Small mystery from 1883. What does this name say and who was Percy Cooke?

[BatsVSBelfrys]

I've picked up an antique jewellery box on my travels - it's very battered and has seen better days but that's all part of the charm I suppose!

Anyway, it has a brass plaque screwed into it. I 'think' it says A D Gough but I'm unsure of the U in Gough. Can you make it out?

Also it was made by Percy Cooke 194 Regent street. (Doesn't add London but I'm assuming this?)

Google doesn't throw up anything - can anyone assist?

Thanks!

There's no reason you wouldn't buy a jewellery box in a stationers. In fact, I've just had a look, and Ryman's sell jewellery boxes today!

https://www.ryman.co.uk/personalised-antique-silver-plated-jewellery-box-1

The reason is that stationery boxes and jewellery boxes are extremely similar objects to make, so are made by the manufacturer. The retailer may choose to stock this extra item from their supplier's range.

I once investigated a dynasty of brushmakers. They started off as manufacturers with a workshop at the back and shop at the front. By the end, they were more like Woolworths or Lakeland: stocked all kinds of gubbins and trinkets bought from other manufacturers.

Customers went in for something they actually did need... and came out laden with goodies they never knew they needed!

God you're all amazing! It really is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle from 150 years ago and amazing what we can find out from a really battered old box, a name and a date

Such as fascinating read!

Now, would a writing box be lined in velvet? I go between thinking it's a jewellery box and then thinking - would a 'fancy stationer' sell a jewellery box? The little brass carrying handle makes me think it's a stationery box though - although would that be on a jewellery box also?

The strip for rings (potentially) .. it's very narrow indeed - see photo with a pen and a ring to get an idea! (And yes, that's a ring from 1877 complete with a note which is probably a whole other mystery )

But the pen balances nicely and is probably the right length for what have been a fountain pen back then. However the ring also slots in nicely too

Just showing my little citrine ring off a bit! Only set in rolled gold though so no value but I love it regardless

Maybe.
I found this
”Gough, Rev. Arthur Cecil, born at Malvern, co. Hereford, 8 June, 1866 ; 55. Howard England Tunnicliffe, cler., deceased. WADHAM, matric. 19 Oct., 85, aged 19 (from Merchant Taylors' school), B.A. 89, M.A. 92 ; curate of Christ Church, South Mymms, Herts, 92.”

Merchant Taylor’s school was/is a prestigious independent school.
https://www.mtsn.org.uk/

@Epicureous not sniffy at all - especially when we consider the time. I'm sure the box is leather coated and velvet lined, so no, I don't think a labourer or farm hand would have owned it. Of course could be completely wrong about that but I feel the date has to be marking something. Not necessarily a birthday but that seemed the obvious choice

Your post at 11.33 @SummerFeverVenice adds to mine at 08.05.
👍

I still think it’s a jewellery box. There are numerous similar examples on eBay (with and without handles on the top), for example this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324866073175

I had a quick look at the British Newspaper Archive, to see if I could find any adverts for Percy Cooke’s shop that would say what he sold, but no luck. I did find one for another shop that sold ‘stationery and leather goods’, so that would fit.

Looking at the writing box that was posted at the beginning of this thread, the outside is very similar, but the internal fittings are completely different, including the fact that there’s no writing surface. It would make sense to me that they would make the box shells and then fit them out differently inside for different purposes.

What are the dimensions of the box? I have one similar, which has always been known as a jewellery box, which is 9x6x4.
The writing box that LenaLamont linked to is much bigger: at 14x9½x5¾ it is approx A4-sized.

Here we go, an advert from 1897 for a sale of Percy Cooke's stock. He sold purses, bags, photo frames and fancy metal novelties alongside the stationery.

It's definitely a jewellery box!

@gluggle ha that's amazing! So cool. There's literally next to nothing about Percy Cooke out there so that's quite a find

@senua it's small - A5 sized.

And doesn't seem to have any writing pad/ writing surface etc. there could be something missing from it I suppose? But don't think so. Bar the key

Awesome, that’s the kind of thing I was looking for - well done!

I've seen boxes with places for ink bottles and they are much deeper than your circle - that wouldn't stop a bottle from rolling around!
Also they are usually square and are a pair.

I think that it's a jewellery box.

Also,
ink + velvet = 😥
schoolboy + ink + velvet = 😱

@gluggle Nice one!

If you want an A C Gough with money to afford jewellery to go in the box there is Alice Christina Fleming Gough born 1847. Didn't marry and left a lot of money when she died. Unfortunately it doesn't look like she was born on 30 June.

I'd like Alexander Clement Foster Gough to be your A C Gough...he was the supposed grandfather of Stan Laurel

freepages.rootsweb.com/~andrewgough/genealogy/ACFGough.htm

He died in London in 1892 and was wealthy. Birthday wasn't 30th June though

I'm loving this thread.

I’m loving your user name.

@BusterGonad Yes, me too!

@gluggle wouldn't that be something!

So hard to ascertain of a male or female owner! I veer towards female

Isnt the circular depression for pocket watches? Ladies were smaller than gentlemen, so that might say whether this was a ladies' or gentlemen's box.
Inkwells are usually deeper arent they

I’ve tried to link someone who might have received this box as a 21st present but had no luck.
A bit of frippery - Percy Cooke’s middle name was Chambers (not his mother’s maiden name which was Rice).

Yes, I've been searching on the basis that the box is most likely to have been a 21st birthday present or a wedding present (with married name).

But no joy among the free sources, and I don't have many subscriptions just now.