Thomas Cotton (Dissenting minister)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cotton was a dissenting minister
of London.
, Yorkshire, 1653. His father, William Cotton (1627–1674), notable Iron-master of Wortley Top Forge
, was and Dissenter
, noted for his great hospitality and kindness to the ejected ministers. One of these was a John Spawford, ejected from Silkstone
in 1662, whom he received into his family as tutor to his son until his death in 1668. Subsequently, Cotton studied successively at Henry Hickman
's academy at Stourbridge
, in Westmoreland
at Richard Frankland
's Natland Academy, and at the University of Edinburgh
, where he was awarded an M.A. in 1677.
On leaving college, he accepted a position as chaplain to Lady Sarah Houghton, daughter of the Earl of Chesterfield, for about a year, after which ill-health forced him to leave. He then conducted a small chapel at his father's house, until persecution forced him to stop. He then accepted a position as tutor and governor to a young gentleman, and spent three years touring Europe, during which he witnessed the ejection of Protestant ministers at Loudun
, Poitou
and Saumur
, which he later described in the unpublished memoirs of his travels.
Cotton was offered appointments in the Church of England, but chose to remain a Dissenter
. He settled first at Hoxton Square
, London (1690–95), then Ware in Hertfordshire (1695–99), finally at Dyot Street Chapel, St. Giles’s in the Fields, Bloomsbury (1699–1727). He died in London 11 August 1730.
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
of London.
Life
Thomas Cotton was born at PenistonePenistone
Penistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...
, Yorkshire, 1653. His father, William Cotton (1627–1674), notable Iron-master of Wortley Top Forge
Wortley Top Forge
Wortley Top Forge is an historic former finery forge and ironworks originally dating back to the seventeenth century, although evidence suggests iron working took place in the vicinity as early as the fourteenth century...
, was and Dissenter
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
, noted for his great hospitality and kindness to the ejected ministers. One of these was a John Spawford, ejected from Silkstone
Silkstone
Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone, and includes the village of Silkstone Common...
in 1662, whom he received into his family as tutor to his son until his death in 1668. Subsequently, Cotton studied successively at Henry Hickman
Henry Hickman
Henry Hickman was an English ejected minister and controversialist.-Life:A native of Worcestershire, he was educated at St Catharine Hall, Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A. in 1648. At the end of 1647 he entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and the next year obtained by favour of the parliamentary...
's academy at Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, in Westmoreland
Westmoreland
Westmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Westmoreland County, New South WalesCanada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishNew Zealand...
at Richard Frankland
Richard Frankland (tutor)
Richard Frankland was an English nonconformist, notable for founding the Rathmell Academy, a dissenting academy in the north of England.-Biography:...
's Natland Academy, and at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, where he was awarded an M.A. in 1677.
On leaving college, he accepted a position as chaplain to Lady Sarah Houghton, daughter of the Earl of Chesterfield, for about a year, after which ill-health forced him to leave. He then conducted a small chapel at his father's house, until persecution forced him to stop. He then accepted a position as tutor and governor to a young gentleman, and spent three years touring Europe, during which he witnessed the ejection of Protestant ministers at Loudun
Loudun
Loudun is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.It is located south of the town of Chinon and 25 km to the east of the town Thouars...
, Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
and Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
, which he later described in the unpublished memoirs of his travels.
Cotton was offered appointments in the Church of England, but chose to remain a Dissenter
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
. He settled first at Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square is a garden square situated in Hoxton in the London Borough of Hackney, in London's East End. Formerly home to industrial premises, since the 1990s it has become the heart of the Hoxton arts and media scene, as well as being a hub of the thriving local entertainment district...
, London (1690–95), then Ware in Hertfordshire (1695–99), finally at Dyot Street Chapel, St. Giles’s in the Fields, Bloomsbury (1699–1727). He died in London 11 August 1730.