Help us find her death record - a critical piece of the provenance puzzle
🎉 BREAKTHROUGH UPDATE - October 2025!
We've verified her maiden name: Avis (or Anne) WALDEGRAVE, daughter of William Waldegrave of Smallbridge, Suffolk! This opens new search paths in Suffolk archives and explains the name variations. See verified details below!
🏛️ HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT CONFIRMS NAME - November 2025!
Official government-funded academic source confirms: Anthony Cooke II "m. Avis or Anne, da. of William Waldegrave of Smallbridge, Suff."
📚 SOURCE: History of Parliament Online
The History of Parliament is a major academic project creating comprehensive accounts of parliamentarians from the 13th-19th centuries. Treasury-funded since 1951, it's one of Britain's most authoritative historical research projects. This official biographical entry for Anthony Cooke II definitively settles the name question!
Direct link: COOKE, Anthony (1559-1604), of Gidea Hall, Essex
PLUS: Academic documentation from "Autonomy and Community" specifically documents: "Avis, wife of Anthony the younger" (pages 361n12).
Research transparency: We don't have all the answers. This investigation is ongoing, and some critical pieces are still missing. One of the most important gaps is the death record for Avis/Anne "Alice" Cooke, widow of Sir Anthony Cooke II of Gidea Hall.
Finding her death date and probate records could provide another smoking gun — potentially mentioning "books," "manuscripts," or the library at Gidea Hall. This would strengthen our theory about when the English annotations were added (1620s-1640s).
This is exactly the kind of research where community members can make breakthrough discoveries. If you have access to Essex archives, genealogy databases, or parish records — you could be the one who finds it!
History of Parliament Online confirms: Anthony Cooke II "m. Avis or Anne, da. of William Waldegrave of Smallbridge, Suff."
This government-funded academic source (Treasury-funded since 1951) definitively settles the name question: she was "Avis or Anne" Waldegrave, daughter of William Waldegrave of Smallbridge, Suffolk. The name variations (Avis/Anne/Alice) are now officially documented and explained!
Why this matters: This verification opens Suffolk archives for our death record search and confirms her connection to a prominent Suffolk family!
Source: History of Parliament Online - Anthony Cooke II (1559-1604) biography
She married Anthony Cooke II (born 1559, died 1604), grandson of the famous Sir Anthony Cooke I who served as tutor to King Edward VI. Anthony II inherited Gidea Hall in 1579 when his father Richard Cooke died.
Source: History of Parliament Online; Cooke family genealogy
Sir Anthony Cooke II died intestate on December 28, 1604 (exact date confirmed by History of Parliament Online). Estate administration was granted to his widow in January 1605 (PCC - Prerogative Court of Canterbury), proving she was alive, capable, and managing the estate.
Significance: As widow with estate administration, she had full control of Gidea Hall and its contents - including any manuscripts in the library - from January 1605 onwards.
Source: History of Parliament Online; PCC administration records Jan 1605
She is mentioned in a will dated 1624, confirming she was alive at least 20 years after her husband's death.
Source: 1624 will mention (documented)
Historical records refer to her as "Avis or Anne" (official), but also "Alice" in some sources. These variations were common in 17th century England where spelling wasn't standardized. The official record says "Avis or Anne" - "Alice" may be a variant of "Avis."
Source: History of Parliament Online; Multiple period documents
She lived at or had connection to Gidea Hall during the exact period (1604-1624+) when the English Secretary Hand annotations were added to the Voynich Manuscript (paleographically dated to 1620s-1640s). Perfect timeline overlap!
Source: Paleographic analysis of annotations; estate records
As daughter of William Waldegrave of Smallbridge, Suffolk, she may have retired to or been buried in Suffolk after widowhood. This gives us a whole new region to search for her death record!
Source: Waldegrave family connection verified by History of Parliament
When did she die? After 1624, but when? 1625? 1630? 1640? 1650? This is completely undocumented in records we've found so far.
Where was she buried? Likely a parish church in the Romford/Havering area near Gidea Hall, but which one? Parish burial registers may have the answer.
Was there a will or probate? If so, it might list her possessions — potentially including "books," "manuscripts," or items from the Gidea Hall library.
What happened to her belongings? Who inherited? Where did the Gidea Hall library materials go? Any mentions of mysterious or foreign books?
Did she live at Gidea Hall until death? Or did she move elsewhere after 1624? Property records might tell us.
The English Secretary Hand annotations on the Voynich Manuscript are paleographically dated to the 1620s-1640s. Avis/Anne Cooke was living at or connected to Gidea Hall during this exact period. Her death record could:
If she died before 1620, someone else added annotations. If after 1640, she could have supervised or authorized them.
Probate records might list "foreign book," "cipher manuscript," or "Italian book with drawings" in her estate.
Who inherited her books? This traces the manuscript's path after her death until Gidea Hall was sold (1657).
Every documented link makes our provenance theory stronger. This fills a critical 20-40 year gap.
Location: Bury St. Edmunds & Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
🔥 PRIORITY SEARCH - Waldegrave Family Connection:
• Smallbridge parish records (her father's estate)
• Waldegrave family burial records
• Probate records for "Avis Waldegrave," "Anne Waldegrave"
• Did she return to Suffolk after widowhood?
• William Waldegrave's will (her father) - does it mention her?
Why this matters: As a Waldegrave of Suffolk, she may have retired to her family's area after her husband's death. Suffolk archives are now a top priority!
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Search for:
• Parish burial registers (Romford area, 1624-1657)
• Probate records for "Avis Cooke," "Anne Cooke," "Alice Cooke"
• "Avis Waldegrave" or "Anne Waldegrave" (maiden name)
• Gidea Hall property records
• Estate inventories
Location: London, UK
Search for:
• Prerogative Court of Canterbury probate
• PCC administration 1605 (already verified she got this!)
• Later PCC probate for her death (post-1624)
• High-value estate records
• Waldegrave family records
Access: Ancestry, FindMyPast
NEW SEARCHES with maiden name:
• "Avis Waldegrave" OR "Anne Waldegrave" + death/burial
• "Waldegrave" family tree connections
• Suffolk parish registers
• England & Wales probate records
• Cooke family tree connections
Area 1: Romford, Havering, Essex (husband's estate)
Area 2: Smallbridge, Suffolk (father's estate) - NEW!
Check both regions:
• Burial registers
• Memorial inscriptions
• Church records
• Local history archives
This is a perfect community research project!
You don't need to be a professional historian. If you have access to any of these resources, you could make the breakthrough discovery:
Found something? Submit it through our members area or contact us directly. Major contributions are credited and may lead to co-authorship on academic publications!
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View Membership Options See All Open QuestionsWe believe in transparent research. We don't hide our gaps or pretend to have all the answers. Every missing piece is an opportunity for discovery. The official narrative has zero primary sources and countless unexplained gaps — but they don't acknowledge them.
We're different. We show our work, admit our unknowns, and invite collaboration. That's how real research advances. Help us find the missing pieces!