Re Cockayne family and the Owlerton Brewery, Capel street A brewer, David Thompson, is listed as far back as 1839 at Owlerton but whether or not he was the founder of the Owlerton Brewery is not known. What is known is that the brothers, John and William Shaw, had control of the Capel Street premises between 1845 and 1855, but by 1854 James Lomax Cockayne had assumed control. Although he managed the business well, J.L.Cockayne did not extend the tied-house estate substantially. His acquisit