler (The First Viscount Lanesborough) (211 111 121), two sons of whom were alive when Dr Sir Marmaduke Coghill died and inherited under the terms of Dr Sir Marmaduke Coghill’s will, [5] both changing their surnames in the process; the eldest John Balthazer Coghill (né Cramer) (211 111 1), and Oliver Coghill (né Cramer) who, under the terms of Marmaduke’s will, inherited the Yorkshire Estates and is later found living at Coghill Hall having married Anne Hucks, a descendant of the (London Branch of the) Coghill family.[6]

John Balthazer (211 111 1) assumed the name of Coghill under the terms of Dr Sir Marmaduke Coghill’s will and was an MP and was made a baronet in 1788 [7].  He married Mary Hort (211 111 2).  John Balthazar (now Sir John Coghill) died in Bath, Somerset in 1790.

Mary Hort (211 111 2) was the sister of Sir John Hort who received his baronetcy in 1787 and daughter of Rev. Josiah Hort (Archbishop of Tuam) (211 111 21) and his wife Lady Elizabeth Fitzmaurice (211 111 22), daughter of the (22^nd) Lord Kerry (211 111 221). [8]  Sir John (211 111 1) and Lady Mary (211 1112 2) had nine children, the eldest of whom was Sir John Thomas Coghill, 2^nd bt, who travelled greatly around Europe and assembled a collection of art and artefacts (including a collection of Greek and Etruscan vases known as ‘The Coghill Vases’);  Sir John Thomas Coghill sold Coghill Hall to Lady Conyngham in 1796 and with the proceeds bought Randalls Park in Leatherhead. 

James Coghill in his book of Coghill notes from communications with Sir John Joscelyn (211 11) that: “while detained in France during the war with the first Napoleon, [Sir John Thomas Coghill 2nd Bt.] became acquainted with Lafayette, and through him was induced to purchase a large amount of land at New Orleans. I believe a large part of that city is now built over this very land, and had my father kept possession of it, I have no doubt that it would now be of immense value, and have added largely to our estate ; but he did not foresee what was to happen, and sold it in the full belief that his brother had been very well swindled by Lafayette, as in taking possession it was found that at a few spades’ depth there was nothing but water.”

Sir John Thomas Coghill 2nd Bt. died at Caen in Normandy in 1817 and his eldest brother Josiah Coghill Cramer (211 111) inherited the Coghill estates and title and changed his name to Coghill, becoming Admiral Sir Josiah Coghill Coghill, 3^rd bt. (211 111)

Shortly after his brother’s death, Adm. Sir Josiah Coghill (211 111) purchased and settled at Ballyduff (Co. Kilkenny).   He married twice, firstly (in 1803) Sophia Dodson and had three daughters, Caroline, Josephine and Emmeline; and secondly, (in 1819) Anna Maria Kendal Bushe (211 112).

Anna Maria Kendal Bushe (211 112) was the daughter of Lord Chief Justice Charles Kendal Bushe (211 112 1 and 211 122 1) “The Incorruptible” (son of Rev. Thomas Bushe (211 112 11) and Katherine Doyle (211 112 12)) and Anne Crampton (211 112 2) (daughter of John Fiennes Twistleton Crampton (211 112 21).  Josiah (211 111) and Anna Maria (211 112) had nine children including Sir John Joscelyn Coghill, 4^th bt. (211 11) (1826 to 1905).

Sir John Joscelyn (211 11) married the Hon. Katherine Plunket (d. 1881) (211 12), daughter of John Span Plunket (211 121) (son of William Conyngham Plunket (211 121 1) and Catherine McCausland (211 121 2)) and Charlotte Bushe (211 122) (sister of Anna Maria Bushe).

Sir John Joscelyn (211 11) and Katherine (211 12) had seven children of whom the first two sons, Nevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill, VC died at Isandula in the Zulu Wars and Sir Egerton Bushe Coghill, 5^th bt inherited the baronetcy.  Their third son was Claude (‘Joe’) Plunket Coghill (211 1).

Claude (211 1) became Lord Darnley’s land agent for his estates in Athboy, Co. Meath,  and, with the position came a house, ‘Frankville’.  Close to Athboy at ‘Drewstown House’ lived the McVeagh family and Claude married Maude Mary McVeagh (211 2), daughter of Ferdinand McVeagh (211 21).

Claude (211 1) and Maude (211 2), before inhabiting Frankville, lived at ‘Johnsbrook’, next door to Drewstown House where their son Joscelyn Kendal Bushe Coghill (211) was born.  Joscelyn had two sisters, Elfrida Hester Brooke (‘Hebe’) Coghill and Ethel Maude Wynch Coghill.

Joscelyn Kendal Bushe Coghill (211) went to school at Repton, left Ireland and travelled to Canada and then to Borneo (Sarawak) where he was foreman of a rubber plantation.  He married Maud Evelyn Filder (212), daughter of Leslie Philips Filder (212 1) and Ada Trigg (212 2) in 1925 at Booterstown, Dublin, having met her on a trip to Eastbourne, Sussex.

Joscelyn (211) and Evelyn (212) had three children – two  daughters Sheila and Muara and a son Lt. Col. John Kendal Plunket Coghill OBE (21).  Joscelyn was captured by the Japanese in World War II and imprisoned until after VJ day.

John (21) married Diana Mary Callen (22), daughter of Frederick Callen (221) and Winifred ‘Betty’ Barson (222) on 6^th October 1951 in Asmara, Eritrea.

Transcription of part of a book written in 1879 by James Henry Coghill of the American branch of Coghills (my copy is one of 250 copies privately printed for presentation – in this case, inscribed to “Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge with the Author’s Compliments, September 1880“)

TheFamilyofCoghill-1879_JHCoghill

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Coghill, Cogshull, Cogghill, etc in the Close Roles of the fourteenth century

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Further research into the Coghills and Cramers was written and privately published by BERTRAM COGHILL ALAN WINDLE, LL.D., F.R.S., F.S.A. which I have transcribed below:

010930_transcript_WindlePaper

 

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Comments or questions are welcome.