(1788-1835), Inventor John Hancock was the third son of James Hancock, a cabinetmaker from Marlborough. Little is known about his early life, but by 1817 he was working in partnership with his elder brother Thomas as part of Hancock and Company p coach makers. In 1833 he moved to Cornwall to work with Humphrey Davy, where he tried to perfect a safety fuse for tin miners. He died of consumption in Cornwall at the age of 47, leaving nine children behind. They returned to London, where they were taken in, educated and provided for by John's brother Thomas.