William Cockitt was baptised at Chelford in 1815, the son of Charles Cockitt,  of Lower Withington, and Martha GRAY. In 1843 he married Mary Ann ALMOND (1820-1861) at Manchester Collegiate Church (the Cathedral) and they lived at Catchpenny Lane, Lower Withington, until around 1860. They had five children who survived into adulthood - Louisa (1846), John (1851), Charles (1853), Daniel (1855) and Priscilla (1860). All of them were born at Lower Withington and baptised at Siddington, with the exception of Priscilla who was born at Long Moss and baptised at St Thomas's, Henbury. In 1871 Louisa (now BOWERS), was acting as her father's housekeeper at the Garden House, Capesthorne Hall.

The Bromley-Davenport papers (held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester) show that William was in charge of the gardens from 2 May 1864 to 30 August 1873, at a salary of GBP15 per quarter. There are also one or two tantalising entries in the Capesthorne Office Day Books which could relate to William Cockitt. In particular, on 19 March 1855 it was noted that "[Thomas] South [the Head Gardener] Has engaged a young man as second in the garden [at] 2s/4d per day - [he] was well recommended". There was certainly an under-gardener named Cockitt (although listed as J not W) employed at the Hall in April 1856, and I would like to think that William was the appointee referred to, with promotion to the Head Gardener's job in 1864 his reward for hard work and reliability.

William married Eliza ROYLANCE at Macclesfield in September 1871. Her death, and that of a baby daughter were registered at Altrincham in 1874. He subsequently married Ellen Frances JOPLIN and lived at Barton-on-Irwell before moving to Withington, Manchester by 1881. By 1891 Ellen was a widow, but I have been unable to locate details of William's death.