Cooke

Life
Cooke was the author of the vast "Topography of Great Britain", or, "British traveller's pocket directory; being an accurate and comprehensive topographical and statistical description of all the counties in England, Scotland, and Wales, with the adjacent islands: illustrated with maps of the counties. Which form a complete British atlas."

He writes at length about the administrative history of Chester and generally takes the view (perhaps to excess) that the corporation of Chester were a oorupt lot. A typical quote:


 * "From the above and other succeeding circumstances respecting the conduct of the corporation and their opponents, it is evident that the former have always endeavored to preserve their power by abridging and extinguishing the liberties of the people as much as they possibly could, while the latter have always endeavored to found their pride and distinction on the defence of the rights and privileges of their fellow citizens."

Works

 * Topography of Great Britain, written: 1802-29 by George Alexander Cooke []

Sources and Links
WILLIAM COOKE, Book printer and Book-Seller of the City of Chester, at the Sign of the Bishop of Canterbury near the Eastgate, doth all manner of Printing Work, as Books, Bonds &c. and selleth Books in most Faculties; With all sorts of Stationary; which Goods may be had if sent for by the Men that carried this News. Also all manner of Almanacks. December 8, 1725 " (Cheshire Sheaf, II, 32). In 1723 appeared A Paraphrase on the XXVIII Chapter of Deuteronomy. By Mr. JOHN LINDSAY, nonjuring clergyman . . . ,Chester: Printed by WM. COOKE, for the Author, MDCCXXIII (Cheshire Sheaf, III, i, 82). Plomer, Dict., shows Hazlitt records another book printed by him, Syntax..... Chester : printed by William Cooke for JOS. HODGSON and..... sold by' PETER POTTER (I 720 ?). Others were: A Confession of Faith . . . [by S. ACTON] Chester: Printed, by WILLIAM COOKE for the Author; Dated from Namptwich, I 72 1, SVO (Allnutt MSS., 732) ; A Caveat to Ministers . . . a Sermon. By S. ACTON. Chester: Printed by WLLIAM COOKE for the Author 1722. 8vo (loc. cit., 733); The Lord's Favorite, a Sermon . . . By S. ACTON. Chester: Printed by W. COOKE for the Author 1723; Dated from Namptwich, April 1723 (loc. cit., 734) ; Christ's Voice in the Gospel, A Sermon. . . By S. ACTON. Chester: Printed by W. COOKE for the Author. Dated Nantwich, May 1724. 8vo(loc.cit.,737);Liberality. . . A Sermon preach'd at St. Mary's in Chester, September 16, 1733, on occasion of obtaining an Act of Parliament for making the River Dee navigable. By JOHN THOMAS, M.A., Minister of Ince . . . Chester: Printed by WM. COOKE and sold by him for the Author. Price 6d. 4tO, pp. 20. " N.B.-We were forced to print the Greek words in English characters for want of Greek letters " (10c. cit., 74I). It was probably his admon. as of Thornton in the Moors, Co. Chester, printer, granted at Chester 5 Feb. 1740/1 to brother THOMAS COOKE of Chester, tailor, MARY COOKE, widow, and mother of deed. renouncing; the inventory includes books valued at £i. Among his apprentices as printer were PETER JOYNSON (q.v.) and JOHN READ (q.v.).