Cooke, Thomas

London; cabinet maker and upholsterer (fl. 1746–64)

In 1746 Cooke was at ‘The Crown & Cushion’, in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. From this address he announced his intention of selling up his stock and going into partnership with ‘Mr Nash at the Royal Bed, Holbourn-Bridge’. 

His stock and household furniture, sold by auction in September 1746, consisted of a ‘Variety of Work in Walnut Tree and Mahogany, viz. Desks and Bookcases, Buroes, Chests of Drawers, a large Sortment of Tables, Chairs, Cloaths Chests, Pier-Glasses, Sconces and Chimney Glasses, Turky Carpets, Feather beds, Blankets etc.’  [General Advertiser, 5 September 1746].

Image

Copyright (Attribution/Credit)

Museum of London

Billhead with handwritten invoice issued by Thomas Cooke at the sign of the Royal Bed on Holborn Bridge. The billhead includes an engraving of the tradesman's framed sign of a wooden canopy bed. Dated 24th July 1751 to Mrs Hucks the invoice refers to the sale of a neat square mahogany table at a cost of £31 12s [Museum of London, A15191].

By 1753 he was trading on his own behalf at the Holborn Bridge address. From 1759–63 the business is listed as Thomas Cooke & Co. and from 1763 as Thomas & Joshua Cooke. The Joshua Cooke was probably a relative. He came from Compton in Dorset and was apprenticed to Thomas Cooke.

Thomas Cooke was licenced to employ five non-freemen for five months in 1762 [Guildhall Library (GL) City Licence books, vol. 3]. 

He was one of two cabinet makers employed 1752–53 to furnish the new Mansion House in association with Charles Grange.

In 1764 T. & J. Cooke were declared bankrupt. Thomas Cooke's name continues to appear at the Holborn address in London directories until 1768 but this may be an oversight of the publishers.

Joshua Cooke established his own business and traded from various London addresses in the 1760s and 70s.

Sources: DEFM; Connoisseur Magazine, December 1952, p. 181; Gentlemen's Magazine, May 1764.