Hi David, it seems my old great granddad has been resurrected here. I have been searching for his parentage for possibly 6 or 7 years now. To cut a long story short - all I know is that on his marriage certificate his dad was named as Thomas Cox a jeweller, I have no information at all on this chap prior to this certificate from 1877, his birth year differs, in 1881 he was 43 in 1891 he was 50.

I have found a Thomas Cox and family on the 1841 census where the occupation of Thomas is a plater and later a fancy plater and then silver plater, a son William is with this family born 1834. There is a baptism of this William but without the middle name of Henry, which is the middle name of my great granddad according to his marriage certificate, 1881 and 1891 census, there is obviously no birth registration. This is the nearest information that matches to what I have, so although a bit of a grey area I have accepted, if you can call it that, that he is my William Henry Cox.

John Brotherton Cox although is not the brother of William Henry Cox I do feel he is related in some way and I am hoping to confirm this. As mentioned previously if anyone would like a 2 page document of my theory on this I will gladly send it on to them and would appreciate what they think.

John and Eliza (nee Brotherton) Cox were the parents of John Brotherton Cox, other children of theirs were Joseph Henry, William Frederick, Josiah, Thomas Emmanuel, Alfred, Samuel ands Francis. I don't think they would of named another son as William.

The burial of a William Henry Cox that you mention David is the William Cox born 1834 that I refer to above. In an obituary from 1910 it states William Henry Cox late of Sheffield. I am certain that this is the William Cox born 1834 because Thomas and his family except William were on the 1851 and 1861 censuses living in Sheffield, later Thomas was living in Aston for the 1871 census as a widow. Perhaps William mentioned his family living in Sheffield whilst living on the Isle of Man and Alice Emily ? latched onto an idea that maybe he was from Sheffield, who knows?

As for William Gordon Cox his dad was a George David Cox, no relation to my Coxes I believe.

Ewan