William Edward Cox (1809–1879), sometimes referred to as Edward William Cox, was a lawyer, entrepreneur and publisher and has been described as "the greatest entrepreneur of 'class' journalism".
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He was born in Taunton, the son of William Cox, a manufacturer and Harriet, daughter of William Upcott of Exeter. He became a solicitor in his native town but was called to the bar in 1843 and joined the Western Circuit. Thus Cox already was an unusual combination - a solicitor and a barrister. He had written from an early age: as early as 19 years old, he had produced a novel called Thira of the Cairn Branch which was only published anonymously the year before his death. In 1836 he had established a local newspaper in Taunton, the Somerset County Gazette in Taunton, but sold the title, when he moved to London to pursue his career as a barrister. Around the time he was called to the bar, Cox founded the weekly Law Times which he conducted for nearly 25 years. He also founded or transformed the well-known English journals The Field and the Exchange and Mart as well as lesser known publications such as The Queen and the County Courts' Chronicle. Perhaps his most famous publication was Crockford's Clerical Directory, started in 1858, although whether it was really his creation or that of his junior partner, Crockford, remains an area of debate.[1] Cox also set up several newspapers - some of which like The Critic had limited success but others like Bazaar were more so.[2] His periodicals, reports and textbooks led to him being raised to the dignity of serjeant at law in 1868 — not his modest practice as a lawyer.
He held various significant legal appointments - Recorder of Helston and Falmouth 1857-1868 which he resigned when gaining the more important appointment as Recorder of Portsmouth. In 1870 he became Deputy Assistant Judge of the Middlesex Sessions, which position he continued to discharge until his death.
A lifelong Conservative, he unsuccessfully contested Tewkesbury in 1854 and Taunton in 1866. He did get elected in his native town 1868 but was unseated on petition by Mr Henry James. Cox was a DL and JP for Middlesex and a JP for Westminster.
Long before his death, he relinquished direct control over the publishing businesses but he continued to write. He worked hard all his life and gained a handsome income from his papers, landed investments and appointments. He was interested in the affairs of his estate at Mill Hill near London, regularly writing up his voluminous estate accounts and enjoyed the pursuit of game. He spent considerable sums on his joint interests: orchids and psychology. In 1871 he assisted William Crookes in his experiments into what Cox called "Psychic Force"[3] and in 1875 he founded the Psychological Society for Great Britain; this was quickly dissolved after his death. Some view him as a spiritualist rather than one interested in "secular" psychology.[4]
His enterprise extended outside the world of publishing; for example, he bought the fee simple of 3 Old Serjeants' Inn Chancery Lane in 1877 for £60,000.[5] The Inn's hall was reconstructed at his new house at Mill Hill with the original stained glass windows from the hall and chapel at the inn.[6]
His diversification proved highly profitable. When one of his heirs offered their reversionary interest in the estate for sale, the advertisement listed the sources of income. These included various leasehold properties in the City of London, Marlow Mills in Buckinghamshire, his newspaper and magazine titles as well as his landed property. Taken together, these had produced £54,000 a year for some years, although the bulk of the income came from Cox's magazines and newspapers.[7]
He built up a considerable landed estate which commenced in 1866 by the purchase of Moat Mount. He rebuilt the house as a Renaissance-style stuccoed villa to include a large main block with a carriage porch and by 1873 owned 209 acres (0.85 km2) in Middlesex. He and his son continued to augment the estate in Hendon and Edgware until it covered perhaps 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of highly valuable land due to its proximity to London. The estate included Moat Mount Park (120 acres), plus Coventry Farm (of 127 acres), Stoneyfields, Broadfields, Bays Hill, and Barnet Gate. Despite its potential value for suburban villas, both he and his son determined to pursue the life of landed gentlemen in very close proximity to London. Cox kept a pack of hounds and he and his son hunted all over present day Golders Green, Hendon, Mill Hill and Hampstead Garden Suburb.[8] Although some land was sold in 1906, 1,090 acres (4.4 km2) remained to form public open spaces and part of the Broadfields housing estate in Edgware when the estate was finally broken up in June 1923.[9] He was also lord of the manors of Taunton Deane and Trull in Somerset.[10] He also owned small estates at Ugborough and Widecombe in Devon. He died worth a reputed £400,000; although his estate was declared as under £200,000, he owned at least as much again in landed property.[11] He is another example of those large number of very wealthy early Victorian middle class men who used their wealth to establish large landed estates.[12]
He married twice. His first wife, Sophia, was the daughter of Mr William Harris of the Royal Artillery, and they married in 1836. In 1845 he married Rosalinda Fonblanque, the only daughter of J S M de Grenier Fonblanque, a commissioner in Bankruptcy. The eldest son from his first marriage was Irwin E. B. Cox, JP, and he had a daughter Mrs Bennett Edwards, the novelist and another son, by his second marriage.[13] Irwin Cox carried on his father's business interests, his acquisition of land and his preservation of game on the Mill Hill estate until his death in 1922 when the estate was broken up.[14]