Meet our grandparents. Then meet theirs.
Joyce Godfrey was born eight days before Dendy Barnes was demobilised from the First World War.
Norman Whitmore was captured at Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941; Hilda Phillips waited nearly four years in Brighton.
Denis Cocks and Mary Baker were baptised a fortnight apart in the same Ealing church in 1915, and married there in 1941.
Charles Westlake followed his father into the Post Office engineers; Elizabeth Mansfield was a Cardiff road sweeper’s daughter.
- 477 direct ancestors recorded
- 14 generations on the longest line
- 1555 the earliest birth recorded
- 4 families: Barnes, Whitmore, Cocks, and Westlake
The four families
| Barnes | Dendy Barnes (1895-1953) and Emily Joyce Godfrey (1919-1987) |
|---|---|
| Origins | Most of the ancestors recorded were born in Berkshire, Somerset and Hampshire. |
| Earliest Barnes | Thomas Barnes, born about 1751, father of William Barnes |
| Earliest Godfrey | William Godfrey, born about 1792 in Glastonbury, Somerset, father of Robert Godfrey |
| Ancestors | 59 people in 7 generations, back to 1747 |
| See also | Ancestor chart | Map of Barnes ancestors | Map of Godfrey ancestors |
| Whitmore | Norman Eli Whitmore (1912-1976) and Hilda Phillips (1915-1978) |
|---|---|
| Origins | Most of the ancestors recorded were born in Sussex, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. |
| Earliest Whitmore | William Whitmore, born about 1750, father of Thomas Taylor Whitmore |
| Earliest Phillips | William George Phillips, born about 1858 in Brighton, Sussex, father of William John Phillips |
| Ancestors | 66 people in 7 generations, back to 1750 |
| See also | Ancestor chart | Map of Whitmore ancestors | Map of Phillips ancestors |
| Cocks | Dr Denis Cocks (1915-1992) and Mary Louise Baker (1915-2010) |
|---|---|
| Origins | Most of the ancestors recorded were born in Sussex, Essex and Somerset. |
| Earliest Cocks | Moses Cocks, born about 1793 in Starston, Norfolk, father of Jeremiah George Cocks |
| Earliest Baker | Samuel Baker, born about 1715, father of Abigail Baker |
| Ancestors | 261 people in 14 generations, back to 1555 |
| See also | Ancestor chart | Map of Cocks ancestors | Map of Baker ancestors |
| Westlake | Charles Jeffery Westlake (1911-1982) and Elizabeth Irene Mansfield (1912-2000) |
|---|---|
| Origins | Most of the ancestors recorded were born in Devon, Somerset and Glamorgan. |
| Earliest Westlake | William Westlake, born about 1732, father of Thomas Westlake |
| Earliest Mansfield | William Mansfield, born about 1759, father of Alexander Mansfield |
| Ancestors | 91 people in 7 generations, back to 1732 |
| See also | Ancestor chart | Map of Westlake ancestors | Map of Mansfield ancestors |
The chart below shows each couple’s direct ancestors. Choose a family to see its chart. You can scroll horizontally, hover over individual names to find out more, or click on names to go straight to their page. To explore further, use the main menu above or the drop-down menu, or search for someone by name.
Brick walls
These are the nearest of our direct ancestors whose parents we have not yet found, counting back from the four couples. If you know anything about them, please get in touch.
| Family | Name | Born | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitmore | William Henry Parker | Born about 1832 in Tipton, Staffordshire | Great-grandfather of Norman Eli Whitmore |
| Barnes | George Clements | Born about 1817 in Elmdon, Essex | Great-grandfather of Emily Joyce Godfrey |
| Barnes | Ann Monk | Born about 1816 in Manuden, Essex | Great-grandmother of Emily Joyce Godfrey |
| Barnes | Patience Hall | Born about 1815 | Great-grandmother of Dendy Barnes |
| Westlake | Thomas Arnott | Born about 1810 in Penllyn, Glamorgan | Great-grandfather of Elizabeth Irene Mansfield |
| Westlake | Mary Williams | Born about 1809 in Cowbridge, Glamorgan | Great-grandmother of Elizabeth Irene Mansfield |
| Barnes | Jane Setter | Born about 1808 in Ireland | Great-grandmother of Emily Joyce Godfrey |
| Whitmore | Richard Best | Born about 1807 in Cuckfield, Sussex | Great-grandfather of Hilda Phillips |
| Cocks | Mary Nichols | Born about 1807 in Westminster, Middlesex | Great-grandmother of Mary Louise Baker |
| Whitmore | Hannah Brooks | Born about 1802 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | Great-grandmother of Norman Eli Whitmore |
| Barnes | John Connell | Born about 1800 in Ireland | Great-grandfather of Emily Joyce Godfrey |
| Barnes | John Cooper | Born about 1784 | Great-grandfather of Dendy Barnes |
| Barnes | Lydia | Born about 1780 in Burghfield, Berkshire | Great-grandmother of Dendy Barnes |
| Barnes | George Borer | Not known | Great-grandfather of Dendy Barnes |
| Barnes | Ann Izemonger | Not known | Great-grandmother of Dendy Barnes |
Chief interests
The table below shows the families and places most closely associated with each of the four lines. If you have any links with these families, or could share information, please get in touch.
| Family | Surname | Place | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | Goddard | Hurst, Berkshire | 1803-1886 |
| Barnes | Barnes | Kingsclere, Hampshire | 1773-1875 |
| Barnes | Clements | Heydon, Essex | 1838-1920 |
| Whitmore | Saunders | Broughton Hackett, Worcestershire | 1811-1878 |
| Whitmore | Phillips | Brighton, Sussex | 1839-1978 |
| Whitmore | Whitmore | Brackley, Northamptonshire | 1783-1860 |
| Cocks | Tadd | Selsey, Sussex | 1688-1896 |
| Cocks | Burton | Eastbourne, Sussex | 1565-1641 |
| Cocks | Gentry | Bocking, Essex | 1717-1865 |
| Westlake | Meaker | High Ham, Somerset | 1824-1894 |
| Westlake | Westlake | Beer, Seaton, Devon | 1808-1892 |
| Westlake | Jeffery | Hartland, Devon | 1791-1892 |