Elwin Wesley Cockett (born 24 May 1959) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest and chaplain. From October 2007 to September 2024 he was the

Archdeacon of West Ham The Archdeacon of West Ham is a senior ecclesiastical officer – in charge of the Archdeaconry of West Ham – in the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford. The current archdeacon is Mike Power. Brief history Historically, the Archdeaconry o ...

in the

Diocese of Chelmsford The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. It was created on 23 January 1914 from part of the Diocese of St Albans. It covers Essex and part of East London. Since 1984 it is divided into three ...

. Cockett grew up in India, Ghana and England. He was educated at

St Paul's Cathedral School St Paul's Cathedral School is an independent school associated with St Paul's Cathedral in London and is located in New Change in the City of London. The school has around 220 pupils, most of whom are day pupils, both boys and girls, including ...

and was a chorister at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, at

Akosombo International School Akosombo International School (AIS) is a Ghanaian coeducational international second-cycle institution located at Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region. It is operated by the Volta River Authority. History The school was estab ...

in Ghana, and at

Forest School, Walthamstow Forest School is a private day school in Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The school occupies a large campus around its original Grade II listed Georgian and Victorian terraced buildings. The school has more than 1,430 pu ...

. He trained for ordination at the Aston Training Scheme and studied theology at

Oak Hill College Oak Hill College is a conservative evangelical theological college located on Chase Side in Southgate, London, England. Its aim is to prepare men and women from the Church of England and Independent churches for ministry. Overview The College ...

, a

Conservative Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian go ...

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

, though Cockett himself identifies more with the

Open Evangelical An open evangelical attempts to uphold Evangelicalism, evangelical doctrines, morality, and spirituality, while also being Inclusive theology, inclusive of others. It is a term which is commonly used in the United Kingdom in reference to both indivi ...

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

. Having been ordained in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, Cockett served his

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are ass ...

at St Chad's Church, Chadwell Heath from 1991 to 1994. He then moved to St Paul's Church, Harold Hill, where he was successively an assistant curate (1994–1995),

priest-in-charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent; they will normally work on a short-term contract and have less freedom to act within the ...

(1995–1997), and

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

(1997–2000). He was

Team Rector A rector is, in an ecclesiastical sense, a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations. In contrast, a vicar is also a cleric but functions as an assistant and representative of an administrative leader. Anc ...

of Billericay and Little Burstead from 2000 to 2007, and

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...

of Basildon from 2004 to 2007. Additionally, he was Chaplain to

West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, having moved from their ...

between 1992 and 2012, and also a chaplain to the athletes competing in

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Early life and education

Cockett was born on 24 May 1959 in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, in India, where his father was working as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

doctor. He was brought up in India,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, Ghana, and

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. Cockett was educated at the primary department of

, then a mostly

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

school in Ghana, and then at Malmesbury Primary School in East London. Between 1968 and 1972, he was educated at

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

preparatory school in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

; during this time he was a

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. From 1973 to 1977, he was educated at

Forest School Forest school is an outdoor education delivery model in which students visit natural spaces to learn personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular o ...

, then an all-boys independent school in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

, London, where he held a music scholarship. After completing his schooling, Cockett worked for HM Civil Service and the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

. He worked at the

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

for five years, and then became the Practice Manager of the

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

Medical Mission, a

GP surgery Ambulatory care or outpatient care is Health care, medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technolog ...

in London. It was during the latter job that he began to explore his call to ordination.

Ordained ministry

In 1986, Cockett entered the Aston Training Scheme to prepare for ordination. This was a two-year part-time scheme that was led by Laurie Green and aimed to prepare its students for theological college. He studied theology at

, a

in London, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1991. Cockett was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in the

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

on 30 June 1991 by

John Waine John Waine (20 June 193029 December 2020) was Bishop of Chelmsford from 1986 to 1996; and previously Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich from 1978 to 1986, Bishop of Stafford, 1975–1978. He also served as Clerk of the Closet from 1989 to ...

, the Bishop of Chelmsford, and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1992. From 1991 to 1994, he served his

at St Chad's Church,

Chadwell Heath Chadwell Heath is an area in East London, England. It is split between the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Redbridge, around west of Romford and east of Ilford, and north-east of Charing Cross. History Topon ...

, an Evangelical church in the

. In 1994, he joined St Paul's Church,

Harold Hill Harold Hill is a suburban area in the London Borough of Havering, East London. northeast of Charing Cross. It is a district centre in the London Plan. The name refers to King Harold II, who held the manor of Havering-atte-Bower, and who wa ...

. He served as an assistant curate from 1994 to 1995, as

from 1995 to 1997, and then

. In 2000, he became

Billericay Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, east of the City of London. The town was founded in the 13th century by the Stratford Langthorne Abbey, Abbot of West Ham, ...

and

Little Burstead Little Burstead is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It lies south-south-west of Billericay and east-south-east of Brentwood railway station.Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, by John Marius Wilson, 1870-2 History In 1086, ...

. From June 2004, he was also the

Basildon Basildon ( ) is a town in Borough of Basildon, the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159. ...

. In addition to his parish ministry, Cockett worked as a chaplain. For 20 years, from 1992 to 2012, he was Chaplain to

West Ham United F.C West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

. During the

held in London, he was chosen as one of the 193 multi-faith chaplains, and he ministered to the athletes and officials of the games. In June 2007, it was announced that Cockett would be the next

. He took up the appointment in October 2007 in succession to Michael Fox. His

archdeaconry An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of mo ...

originally covered the

London boroughs The London boroughs are the current 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs wer ...

Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. The borough was created in 1965 as the London Borough of Barking; the name was changed in 1980. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London R ...

Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, Lo ...

Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London boroughs, London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of County Borough of West Ham, West Ham and County ...

, Redbridge, and

Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is an outer London borough formed in 1965 from the merger of the municipal boroughs of Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford. The borough's administrative headquarters are at Waltham Forest Town Hall, wh ...

; since the creation of the Archdeaconry of Barking in 2013, it has covered Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest. In September 2014, he additionally became the Chair of the Chelmsford Diocesan

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

which oversees 140 church schools. Though he attended a Conservative Evangelical theological college, Cockett has identified himself within the

of the Church of England. On 5 June 2024, it was announced that Cockett intended to retire on 30 September. He retired as Archdeacon of West Ham at the end of September 2024 and now lives in Somerset.

Other work

Outside of his ordained ministry, Cockett was involved in charity work and was a

school governor In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions: *Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction *Holding the headteacher to account for th ...

. He was a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

of Aston Mansfield, a charity centred on the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by ...

. He was also a trustee of The Reverend Doctor George Richards' Charity For Poor Clergymen, a charity that assists Church of England clergy who have retired early due to ill health and their families. from 2011 to 2024 he was a governor of

Personal life

Cockett is married to Sue, who he met while he was performing in a play at Forest School. Together, they have three children; Sarah, Rachel, and the

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

Thomas Elwin. Cockett is a fan of

. He is a keen musician, having held a music scholarship at Forest School and having been a boy chorister at

. He was a member of the Dry Bones Band that played occasionally "at events in Chelmsford Cathedral". He is also interested in

motorcycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-engine displacement, displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in ...

References

External links

''Half Barking'' – Cockett's blog

Twitter account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockett, Elwin 1959 births Living people People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School People educated at Forest School, Walthamstow Alumni of Oak Hill College 20th-century Church of England clergy 21st-century Church of England clergy Archdeacons of West Ham Evangelical Anglican clergy Choristers