James Cockle was a prominent British surgeon and father of eventual Chief Justice of Queensland, Sir James Cockle.

Early life and education

Cockle was born in Woodbridge, Suffolk

Woodbridge, Suffolk

Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...

 to Andrew Cockle—a vintner

Vintner

A vintner is a wine merchant. You pronounce it like this In some modern use, in particular in American English, the term is alsoused as a synonym for winemaker....

—and his wife, Anne. He went up to the University of Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

 in 1801 and began practising as a doctor in 1805. He became the parochial surgeon at Great Oakley, Essex

Great Oakley, Essex

Great Oakley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex. It is a long, narrow parish lying on the top of a low ridge south of Ramsey Creek which drains northeast towards Harwich. The parish extends south to Oakley Creek, a branch of Hamford Water, where stood Great Oakley...

 before moving to London in the early 1820s.

Career

Initially working as an apothecary

Apothecary

Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....

 in Hackney

London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....

, Cockle moved to New Ormond Street in 1829 and developed an extremely successful medical firm. By 1837, his clients included some of the capital's most influential people. These included:

• William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
  William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
  William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
  
   - Prime Minister
• Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
  Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
  Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
  
   - Foreign Secretary
• Charles Dickens
  Charles Dickens
  Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
  
   - author

Other prominent figures who were clients of Cockle included one Archbishop, seven Dukes, fifty-six lesser peers, fourteen bishops and three other Cabinet Ministers besides those above.

Personal life

Cockle married Elizabeth Moss in 1814 and the couple had five sons and a daughter:

• George Cockle (died 1900) (had daughter by Miss Charlotte Pittaway)
• Dr John Cockle (1814—1900) - doctor
• Charles Moss-Cockle (?—1904) - solicitor
• Elizabeth Cockle (married Colonel Draffen)
• Sir James Cockle (14 January 1819—27 January 1895) - Chief Justice of Queensland

Death

Cockle died on 8 December 1854 at 18 New Ormond Street, Queen Square, London with an estate of £37,085, approximately £2.6 million with inflation adjusted as of 2008. His business become a limited company in 1917 but closed around 1960.