Our family tree has four roots: Cooke + Dickerson | Rich + Hardy
Our family tree appears to contain sailors, artists, soldiers, collectors, performers, politicians, and at least one person best approached with caution.
This may explain quite a lot.
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA
Artist JMW Turner Royal Academy (1775–1851)
A towering figure of British Romanticism, widely regarded as one of the greatest landscape painters in Western art history. Often celebrated as "the painter of light" Turner elevated landscape painting from mere topographical illustration to a powerful medium of sublime emotional expression. His vast body of work, spanning vivid watercolors and heavily textured oil paintings, famously captured the raw majesty of nature - from turbulent, churning seas and violent storms to sweeping, luminescent sunrises. As his style evolved, he increasingly favoured atmosphere, colour, and transient light over crisp, structural detail; this revolutionary approach to capturing the essence of a scene rather than its literal form deeply influenced the Impressionist movement decades later and firmly established him as a visionary pioneer of modern abstract art.
ROOT: Grandad Rich
Capt John Cooke RN
Captain John Cooke RN (1762–1805)
A resolute and highly respected officer in the British Royal Navy.
Remembered for his heroic command at The Battle of Trafalgar.
After entering the navy at a young age and seeing extensive
action during the American War of Independence and the
French Revolutionary Wars - including commanding the fireship
HMS Incendiary at the Glorious First of June.
Cooke took command of the 74-gun HMS Bellerophon in 1805
(affectionately called "Billy Ruffian" by the crew, as they struggled
to pronounce the name).
At Trafalgar, his ship was positioned fifth in VAdm Collingwood's southern line, placing it in the thick of the initial battle.
ROOT: Grandad Cooke
Lord William Hague MP
William Hague (born: 1961)
Baron Hague of Richmond, is a prominent British Conservative politician and life peer who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond, North Yorkshire from 1989 to 2015.
First appeared as a precocious 16-year-old giving a fiercely confident speech at the 1977 Conservative Party Conference, Hague rose rapidly through the ranks to become Secretary of State for Wales in John Major's cabinet.
Following the party's landslide defeat in 1997, he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party at just 36 years old; though his tenure as leader ended after a second general defeat in 2001.
(n.b. our opinions on how society should be governed do not align)
ROOT: Grandma Dickerson
Toyah Willcox
“Toyah” (born: 1958)
An 80s icon; a versatile and enduring English singer, actress, and media personality who first rose to prominence in the post-punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Fronting her eponymous band, Toyah, she achieved major commercial success with hit singles like "It's a Mystery", capturing audiences with her striking style, multi-coloured hair, and dramatic voice.
Parallel to her music career, Toyah established herself as a credible actress, starring in cult classic films such as Derek Jarman's Jubilee and the film adaptation of The Who's Quadrophenia, alongside extensive stage work ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary musicals.
ROOT: Nanna Hardy
Gen Omar Nelson Bradley US Army
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp (1848 - 1929)
Gunslinger Earp remains one of the most definitive and mythologized figures of the American Old West, best known for the legendary 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.
Earp fluidly drifted between working as a fearless lawman, a professional gambler, a saloon keeper, and a gold prospector, embodying the restless, opportunistic spirit of the frontier.
While painted as a flawless, iron-willed defender of justice, the historical reality was far more complex, as Earp frequently blurred the lines between the law and personal vendettas. He managed to survive the violent era unscathed, spent his final years in California consulting for early Hollywood Westerns, and ultimately cemented his legacy as the ultimate archetype of the frontier marshal.
ROOT: Grandad Cooke
General Omar Bradley (1893 – 1981)
A premier American military commander of World War II, highly regarded for his exceptional logistical mind and deep care for the
well-being of his troops. Affectionately dubbed "The Soldier's General" by war correspondent Ernie Pyle, Bradley commanded the 1st United States Army during the D-Day landings at Normandy and later spearheaded the 12th Army Group - the largest body of American soldiers ever to serve under a single field commander, numbering more than 1.3 million troops.
With a quiet, deliberate leadership style, his strategic planning was foundational to the Allied liberation of Western Europe and the final defeat of Nazi Germany.
Following the war, Bradley's immense administrative skill led to his appointment as the first official Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
in 1949, and a year later, he was promoted to General of the Army, becoming the final person to achieve the prestigious five-star rank.
ROOT: Nanna Hardy
VAdm Cuthbert Collingwood RN
VAdm Collingwood RN (1748–1810)
1st Baron Collingwood was a highly distinguished British Royal Navy officer, best known as Nelson's close friend and second-in-command
at The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Leading the lee column of ships in HMS Royal Sovereign, Collingwood was the very first to break through the enemy French and Spanish lines, prompting Nelson to famously exclaim, "See how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action!" When Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle, Collingwood assumed total command of the fleet, successfully managing the aftermath of the victory and securing the British fleet through a massive storm that followed.
Renowned among his sailors for his strict but remarkably humane leadership style - he famously detested corporal punishment -Collingwood spent his later years exhaustively managing British naval strategy in the Mediterranean, ultimately dying at sea from stomach cancer after dedicating his entire life to the service.
ROOT: Grandad Cooke
Elias Ashmole FRS
Elias Ashmole FRS (1617–1692)
A celebrated English antiquarian, politician, and polymath whose intellectual pursuits bridged the gap between medieval mysticism and the scientific revolution.
A passionate Royalist during the English Civil War, Ashmole found financial stability through a wealthy marriage, allowing him to endlessly collect books, manuscripts, coins, and natural curiosities.
His fascinations were incredibly diverse; he was a foundational
Fellow of the Royal Society, an early and prominent Freemason, and an expert in astrology, alchemy, and heraldry.
He is mostly remembered for donating his massive collection of artifacts to the University of Oxford. This massive gift laid the groundwork for the opening of the Ashmolean Museum in 1683, establishing the world's first public, university-run museum.
ROOT: Grandad Cooke
VAdm Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy RN
Vice Admiral Hardy (1769–1839)
A highly distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy.
Captain of HMS Victory and a close confidant to Admiral Lord Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardy served alongside Nelson in several major naval engagements, including:
The Battle of the Nile,
The Battle of Copenhagen,
but achieved enduring historical fame at:
The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805.
It was on the deck of the Victory that Nelson was mortally wounded, and Hardy paced beside him in his final hours, receiving the famous dying request, "Kiss me, Hardy."
ROOT: Nanna Hardy