COX, CHARLES HENRY, son of Richard Cox, Oxford, and Mary ---; b. 16 Nov 1797; adm. Mich. 1810; KS (aged 14) 1812; elected to Christ Church, Oxford 1816, matr. 25 May 1816, Westminster Student; BA 1820; MA 1822; ordained; Vicar of St. Mary Magdalen, Oxford, 7 Nov 1823; Sub-Librarian, Bodleian Library, Oxford 1826-8; Perpetual Curate, Benson, Oxfordshire 28 May 1828; Perpetual Curate, North and South Littleton, Worcs., 11 Dec 1833-45; Rector of Oulton, Suffolk, from 1845; m. 31 Jan 1837 Elizabeth, eldest dau. of Rev. Giles Haworth Peel, Vicar of Ince, Cheshire; d. 1 Oct 1850.
COWPER, WILLIAM, son of John Cowper (qv), and his first wife; b. 15 Nov 1731; adm. Apr 1742 (Playford's); left 1749; articled to a solicitor 1750-2; adm. Middle Temple 29 Apr 1748, called to bar 14 Jun 1754; fell in love with his cousin Theodora, but the marriage was forbidden by her father; contributed verses to various papers; a member of the Nonsense Club, chiefly composed of Westminster men who dined together weekly; migrated to Inner Temple, adm. there 17 Jun 1757; owned chambers Inner Temple 1757 - still 1781; a Commissioner of Bankrupts (occurs in annual lists 1758-65); Clerk of Journals, House of Lords c. May - Nov 1763; the stress brought on by his acceptance of the appointment caused a suicide attempt and nervous breakdown; an inmate of Nathaniel Cotton’s private lunatic asylum at St. Albans, Dec 1763 - Jun 1765; lived with the Unwins at Huntingdon 1765-7 and subsequently with Mrs Unwin at Olney, where he was employed by the Rev. John Newton as a sort of lay-reader and district visitor; composed hymns, a number of which are printed in Newton’s Olney Hymns, 1779; became engaged to Mrs Unwin; again deranged 1773-5 and for part of that time a guest in Newton’s house; occupied himself in gardening and writing verse; published Anti-Thelypthora, 1781, an anonymous attack on the defence of polygamy written by his cousin Martin Madan (qv) in the previous year; published Poems, Feb 1782; wrote the famous ballad of John Gilpin, first published in The Public Advertiser, Nov 1782; began translating Homer 1784; published The Task, 1785; removed to Weston, Nov. 1786; again became insane 1787; published his translation of Homer, 1791; undertook to edit Milton; removed in 1795 to East Dereham, Norfolk, where Mrs Unwin died in the following year; a complete edition of his works was published in 15 vols. by Robert Southey (qv) in 1834-7; Cowper’s schooldays, to which he frequently refers in his correspondence, were probably the happiest days of his life, and his recollections of them afforded him much pleasure; he appears to have enjoyed playing cricket and football; his favourite friend was Sir William Russell, Bart. (qv), but he was “much intimate” with Walter Bagot (adm. 1739/40, qv); he had a “particular value” for Warren Hastings (qv), to whom he addressed some lines on his impeachment, and he showed his friendly feeling for Robert Lloyd (qv) in the verse epistle which he addressed to him in 1754; his poem Table Talk contains an interesting allusion to the custom in his time of awarding pieces of Maundy Money for a good copy of verses (lines 507-11); d. unm. 25 Apr 1800. Memorial window in baptistery of Westminster Abbey. DNB.
COWPER, EDWARD, second son of James Cowper, Lincoln’s Inn and Essex; b.; adm.; KS 1676; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. pens. 19 Jun 1680, aged 17, scholar 22 Apr 1681, matr. 1681; adm. Middle Temple 23 Jan 1682/3; buried 14 Jul 1688.
Cownie, Ivor Thomas William, son of W. B. Cownie, of Muswell Hill, Middlesex; b. July 29, 1895; adm. Sept. 23, 1909 (H); left Dec. 1912; served in the 28th Batt. of the London Regt.; obtained a commission in the R.G.A. July 7, 1916; Lieut. Jan. 7, 1918; 17 May 1980.
COWLEY, WILLIAM; b.; adm. (aged 12) Sep 1750 (Hart's); in school list 1754.
COWLEY, ABRAHAM, seventh and posthumous child of Thomas Cowley, St. Michael Le Querne, London, citizen and stationer; b. 1618; adm.; Min. Can. 1630; KS; author, Poetical Blossoms, dedicated to his schoolmaster Lambert Osbaldeston (qv) and published 1633; while in College he also wrote Love’s Riddle, a pastoral comedy, not published until 1638; failed to obtain election to either university 1636; Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. pens. 21 Apr 1636, scholar (by dispensatory letter from King) 14 Jun 1637; his Latin play, Naufragium Joculare, was played before the University by members of Trinity Coll. 2 Feb 1638; BA 1639/40; MA 1643; Minor Fellow, Trinity Coll., from 30 Oct 1640; ejected by Parliamentary Visitors 1644 and went to Oxford, taking up residence in St. John’s Coll.; went abroad 1646; employed in diplomatic services by exiled Royalist court; returned to England as Royalist spy 1656; author, Miscellanies, 1656; MD Oxford 2 Dec 1657 (incorp. Cambridge 11 Jul 1664); withdrew to France, but returned at Restoration; applied for Mastership of Savoy 1661, unsuccessfully; one of original fellows of Royal Society; his works were first published in a collected form in 1668, when Several Discourses by way of Essays in Prose and Verse appeared for the first time; some hitherto unpublished Verses on the Happy Birth of the Duke of York are printed in the Elizabethan, v, 54-5, viii, 281; d. 28 Jul 1667, and buried in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey. DNB.
Cowie, Anson Gordon, only son of William Clarke Cowie, of Brockley, chairman and managing director of the British North Borneo Company, by Amy Constance, daughter of Charles Durdant Pead, of Margate, Kent; b. July 19, 1890; adm. May 4, 1905 (R); left July 1909; served in Great War I; Capt. 20th Batt. London Regt. June 1, 1916; m. May 23, 1916, Kathleen Frances, eldest daughter of Hubert Schmitz, of Niton, Isle of Wight.
COWES, JAMES, son of Edmond Cowes, London; b.; adm.; KS; elected to Christ Church, Oxford 1646, but was detained at school “through the exigence of warre” (Register of Visitors of the Univ. of Oxford 1647 to 1658, Camden Soc. Pub., 2nd ser., xxix, 268), matr. 29 Jan 1646/7, aged 17, Westminster Student; BA 1649; MA 1651 (incorp. Cambridge 1654); submitted to Parliamentary Visitors 28 May 1648; Chaplain, Christ Church 1650; subscribed the Engagement 1650/1; ordained; Rector of Luddenham, Kent, from 10 Apr 1661; Perpetual Curate, Oare, Kent, from 1668; d. 1674.
COWELLE, ---; b.; adm.; KS; left 1549 (Acts of Chapter).
COWELL, WILFRID HAMMERTON ANTROBUS, eldest son of Thomas William Cowell MRCS LSA, Piccadilly, London, and Frances Ann, dau. of Edmund Edward Antrobus FSA, Kensington Palace Gardens, London; b. 2 Oct 1856; adm. 12 Jun 1868 (James'); QS 1871; elected to Christ Church, Oxford 1875, matr. 20 May 1875; BA 1879; MA 1882; Assistant Master, St. Edward’s School, Summertown, Oxford 1880, Tutor 1893, Second Master from 1925; edited The Roll of St. Edward’s School, 1890, 2nd ed. 1898, 3rd ed. 1907.