COOKE, Adolphus (1792–1876), was born in Cookesborough near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, the illegitimate son of Robert Cooke, landowner, and an unnamed servant. Adolphus’s mother was sent away, and he was raised by a nurse, Mary Kelly, in a two-roomed thatched cottage, forbidden to visit his father’s house. Educated in England, he joined the army, serving ... Read more
