GEMMS IDGEMMS-PERSON-001774
NameRobert Bruce Cotton
TitleSir
Gendermale
Denomination
Livedb. 1571-01-22 - d. 1631-05-06 (new)
Linked Manuscriptsmanuscript owner - Heads of sermons: MS. 353manuscript owner - Sermon on the murder of Elizabeth Dorrocott: Cotton MS Caligula A XVIImanuscript owner - Two sixteenth-century sermons: Cotton MS Vespasian A XXV
Linked Sermons
Linked Reports
Source of DataJeanne Shami; Adam Richter; Hannah Yip.
Biographical Sources ConsultedODNB (Article: 6425); ACAD (Venn) (ID: CTN581R).
Other NoteSir Robert Bruce Cotton was born at Denton, Huntingdonshire, on 22 January 1571, and studied at Westminster School and Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1585/6. He was admitted to the Middle Temple on 3 February 1588. In the late 1580s, Cotton became an early member of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1601, he served as Member of Parliament for Newton, Isle of Wight, and in 1604, he served as Member of Parliament for the county of Huntingdonshire. He was knighted in 1603 and created baronet in 1611. Although he was not elected to Parliament in 1621, he acted as an adviser to James I in relation to the impeachment of Lord Chancellor Francis Bacon, and was later to advise Charles I. Sir Robert Bruce Cotton died at Westminster on 6 May 1631, and was buried at his family estate of Conington, Huntingdonshire. The library assembled by Cotton has been described as 'the most important collection of manuscripts ever assembled in Britain by a private individual'. The library was inherited and augmented by his son, Sir Thomas Cotton (1594-1662) and grandson, Sir John Cotton (1621-1702). There are more than 1,400 manuscripts within the Cotton collection held at the British Library, ranging in date from the 4th century to the 1600s. It is conjectured by the present cataloguers that this 'Robert Cotton' is also the author of a political commonplace book (Queen's College Library, MS. 353).
Attached URLs:
| URL | Notes |
|---|---|
| www.bl.uk/collection-guides/cotton-manuscripts | Information about the Cotton Manuscripts on the British Library web page. |
GEMMS record createdJanuary 05, 2018
GEMMS record last editedMay 29, 2019