William John Hocking, CVO, CBE was born at Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove is a small coastal settlement in the parish of Sennen, in Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the Penwith District Council, the population of this settlement was estimated at 180 persons in 2000.-Geography:...

, Cornwall into a Congregational church

Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

 family in 1864 and died in Danbury in April 1953.

Royal Mint

W.J. Hocking went to London and secured a clerical post at the Royal Mint

Royal Mint

The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...

. In 1908 Hocking travelled to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 Australia on supervise mint business there. His diary of this journey is in the possession of his grandson. In 1917 he was the Assistant Superintendent of the Operative Department. In due course he became the Superintendent of the Royal Mint, Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...

, London. Upon retirement he and his family moved down to Danbury, Essex, where he lived until his death. His work at the Mint - especially during the war years (1914-1918) and the period of depression in the 1920s required great skill in securing the exact alloy balance in the manufacture of coins - resulted in him receiving the honours CBE

CBE

CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...

 and on retirement the CVO

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

. A discussion of the manufacture of coins and medals to the Mint's specification is given on Spinks website http://www.spink.com/news/newsletters/2003/200307medal_news.asp
His research into the history of British coins made him one of the foremost numismatists in his day as well as at the present. He was the librarian and curator of the Mint's collection of British coins. His Catalogue of The Coins, Tokens ... Museum Of The Royal Mint (2 vols, 1906-10) are referred to frequently at the Royal MInt library in Llantrisant

Llantrisant

Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...

, Wales. His work, Simon's Dies In The Royal Mint Museum, (1909) is also of importance. The proceedings of the Royal Numismatic Society in 1915 give Hocking's research on the collection of coining instruments in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh see Article dated May 10 1915

Private life

He married a second time following the death of his first wife. Stanley Hocking was his firstborn son. His middle child and second son was Leonard Charles Hocking who died 1940. His youngest son Leslie (was in the R.A.M.C.) died on the Somme

Somme

Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....

 1914-1918.

He joined the Plymouth Brethren

Plymouth Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...

 in the 1880s and soon came to the attention of William Kelly

William Kelly

William Kelly or Bill Kelly may refer to:*Bill Kelly , American football player at the University of Montana and in the NFL*Bill Kelly , American football player and coach...

 and began contribution to the oral and written ministry of the Brethren. In 1920 he commenced editing "The Bible Monthly" magazine. Under the pseudonym of "Yod", he wrote a number of pamphlets for young Christians. He also wrote some expository books on the Bible. His book "The Son of His Love" was a defence of Christ's Eternal Sonship. He also worked on the revision of the Little Flock hymnbook

Little Flock hymnbook

The Little Flock hymnbook is in common use amongst Exclusive Brethren in various editions which nevertheless derive from a common source. It exists in almost as many variations and editions as there are distinct groups of Exclusive Brethren.- Early history :...

 which was produced in 1928 and wrote a number of hymns currently in print in ‘Spiritual Songs (1978)’.

He died in Danbury and was buried at Nunhead Cemetery

Nunhead Cemetery

Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them.. The cemetery is located in the Nunhead area of southern London and was originally known as All Saints' Cemetery. Nunhead Cemetery was consecrated in 1840 and...

with his first wife. The funeral took place at 12.15 p.m. Weds 15 April 1953.