Transcript

of

Cookworthy, William and the Divining Rod

In  Miscellaneous Devonshire Gleanings, Trans. Devon Assoc., 1881, Vol XIII., pp. 135-137.

by

W. Pengelly, FRS etc

Prepared by Michael Steer

William COOKWORTHY, (1705–1780), porcelain-maker, was born at Kingsbridge in 1705, his mother being left a widow with five sons and some daughters. He and his brother eventually started a small drug business in Plymouth. A Quaker Friend of Plymouth thus described him: “A tall, venerable man, with three-cornered hat and bushy, curly wig, a mild but intellectual countenance, and full of conversation”. He used to travel as a wholesale chemist through Cornwall. In 1768 Cookworthy obtained a patent for the exclusive use of Cornish clay and Cornish stone in the manufacture of porcelain. From 50 to 60 persons were employed in his Plymouth works. Cookworthy believed in the dowsing, or divining rod, for discovering mineral veins, and also became a disciple of Swedenborg. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

The late Mr. William Cookworthy,a native of Kingsbridge, but popularly connected with Plymouth on account of his long residence there, takes a well-won place amongst Devonshire Celebrities, mainly, perhaps, on account of his discovery of the existence, in England, of the China Clay and China Stone; and of his connexion with the Plymouth China Factory.

Mr. Cookworthy was, it is well known, a firm believer in the Divining rod, and left a treatise on its uses. (See Trans. Devon. Assoc, viii. 481, 1876.) Though it is not necessary to add anything to the evidence already before the world on this belief of Mr. Cookworthy, it appears to be desirable to give a place in the Transactions of this Association to the following anecdotes, which I have recently met with - one in a somewhat scarce volume, and one in manuscript.

Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Boroughs of East and West Looe in the County of Cornwall. By Thomas Bond (1823), contains the following paragraph: -

"Though no metallic Ore of any kind has been discovered near Looe, yet if confidence may be given to the Virguia Divina, a load of some kind of metal passes under the houses near the Conduit in East Looe. This I was informed of by the late Miss Elizabeth Debell, of East Looe, who stated that her cousin Wm. Cookworthy (the late celebrated Chemist of Plymouth), made several trials with the rod outside her Quay door, at the back of her house near the Conduit, and who was persuaded from his trials that such was the fact. Mr. Cookworthy always put great confidence in the divining-rod." p. 141.

(Copied from the Note Book of Mr. O. Blewitt.)

"My great uncle, Bartholomew Dunsterville, was serving his time as a Pupil of Dr. Mudge."[John Mudge, M.D. 1720-1793]," when Dr. Johnson arrived at Plymouth, on a visit to the Doctor.

"Old Mr. Cookworthy, who professed to have discovered a Divining Rod by which he could detect the existence of metal underground, begged Dr. Mudge to allow him to show the powers of his Rod in the presence of Dr. Johnson, if the latter could be induced to witness the operation.

"Dr. Johnson was so much amused with the idea that he suggested that they might take advantage of the opportunity to play Mr. Cookworthy a trick by burying an iron  ‘crock' in the garden, and seeing if he could find it by his Divining Bod. Dr. Mudge agreed; and, on the evening before the appointed day, an iron vessel was buried, and the ground above made smooth. When Mr. Cookworthy arrived next day, he walked about the garden testing it in different parts with his Rod, until he came to the place where the iron vessel had been buried; when he at once stuck the Rod into the ground, and exclaimed that there was metal underneath. The Gardener was ordered to dig away, when the iron crock made its appearance, to the great amusement of Dr. Johnson, while Mr. Cookworthy was very angry with Dr. Mudge at allowing such a trick to be practised on him, declaring at the same time that the result, though intended to throw ridicule on him, had really proved the efficacy of his Divining Rod. O. B."

We learn from Boswell (ed. 1851, vol. i., ch. 11, p. 245) that Dr. Johnson, and Sir Joshua Reynolds visited Devonshire during the summer of 1762, and were the guests of Dr. Mudge during their stay at Plymouth. Johnson was then about 53 years of age, Reynolds 39, and Mudge 42, whilst Cookworthy was 57.

Boswell makes no mention of Cookworthy or the rod; but he had not at that time made the acquaintance of Dr. Johnson, and he states that he was obliged to Sir Joshua for the information concerning the excursion. Perhaps neither of the travellers was tempted to mention the clumsy trick.