Thomas Cottle, Esq. (1761–1828) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

on the island of

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...

. In 1822, Thomas started to build a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

for all people on the island, including slaves. The Cottle Church, as it is now called, was completed in 1824 and opened on May 5 that year. He married Frances Huggins, daughter of Edward Huggins, one of the richest and most powerful planters in Nevis.

Further reading