William Cooke (died 1703)

William Cooke
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire Verderer of the Forest of Dean Mayor of Gloucester Member of Parliament
Personal details
Born	c. 1620
Died	1703
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Fleetwood
Relations	Sir Robert Cooke (father)
Residence	Highnam Court
Alma mater	Gray's Inn

William Cooke (c. 1620–1703), of Highnam Court, Gloucestershire, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Gloucester in 1679 and 1689 to 1695.

William Cooke, the eldest son of Sir Robert Cooke of Highnam Court and his first wife Dorothy Fleetwood, was born c. 1620. His mother was the daughter of Sir Miles Fleetwood of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, Receiver of the Court of Wards, and his wife Ann Luke. His younger brother, Edward Cooke, was a Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury.

Cooke was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1636. His father's political affiliations drew the ire of the Royalists during the English Civil War. The family manor at Highnam was attacked by the Royalists, and the elder Cooke withdrew with his family to Gloucester, where he died that same year, in 1643. William Cooke succeeded his father to the manor of Highnam, which was just west of Gloucester. The Cooke family had been at Highnam Court since 1597, when his grandfather, Sir William Cooke, married heiress Joyce Lucy, daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy.

On 30 March 1648, Cooke married Anne Rolle, daughter of Dennis Rolle of the manor of Stevenstone in Devon. The couple had nine sons and seven daughters. After the civil war ended, William Cooke began rebuilding Highnam Court, which had been demolished in the attacks. The manor at Highnam was built in 1658. While its architect is unknown, it is believed that it was designed by Inigo Jones or his student, Francis Carter.

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