James Rock (1819-1898)
| Born | 1819 |
|---|---|
| Died | 27 November 1898 |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Reid (1824-1862) |
| Parents |
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Born in Bethnal Green to James and Mary Rock in 1819, James moved to Hastings in 1841. Rock & Sons premises at Stratford Place served as the home for James Rock Junior from 1841 to 1856 when he was aged 22 to 35 years old. During this time, he developed a keen interest in railway travel, designing carriages capable of carrying up to 100 passengers and modifying the design of carriage buffers.
In 1851, at the age of 32, Rock entered local politics when he was elected as a councillor for Hastings. Though he lost his seat the following year, he was re-elected in 1853, becoming an alderman after a tied vote. He served as Mayor of Hastings twice: first in 1857, when a local paper editorial remarked on his "integrity of purpose and aptitude of mental capacity," and again in 1863.
James Rock Junior was also heavily involved in numerous local institutions and initiatives. He contributed to the formation of the Permanent Building Society in 1850, and supported the development of the archery ground, working men's clubs, and mechanics' institutes. As a life member of the Meteorological Society and treasurer of the Philosophical Society, Rock was deeply embedded in the intellectual community. He was also described as "the life and soul" of the Cinque Port Rifle Volunteer Corps, where he served as treasurer. An active contributor to the Sussex Archaeological Society, he also penned poems for the *Hastings News*.
James and his first wife, Helen, lived at the Heath on Fairlight Road. Following her untimely death in 1862, when he was 43, James relocated to ‘Ottley House’ on St John’s Road (later No. 40 Magdalen Road) in 1863. He remarried in March 1864 to Sarah Warner in Islington, with the union celebrated by church bells in Hastings. Their first son, James Parthenay Rock, was born in 1865. The family soon moved to ‘Domons,’ in Northiam, where their next three children were born. Rock died at the age of 79 on the 27th of November, 1898 in Hampstead, Middlesex; moving there via Tonbridge from Northiam.
Timeline of life
- 1819, Age 0: Birth, Bethnal Green, London, England
- 1860, Age 41: Marriage to Helen Reid, Hampstead, Middlesex, England
- 1861, Age 42: Residence in Fairlight, Sussex, England
- 1862, Age 43: Death of wife Helen Reid, Newport, Isle of Wight, England
- 1864, Age 45: Marriage to Sarah Warner, Islington, Middlesex, England
- 1871, Age 52: Residence in Northiam, Sussex, England
- 1881, Age 62: Residence in Tonbridge, Kent, England
- 1891, Age 72: Residence in Hampstead, London, England
- 1898, Age 79: Death, Hampstead, Middlesex, England
