Sir Francis Cook, 4th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Ferdinand Maurice Cook, 4th Baronet (21 December 1907 – 12 September 1978) was a British artist. He was the fourth holder of the Cook Baronetcy
. He was the only son of Sir Herbert Cook
, inheriting his father's titles in 1939.
, he became an artist, musician and art historian, exhibiting at the Royal Academy
. Paintings by Cook appear in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Manchester, Northampton and Bournemouth. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1940–78) and an Associate of the Royal Society of British Artists
(1938–48). Cook was a founding member of the Jersey Society of Artists, and the Jersey Artists Group.
Forty Dutch pictures from the family art collection were sold to Katz of Dieren in 1939, with more being sold off after the family home of Doughty House
was bomb damaged in 1944 - fortunately much of the collection had been transferred to Cothay Manor
in Somerset
, which he also owned. Cook moved to Jersey
in 1948 with the remaining 30 paintings from his collection. Some of his works stored at Le Gallais' depository in Saint Helier
were lost in a fire in 1949. Many of these works were later recreated by Cook from photographs.
In 1955 Cook bought a house in Saint Brelade
which he restored along with its gardens. These became a subject of a number of paintings. In the 1970s he bought the former Methodist chapel at Les Augrès, Trinity
, which he converted to a studio and gallery. The conversion remained unfinished at his death, and on 4 May 1984 his widow made a donation of 1200 paintings to the Jersey Heritage Trust along with the former chapel, which has since been named the Sir Francis Cook Gallery.
Marriages:
Cook Baronets
There has been one Cook Baronetcy, created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in the 19th century, and still extant.-Cook Baronets of Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey :...
. He was the only son of Sir Herbert Cook
Sir Herbert Cook, 3rd Baronet
Sir Herbert Frederick Cook, 3rd Baronet of Richmond was an English art patron and art historian.-Life:Only son of Sir Frederick Cook, he was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford and called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1895...
, inheriting his father's titles in 1939.
Life
Educated at Bradfield CollegeBradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
, he became an artist, musician and art historian, exhibiting at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
. Paintings by Cook appear in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Manchester, Northampton and Bournemouth. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1940–78) and an Associate of the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
(1938–48). Cook was a founding member of the Jersey Society of Artists, and the Jersey Artists Group.
Forty Dutch pictures from the family art collection were sold to Katz of Dieren in 1939, with more being sold off after the family home of Doughty House
Doughty House
Doughty House was a country house on Richmond Hill in Surrey, England. It was the residence of the Cook Baronets. It was bought in 1849 by the first baronet. A was added in 1885 for the family art collection...
was bomb damaged in 1944 - fortunately much of the collection had been transferred to Cothay Manor
Cothay Manor
Cothay Manor is a grade one listed medieval house and gardens, located in Stawley, near Wellington, Somerset.In early 14th century the local lords of the manor were the Bluett and Cothay families who owned both the nearby Greenham Barton and Cothay Manor....
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, which he also owned. Cook moved to Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
in 1948 with the remaining 30 paintings from his collection. Some of his works stored at Le Gallais' depository in Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
were lost in a fire in 1949. Many of these works were later recreated by Cook from photographs.
In 1955 Cook bought a house in Saint Brelade
Saint Brélade, Jersey
Saint Brélade is one of the twelve parishes of the Bailiwick of Jersey. Its population is around 9,560, and it occupies the southwestern part of the island. It is the only parish to border only one other parish, St. Peter...
which he restored along with its gardens. These became a subject of a number of paintings. In the 1970s he bought the former Methodist chapel at Les Augrès, Trinity
Trinity, Jersey
Trinity is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is in the north east of the island.Trinity has the reputation of being the most rural of Jersey's parishes, being the third-largest parish by surface area with the third-smallest population. The parish covers 6,817 vergées...
, which he converted to a studio and gallery. The conversion remained unfinished at his death, and on 4 May 1984 his widow made a donation of 1200 paintings to the Jersey Heritage Trust along with the former chapel, which has since been named the Sir Francis Cook Gallery.
Marriages:
- Molly Violet Mappin, daughter of Thomas Wilson Mappin, on 15 February 1928, divorced in 1930
- Dorothea Alice Bennett, daughter of Colonel William Bennett, on 25 February 1933, divorced in 1935
- Joan Loraine Case, daughter of John Aloysius Ashton Case, on 8 June 1937, divorced in 1942
- Barbara Frances Lang, in October 1942, divorced in 1947
- Juliet Berry Perkins, daughter of Christopher Edward Perkins, on 5 September 1947, divorced in 1951
- Jane Audrey Nott, daughter of Christopher Nott, on 10 August 1951, divorced in 1956
- Bridget Brenda Lynch, daughter of Thomas David Lynch, on 3 December 1956