Born in County Westmeath, he was the second son of William Handcock and his wife Abigail, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley and Mary Hammond, and sister of Thomas Stanley.
[2] His older brother was Thomas Handcock.
[4] Handcock entered the Irish House of Commons in 1692, representing Boyle until the following year.
[1] Handcock was appointed Recorder of Dublin in 1695, a post he held until his death in 1701.
They had at least three children, John, the only son and heir, Anne, who married Patrick Wemyss MP, and Abigail, who married Edward Griffith, and was the ancestor of Sir Richard Griffith, 1st Baronet.