Andrew and John Cornock

‘Job Cornock, 19 years old, imprisoned at Horsley House of Correction for 3months for disobeying an Order of Bastardy’

from Calendars of Prisoners, September 1820

‘Job Cornock, 31 years old, imprisoned at Horsley House of Correction for 3 weeks hard labour for being a rogue and a vagabond’

from Calendars of Prisoners, November 1832

‘Job Cornock, 34 years old, a weaver, imprisoned at Horsley House of Correction for one month’s hard labour, for neglecting his work for 8 successive days being employed by Messrs P Player and D Smith clothiers to work up certain woollen materials called a chain, and all yarn into cloth’

from Registers of Prisoners, March 1834

‘On the evening of Thursday week, an unfortunate man named Job Curnock, an
itinerant vendor of small articles, was drowned by falling in the Stroud Canal, at Eastington Bridge. The plunge was heard by a man near the spot, who ran, and with assistance, got Curnock out of the water, and every exertion was used to restore animation, but though he was alive when first rescued, he ceased to breath shortly afterwards; the intensity of the cold, it is supposed, operating to prevent the revival of the functions of life. The poor fellow was, for his humble situation in life, much respected. On the depression of the clothing trade, his wife industriously and ingeniously exerted herself in making caps and other articles, which her husband hawked about and sold; and in this way, and preserving sobriety, they maintained a family of eight or nine children without parochial aid.’

from the Gloucester Journal 21st December 1844

Job was Andrew and John’s father. The child in question is almost certainly his daughter Susannah, who was living in the household in Pitcourt in the ’41 Census, number 762 on the Tithe Map. Later, her illegitimate child, Edwin, was bought up by her parents as their child.

When Job died, Amelia, his wife, stayed on in Pit Court until 1861. The tiny house held Amelia, her two sons, her grandson, her daughter’s household, and two lodgers. It seems incredible that so many could occupy such a small space.

By 1861, Amelia moved to the Black Country and was living in Cradley. With her were two of her sons, Sidney and John, and her grandson (though recorded as her son) Edwin. All three were clay workers.

It is likely that another son, Andrew, accompanied them, as he died in 1860 and was buried in Lower Mitton, not far away.

Before that, in 1853, Andrew had been incarcerated at Horsley House of Correction for 12 days for damaging a drain. Due to the thoroughness of Victorian record keeping, this is one of the few examples where we know what a person looked like viz – 5’6″ tall, brown hair, blue eyes and a long and sharp face. His complexion was fair and he was reported as being ‘effeminate looking’.

Henry, another son, followed soon after, as can be seen from the baptism of his son Sydney at St Mary’s, Wotton under Edge, Gloucestershire. His residence is stated as Dudley, not far from Cradley.

When Henry’s next child, Emma, was baptised, the family were in Cradley.

John married, and had three children, dying at the age of 45 at Windmill Hill, Cradley Heath, of chronic bronchitis. His profession was given as shoemaker.