Samuel Elsworth Cottam (7 August 1863 – 30 March 1943) was an English

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Biography

Cottam was born in Upper Broughton,

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, in 1863. He graduated from

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

, in 1885, where he was a friend of

Edwin Emmanuel Bradford Edwin Emmanuel Bradford (21 August 1860 – 7 February 1944) was an English clergyman and a Uranian poet and writer of stories, articles and sermons. His prolific verse celebrating the high spiritual status of love between men and boys was remar ...

. He was a lifelong

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

, unlike Bradford who later became a

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

. Cottam and Bradford were co-Chaplains of St George's Anglican Church in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France. He was later incumbent at

Wootton, Vale of White Horse Wootton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about north-west of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The parish of Wootton includes the hamlets of Whitecross ...

, where

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

and W. H. Auden went to see him celebrate sung mass.

Will

In his will Cottam left trust funds for "the purchase of objects of beauty for the furtherance of religion in ancient

gothic church Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

es." This trust is now administered by the

Friends of Friendless Churches Friends of Friendless Churches is a registered charity formed in 1957, active in England and Wales, which campaigns for and rescues redundant historic places of worship threatened by demolition, decay, or inappropriate conversion. As of April ...

and has been used to benefit many dozens of churches in England and Wales, by the addition of furnishings, stained glass and bells.

Bibliography

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References

* eath date, 30 March 1943.* 1863 births 1943 deaths 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English poets Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Anglican chaplains Anglican poets Anglo-Catholic clergy Church of England priests English Anglo-Catholics English chaplains English male non-fiction writers English male poets British gay writers LGBT Anglican clergy English LGBT poets writers from Oxford People from Salford {{LGBT-bio-stub

Biography

Will

Bibliography

See also

References