Church of England clergyman and author, William Sterry-Cooper was born in the late 19th century. He studied at Lichfield Theological College, England and won a university theological scholarship to Durham where he was senior student in 1911. He graduated from Hatfield College, Durham with a BA (classics and history) and an MA (constitutional history) in 1912 and 1925 respectively. Ordained to the priesthood about 1912, he served in parishes in a number of communities including, Bromwich (1912 - 1915), Walsall (1915 - 1917), Stoke-on-Trent (1920 - 1923), Cradley (1923 - 1929), Droitwich (1929 - 1936), and Elmbridge and Rushock (1936 - 1951). Between 1917 and 1920 he served as an army chaplain in France with the Fifth Corps. Keenly interested in church schools, he was Governor of Saltley Training College for over 20 years.

In the early 1940s W. Sterry-Cooper combined his interest in religion and local history, undertaking serious research into the life and activities of Pilgrim Father Edward Winslow (1595 - 1655), a native of Droitwich, Worcestershire, England. During the course of his research Sterry-Cooper visited and contacted record offices, libraries, museums, and other repositories in England and elsewhere and corresponded with several descendants of Edward Winslow living in England, the United States, and Canada. His activities culminated in the production of a number of essays and articles, which appeared in newspapers, pamphlets, and other forms and in a 67-page book, Edward Winslow, published in 1953. Sterry-Cooper planned to produce a longer, more scholarly work on the Pilgrim Fathers and Edward Winslow, but it was never completed. During the 1950s, he was involved in several projects to honour Edward Winslow and the Mayflower Pilgrims. The Rev. W. Sterry-Cooper was living in England in 1959.

Sources: "Leaving early next year", Droitwich Guardian, 21 December 1951; Letter, the Rev. W. Sterry Cooper to John Douglas Winslow, 27 May 1952; Letter, the Rev. W. Sterry Cooper to D. Kenelm Winslow, 7 August 1951.

Source:
W. Sterry-Cooper