A Visit To Mobberley, Cheshire, England

 Aaron Coppock (1665-1726) migrated to the American colonies in 1701 from Mobberley, Cheshire, England.   By the 1500's, there were several Coppock families in Cheshire and by the 1600's, there were dozens found there.  As I've stated in an earlier blog, it is believed that Aaron's father was John, known as "John the Tanner".  However, there is no sufficient evidence yet to confirm that fact.

It was my good fortune to visit Mobberley this past August.  In preparation for the trip, I had joined the Cheshire genealogy society, and by communicating with them via email, they put me in touch with a local member, Alistair MacCleod.  Alistair not only provided me with valuable information, but he also served as our guide while visiting Mobberely.

 Kathy and I flew to London the evening of August 29, 2023.  My first cousin Beverly (Tindall) Lindsay and her husband Paul picked us up at Heathrow on the 30th.  We drove to their home in Wolverhampton where we stayed for 2 nights.  They then drove us to Mobberley on the 31st.  We THANK them for not only driving us all around, including a return trip to Heathrow, but for their wonderful hospitality.

We met Alistair at the Bulls Head Inn and Pub about noon, having a true British pub lunch.  (Now, I have to divert and tell you all a funny story.  In looking back through out travel albums recently for a long-ago trip to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany, we found a photo of Kathy and I with a group of men from Cheshire, England.  We noted that they were a fun group and they told us that if we ever got to Cheshire, we should look them up.  They suggested contacting a gentleman at the Bulls Head Inn if we were ever there.  Of course, this was long after we got home.  What a coincidence!)

So, after lunch, we set out to explore the Coppock heritage in Mobberley.  Our first visit was to the 'Coppock House' just outside of the village.  The original structure is still there, though it has been added to over the years.  Supposedly, it dates back to the early 1600's.  

The current owner, Dorothy Dennison, was a fantastic lady who shared some history and information about the origins of the house.  She and her husband had purchased it in the early 1950's.  It still retains some of the original framework, including an antique cook stove.  

We next traveled to what is known as the 'Coppock Farm' though no one was there, so we only gazed at the property from the road.  Our next stop was the parish church and cemetery where several members of the Coppock family are laid to rest.  One of the records that I have in my files is of Aaron's baptism here in 1666.  

It was truly awesome to walk the same ground that my ancestors walked over 500 years ago, knowing that our ancestor Aaron left this small village with his wife and 3 small children to begin a new life in the American colonies.  Settling in Pennsylvania, he went on to become a leader in the Friends church (Quaker) in Nottingham, PA.  

The final picture is of Kathy and Bev with Dorothy Dennison in the Coppock house.

I hope you have enjoyed this visit to the Coppock ancestral home.  It was a fantastic experience!

DAC