Richard Cobbold

Born in Ipswich in 1797, Richard Cobbold was a Church of England clergyman as well as a writer. He came from the prominent Cobbold family, and his mother was Elizabeth Cobbold, a poet and writer, so books and storytelling were part of his world from the start.

Cobbold served for many years as rector of Wortham, near Diss, and much of his writing grew out of the life and history of Suffolk. He became especially known for historical fiction, including The History of Margaret Catchpole, a novel that helped keep the story of the famous Suffolk servant and adventurer in the public imagination.

He died on January 5, 1877. Today he is remembered as one of those 19th-century writers whose fiction was closely tied to place: a novelist-clergyman who turned local memory, folklore, and regional character into enduring popular tales.