Last updated 19:47, Thursday, 28 August 2008

A WORKING-CLASS former baker from Sunderland is perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an aristocrat.

But John Thomas Cook, the son of a Sunderland steelworker, is the 33rd Lord of the Manor of Workington and he has the coat of arms to prove it.

The 57-year-old said: “Becoming the Lord of Workington is the best thing I’ve done in my life. It’s opened up many doors and I have more friends in Workington than in Sunderland.

“I think that this is because people know I have the best interests of the town at heart.”

Mr Cook bought the title from the Curwen family in 2001 and is the first stranger to hold it since 1150.

Mr Cook, who travels between Sunderland and Workington as often as he can, said he had probably spent more money on train fares than he did on becoming lord.

He added that he hoped to bequeath the title to the town after his death, but that would not be the only part of his legacy.

His visit last Saturday saw him bring a silver gilt chalice, engraved with his coat of arms and set with 36 diamonds, 18 rubies and 18 sapphires.

He said: “I’m hoping to give it to the Helena Thompson Museum after my death. It could become an important part of the town’s heritage. By having this chalice made I’m creating a little bit of history myself.”

It started out as a golf trophy, which he bought from an antique dealer friend and had engraved.

He declined to reveal how much the work cost or how much the chalice was worth, but admitted that it was insured for £7,500.