Henry Cotterill
Encyclopedia
The Rt Rev
Henry Cotterill (1812, Ampton
– 16 April 1886, Edinburgh
) was an eminent Anglican Bishop
in the second half of the 19th century.
Henry Cotterill was born in Ampton
in 1812 into an ecclesiastical family of committed Church Evangelicals. His father Joseph was Rector
of Blakeney
, Norfolk
, and a prebendary
of Norwich Cathedral
. His mother was a close friend of Hannah More
. Educated at his father's old college, St John's College, Cambridge
, he was both Senior Wrangler and headed the list of Classicists in 1835, on the strength of which he was elected as a Fellow
of his college. Influenced by Charles Simeon
, he was ordained in 1836 and went to India as Chaplain
to the Madras Presidency
the following year. Forced by malaria to return to England in 1846, he became inaugural Vice Principal and then the second Principal
of Brighton College
. In post less than six years, he reinvigorated the languishing infant school. In a whirlwind of energetic reform, he overhauled the curriculum by introducing the teaching of the sciences and oriental languages, restored discipline, launched a fund to build a chapel, built the first on-site boarding house and connected the school to the town's gas supply.
At the suggestion of the great Earl of Shaftesbury
and Archbishop Sumner of Canterbury, he was nominated and consecrated in 1856 as the second Bishop of Grahamstown
. As was then customary, he was simultaneously created a doctor of divinity
. Translated
to Edinburgh
in 1871 as coadjutor bishop, full diocesan bishop from 1872, he died in post in 1886.
As one of the bishops of South Africa, he sat in judgement in December 1863 on the Bishop of Natal
, John Colenso, his college friend from Cambridge days.
He married Anna Isabella Parnther who had been born in Jamaica
in 1812. They had at least two daughters and four sons. The four boys all attended Brighton College
. Henry Bernard was an African missionary explorer and writer. Joseph Montagu played cricket for Sussex
and became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
and was knighted.
His brother George was on the teaching staff of Brighton College
1849-51 before emigrating to New Zealand
while, intriguingly, his youngest brother, James Henry, was a pupil at the school while he was the Principal. James Henry became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich (1873-97) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
in 1878.
Right Reverend
The Right Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain it applies to bishops except that The Most Reverend is used for archbishops .*In some churches with a...
Henry Cotterill (1812, Ampton
Ampton
Ampton is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England, about five miles north of Bury St Edmunds.According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is Amma's homestead. The Domesday Book records the population of Ampton in 1086 to be 23...
– 16 April 1886, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) was an eminent Anglican Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the second half of the 19th century.
Henry Cotterill was born in Ampton
Ampton
Ampton is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England, about five miles north of Bury St Edmunds.According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is Amma's homestead. The Domesday Book records the population of Ampton in 1086 to be 23...
in 1812 into an ecclesiastical family of committed Church Evangelicals. His father Joseph was Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Blakeney
Blakeney, Norfolk
Blakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and a prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
. His mother was a close friend of Hannah More
Hannah More
Hannah More was an English religious writer, and philanthropist. She can be said to have made three reputations in the course of her long life: as a poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, as a writer on moral and religious subjects, and as a practical...
. Educated at his father's old college, St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, he was both Senior Wrangler and headed the list of Classicists in 1835, on the strength of which he was elected as a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of his college. Influenced by Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon , was an English evangelical clergyman.He was born at Reading, Berkshire and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. In 1782 he became fellow of King's College, and took orders, receiving the living of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, in the following year...
, he was ordained in 1836 and went to India as Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
the following year. Forced by malaria to return to England in 1846, he became inaugural Vice Principal and then the second Principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of Brighton College
Brighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
. In post less than six years, he reinvigorated the languishing infant school. In a whirlwind of energetic reform, he overhauled the curriculum by introducing the teaching of the sciences and oriental languages, restored discipline, launched a fund to build a chapel, built the first on-site boarding house and connected the school to the town's gas supply.
At the suggestion of the great Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
and Archbishop Sumner of Canterbury, he was nominated and consecrated in 1856 as the second Bishop of Grahamstown
Bishop of Grahamstown
The Bishop of Grahamstown is the bishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in the Diocese of Grahamstown, which encompasses the area around Grahamstown, South Africa and is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The seat of the Bishop is St. Michael and St. George...
. As was then customary, he was simultaneously created a doctor of divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
. Translated
Translation (ecclesiastical)
Translation is the technical term when a Bishop is transferred from one diocese to another.This can be* From Suffragan Bishop status to Diocesan Bishop*From Coadjutor bishop to Diocesan Bishop*From one country's Episcopate to another...
to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1871 as coadjutor bishop, full diocesan bishop from 1872, he died in post in 1886.
As one of the bishops of South Africa, he sat in judgement in December 1863 on the Bishop of Natal
Bishop of Natal
The Bishop of Natal exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Natal of the Church of Southern Africa.-Succession:-See also:*Anglican Church of Southern Africa*Anglican Diocese of Natal-References:...
, John Colenso, his college friend from Cambridge days.
He married Anna Isabella Parnther who had been born in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1812. They had at least two daughters and four sons. The four boys all attended Brighton College
Brighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
. Henry Bernard was an African missionary explorer and writer. Joseph Montagu played cricket for Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
and was knighted.
His brother George was on the teaching staff of Brighton College
Brighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
1849-51 before emigrating to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
while, intriguingly, his youngest brother, James Henry, was a pupil at the school while he was the Principal. James Henry became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich (1873-97) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1878.