I am sure that the majority of Ipswich Society members will be acquainted with the important contribution of the Cobbold family to the development and prosperity of Ipswich and East Anglia over a period of almost 300 years.

At the present time only one family member, Felix Thornley Cobbold, is commemorated with an Ipswich Society Blue Plaque.

One family member, Thomas Clement Cobbold, was brought to my attention some time ago and, although a proposition for a Blue Plaque was never finalised and submitted, I feel that it would be appropriate to write a short article on his life and on his many achievements.

He was born in 1833 at 19 Tower Street, the son of John Chevalier Cobbold, an Ipswich MP, and his wife Lucy (née Patteson) and he was baptised across the road at St Mary Le Tower.

He became a member a large family, having, as far as I could trace, 12 brothers and sisters. His elder brother, John Cobbold was also the MP for the town. A younger brother, Nathaniel Cobbold, would become grandfather of Cameron Cobbold, the first Baron Cobbold.

He was educated locally at the Ipswich School and completed his education at Charterhouse School where, I understand, he played football for the school team. This interest in the sport would be reflected in his later life.

After completing his education, he joined the diplomatic service in 1854 and was temporarily attached to the embassy in Constantinople. In 1855 he became an unpaid attaché in Berlin; the following year he was transferred to Lisbon and became acting consul in Oporto until 1857. In 1858 he returned to Lisbon and was appointed as a paid attaché. He became a Second Secretary in her Majesty’s Diplomatic service in 1862 and was transferred to Turin. He was then transferred to Stuttgart in 1864 and became Acting Chargé d’Affaires at Baden- Baden until1867.  He gained further promotion and became Secretary of Legation at Rio de Janeiro in 1869 and was Acting Chargé d’Affairs there from 1874 until December 1875 when he resigned and returned home to Ipswich.

His brother, John Patteson Cobbold, had died on 10 December leaving a vacancy for an MP in Ipswich.  Following a by-election Thomas Clement Cobbold was elected to represent the town as a Conservative MP in 1876 – one of four Cobbolds who have been elected as Members of Parliament for the town.

He became one of the town’s magistrates and was appointed as the senior director of the bank  Bacon and Cobbold Company which was based at 19 Tower Street. The bank’s vaults are still located in the house’s basement.

He was appointed a Companion of the Royal Order of the Bath. I was unable to discover the date of this appointment but I would assume that it was granted in recognition of his distinguished diplomatic career.

He had retained his interest in football which was gaining in popularity in the town. Ipswich Town Football Club was founded in October 1874 as an amateur side known as Ipswich A.F.C. Thomas Clement Cobbold was the club’s first President and held that position until his death in 1883. He is buried in the old Ipswich cemetery.

Tony Robson

Sources: The Cobbold Family Trust, Wikipedia, The Peerage, historicalkits.co.uk, www.ranker.com