Admiral Richard Greville Arthur Wellington Stapleton-Cotton (7 November 1873 – 5 January 1953) was a British officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Early life and family

Richard Greville Arthur Wellington Stapleton-Cotton was born at

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...

, London, on 7 November 1873, the second son of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

the Honourable Richard Southwell George Stapleton-Cotton (1849–1925), of Plas Llwynon,

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, and his wife, the Honourable Jane Charlotte Methuen, daughter of Frederick Henry Paul Methuen, second Baron Methuen. His father was the younger son of the second Viscount Combermere and had been the Inspector-General of Police in Guiana from 1889 to 1891, was an officer in the

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...

, having served in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

of 1879 and in Bechuanaland in 1885, and served as a Justice of the Peace for

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

and Cheshire. In 1910, he married Olive Harriet Cotton-Jodrell, a daughter of Sir Edward Thomas Davenant Cotton-Jodrell, of Reaseheath and Yeardsley, Cheshire,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Wirral, and his wife Mary Rennell Coleridge. Stapleton-Cotton and his dog Tinker are the only two males ever to be accepted as fully paid-up members of the

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...

: he played a major part in setting up the first WI meeting in the UK, held in Anglesey in 1915.

Ancestry

Naval career

Stapleton-Cotton entered the

as a cadet in 1887. He was promoted to midshipman two years later and then became a Sub-Lieutenant in 1893, lieutenant two years later, commander in 1905 and captain in 1913. He was the Commander at the Royal Naval College at Osborne from 1906 to 1910. Promoted to rear-admiral in 1923 and then to vice-admiral in 1928, he was placed on the retired list by 1931. In 1932, he was promoted to the rank of admiral in the retired list. In 1905, he was appointed a Member of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(MVO). He was also appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) and a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB). From 1928 to 1932, Stapleton-Cotton served as

Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, established 14 January 1726. The Brunswick Herald, an officer of arms of the Order of the Bath, was annexed with the position at the time it ...

, and then as Registrar and Secretary of the Order of the Bath from 1932 to 1948; in the latter capacity, he attended the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 and took part in the procession into the Abbey.

Later life

Admiral Stapleton-Cotton died on 5 January 1953, aged 79, in

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

. He left an estate worth over £24,000.''England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes'', General Register Office, Death Records, Q1 1953, vol. 8c, p. 1 ; ''National Probate Calendar'', 1953

References

Citations

Bibliography

* G.E. Cokayne (1895)
''The Complete Peerage''
1st edition, volume 5. * F.A. Crisp (1914)
''Visitation of England and Wales''
volume 18. * A.C. Fox-Davies (1929)
''Armorial Families''
seventh edition. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton-Cotton, Richard 1873 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from London Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy officers of World War I Members of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath People from Westminster Gentlemen Ushers