[1] In 1693 Somers, having been appointed Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, vacated his seat at Worcester.
A bitter by-election ensued, contested by the Whig Cocks and the Tory Samuel Swift.
The petition was upheld on 7 February 1694, and Cocks took the seat, prompting outrage among the citizens of Worcester.
[2] In 1695, instead of standing at Worcester (where Swift was re-elected), Cocks stood at Droitwich, and was elected.
[1] In 1699 Cocks was appointed Clerk of the Patents, an office in the Court of Chancery (therefore in the gift of his brother-in-law, Lord Chancellor Somers).