David Cox, Sen., O.W.S. (Birmingham 1783-1859)

In 1826 Cox embarked with his son and his brother-in-law Mr Gardener on a tour to Belgium, a trip he subsequently extended into Holland. Gardener was an agent for the sale of Government Ordnance Maps and had a government commission to view a large world map recently published in Brussels. In Brussels Cox happened upon Herefordshire friends who urged him to join them in their carriage, travelling on to Ghent and Antwerp. From there they progressed to Dort, Rotterdam, Delft, Amsterdam and Haarlem. Along the way, Cox executed studies of the waterways.