Aston Cockayne
Encyclopedia
Sir Aston Cockayne, Baronet of Ashbourne (1608–1684) was, in his day, a well-known Cavalier
and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger
, John Fletcher
, Michael Drayton
, Richard Brome
, Thomas Randolph
, and other writers of his generation.
; Cockayne was born at Ashbourne Hall
in Derbyshire, and baptised on 20 December 1608. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
, the University of Oxford, and at the Inns of Court
. Like many other aristocrats of his time, he travelled through Europe in his youth, spending much of 1632 in France and Italy; like a few, he became fluent in their languages, and translated works of literature into English.
Cockayne was a Roman Catholic, and like other Catholics in his country in his era, was active in resistance against the Church of England
and the social order that supported it. On 10 January 1641 Charles I
elevated him to Baronet
. During the English Civil War
he took the Royalist side. He joined the future Charles II
in exile for a time. For much of the English Interregnum
he lived on his estate of Pooley Hall
, at Polesworth
in Warwickshire.
Cockayne was a cousin of the poet Charles Cotton
(1630–87), and had connections with Cotton's circle, which included Izaak Walton
(1598–1683).
Cockayne held the lands and Lordships of the Manors of Pooley in Warwickshire, and of Ashbourne. But in his later years he suffered financially, due to gambling. He sold Ashbourne Hall to Sir William Boothby (see Boothby Baronets
), in 1671 to pay creditors, and the family subsequently lost his manor at Pooley Hall in Warwickshire. He died in poverty.
of the Christmas seaon in 1639, and of Small Poems of Divers Sorts, published in 1658. He also wrote plays: The Obstinate Lady, a comedy (first printed 1657), and Trappolin Suppos'd a Prince, a tragicomedy
(printed 1658); and The Tragedy of Ovid (or Ovid's Tragedy) (printed 1662). All three were published in one volume by Francis Kirkman
in 1669. His works and his surviving letters constitute still-useful sources of information on the social and cultural affairs of mid-17th-century England.
Cockayne's Small Poems collection of 1658 included verses to Humphrey Moseley
, publisher of the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher
folio. In that poem, Cockayne, a friend to both Massinger and Fletcher, noted that Massinger was part-author of many plays in the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher
folio—which eventually inspired a sweeping examination of the authorship problem in the canon of John Fletcher and his various collaborators. He dedicated his tragedy on Ovid
, to his cousin Charles Cotton.
Baronet, High Sheriff of Derbyshire.
Aston and Mary had 3 children:
A son, who died in his father's lifetime, leaving no issue;
and two daughters, Mary and Isabella, who were co-heiresses.
Aston's titles and Lordships passed to main Cockayne family line; to Caleb Cockayne the male representative of the family proceeding from the sons of Sir Edward Cockayne, Sir Aston's grandfather.
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and a minor literary figure, now best remembered as a friend of Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
, John Fletcher
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
, Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
, Richard Brome
Richard Brome
Richard Brome was an English dramatist of the Caroline era.-Life:Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, indicate that Brome started out as a servant of Jonson, in some capacity...
, Thomas Randolph
Thomas Randolph (poet)
Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. He was baptized on 18 June 1605 and was the uncle of American colonist William Randolph.-Education:...
, and other writers of his generation.
Biography
Aston Cockayne was the son of Thomas Cockayne and Ann, the daughter of Sir John StanhopeSir John Stanhope
Sir John Stanhope was an English knight and landowner and father of the 1st Earl of Chesterfield.He was appointed Postmaster General to Queen Elizabeth on 20 June 1590....
; Cockayne was born at Ashbourne Hall
Ashbourne Hall
Ashbourne Hall is a Manor house originally built by the Cockayne Family in the 13th century in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The present Hall is part of a largely demolished, Georgian styled Hall build during the 18th century.-The Cockayne Family:...
in Derbyshire, and baptised on 20 December 1608. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, the University of Oxford, and at the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
. Like many other aristocrats of his time, he travelled through Europe in his youth, spending much of 1632 in France and Italy; like a few, he became fluent in their languages, and translated works of literature into English.
Cockayne was a Roman Catholic, and like other Catholics in his country in his era, was active in resistance against the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and the social order that supported it. On 10 January 1641 Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
elevated him to Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
he took the Royalist side. He joined the future Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in exile for a time. For much of the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
he lived on his estate of Pooley Hall
Pooley Hall
Pooley Hall is a Manor house built in 1509 on the outskirts of Polesworth, Warwickshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and a private residence.-The Cockayne Family:...
, at Polesworth
Polesworth
Polesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
in Warwickshire.
Cockayne was a cousin of the poet Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton was an English poet and writer, best known for translating the work of Michel de Montaigne from the French, for his contributions to The Compleat Angler, and for the highly influential The Compleat Gamester which has been attributed to him.-Early life:He was born at Beresford Hall...
(1630–87), and had connections with Cotton's circle, which included Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
(1598–1683).
Cockayne held the lands and Lordships of the Manors of Pooley in Warwickshire, and of Ashbourne. But in his later years he suffered financially, due to gambling. He sold Ashbourne Hall to Sir William Boothby (see Boothby Baronets
Boothby Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Boothby, both in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2008....
), in 1671 to pay creditors, and the family subsequently lost his manor at Pooley Hall in Warwickshire. He died in poverty.
Works
Cockayne is the author of A Masque at Bretbie, which was performed on Twelfth NightTwelfth Night (holiday)
Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.It is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the...
of the Christmas seaon in 1639, and of Small Poems of Divers Sorts, published in 1658. He also wrote plays: The Obstinate Lady, a comedy (first printed 1657), and Trappolin Suppos'd a Prince, a tragicomedy
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
(printed 1658); and The Tragedy of Ovid (or Ovid's Tragedy) (printed 1662). All three were published in one volume by Francis Kirkman
Francis Kirkman
Francis Kirkman appears in many roles in the English literary world of the second half of the seventeenth century, as a publisher, bookseller, librarian, author and bibliographer...
in 1669. His works and his surviving letters constitute still-useful sources of information on the social and cultural affairs of mid-17th-century England.
Cockayne's Small Poems collection of 1658 included verses to Humphrey Moseley
Humphrey Moseley
Humphrey Moseley was a prominent London publisher and bookseller in the middle seventeenth century.Possibly a son of publisher Samuel Moseley, Humphrey Moseley became a "freeman" of the Stationers Company, the guild of London booksellers, on 7 May 1627; he was selected a Warden of the Company on...
, publisher of the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I ....
folio. In that poem, Cockayne, a friend to both Massinger and Fletcher, noted that Massinger was part-author of many plays in the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher
Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I ....
folio—which eventually inspired a sweeping examination of the authorship problem in the canon of John Fletcher and his various collaborators. He dedicated his tragedy on Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, to his cousin Charles Cotton.
Family
He married Mary Kniveton, daughter of Sir Gilbert KnivetonKniveton Baronets
The Kniveton Baronetcy, of Mercaston in the County of Derby, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created by King James I on 29 June 1611 for William Kniveton of Mercaston Hall, Muggington, Derbyshire. The family originated in the village of Kniveton, , from where their name derived...
Baronet, High Sheriff of Derbyshire.
Aston and Mary had 3 children:
A son, who died in his father's lifetime, leaving no issue;
and two daughters, Mary and Isabella, who were co-heiresses.
Aston's titles and Lordships passed to main Cockayne family line; to Caleb Cockayne the male representative of the family proceeding from the sons of Sir Edward Cockayne, Sir Aston's grandfather.