Sussex Archaeological Collections: Relating to the history and antiquities of the counties of East and West Sussex
Sussex Archaeological Society, 2000. (updated 2022) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000334. How to cite using this DOI
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- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000334
- How to cite using this DOI
William Cooke, Steward of the Sheffield Estate 1828—1832
by MALCOLM LILL
The first two decades of the eighteenth century saw the birth of the 2nd Earl of Sheffield, the death of the 1st Earl and the beginnings of a decline in the fortunes of the Sheffield estate. Despite the appointment of an efficient estate steward in 1828, there was to be an inexorable movement downwards in the quality and production of the estate throughout the remainder of its occupancy by the Holroyd family.
When William Cooke was appointed in 1828, agriculture had been in decline throughout the country and many estates, including Sheffield, were suffering from insufficient capital for the maintenance of infrastructure and the purchasing of livestock. An estate steward, at this time, would have had to attend to many problems and often the necessary resources would not have been made available by the landowner. In order to fulfil his obligations, a steward would often find himself in an exposed position where a wrong move could result in him upsetting both his employer and also others who had an interest in the estate.
Cooke would come to be in just such a position and his loyalty to his employer, his adherence to his own principles and his pragmatic approach to the solving of difficult situations, would result in an untenable situation for the Sheffield estate steward. Despite his ability to manage the Earl of Sheffield’s affairs efficiently, when it came to a choice between Cooke’s expertise and political expediency, the earl chose to sacrifice the long-term wellbeing of the estate for the sake of ‘peace in his time’.
