Sir John Richard Geers Cotterell, 4th Baronet (13 July 1866 – 13 November 1937) was an English baronet.

Early life

Cotterell was born on 13 July 1866. He was the son of

Sir Geers Cotterell, 3rd Baronet Sir Geers Henry Cotterell, 3rd Baronet (22 August 1834 – 17 March 1900) was a Whig politician. Early life Cotterell was the second son of Sir John Henry Cotterell (who had died before his birth and was heir apparent to Sir John Cotterell, 1 ...

and Hon. Katherine Margaret Airey. His father, an MP for

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

, had succeeded to the baronetcy in 1847, upon the death of his brother (John's uncle) John Henry Cotterell. His paternal grandparents were Sir John Henry Cotterell (heir apparent to Sir John Cotterell, 1st Baronet) and Hon. Pyne Jesse Trevor (daughter of

Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre General Henry Otway Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre CB (27 July 1777 – 2 June 1853) was a peer and British Army officer. Early life Born Henry Otway Brand, he was the second son of Thomas Brand and his wife the 19th Baroness Dacre. Career In 1807 ...

). His grandfather died before his father was born and his grandmother remarried shortly thereafter to Granville Harcourt Vernon, MP. His maternal grandparents were

Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey General Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey, (April 180314 September 1881), known as Sir Richard Airey between 1855 and 1876, was a senior British Army officer of the 19th century. Background Born at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, Airey was ...

, and the former Hon. Harriet Mary Evard Talbot (a daughter of James Talbot, 3rd Baron Talbot of Malahide and sister to James Talbot, 4th Baron Talbot of Malahide).

Career

He gained the rank of Captain in the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamate ...

and President of the Hereford Territorial Army Association from 1904 to 1933. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Herefordshire This is a list of Sheriffs and, since 1998, High Sheriffs of Herefordshire The position of Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in each county, but over the centurie ...

in 1897 and served as

Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

from 1904 to 1933. Cotterell served as an Alderman of Herefordshire County Council. In 1930, he was appointed a member of the

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

. He was also a renowned breeder of Hereford cattle. Upon the death of his father on 17 March 1900, he succeeded as the 4th Baronet Cotterell, of Garnons, Herefordshire.

Personal life

On 4 January 1896, Cotterell married Lady Evelyn Amy Gordon-Lennox (1872–1922), the eldest daughter of the former Amy Mary Ricardo and

Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Gordon (27 December 1845 – 18 January 1928), styled Lord Settrington until 1860 and Earl of March between 1860 and 1903, was a British politician and peer. Early life Styled Lord ...

. Together, they were the parents of four children: * Sylvia Evelyn Cotterell (1896–1944), who married Capt. Christopher Digby Leyland, son of Christopher John Leyland of Haggerston Castle, in 1916. They divorced in 1929 and she married Roland Norris Fawcett later that same year. * Cicely Violet Cotterell (1898–1974), who married Capt. William Adrian Vincent Bethell, son of William Bethell and Hon. Mairi Willoughby (daughter of Henry Willoughby, 8th Baron Middleton), in 1921. He had been married previously to Hon.

Clare Tennant Clarissa Madeline Georgiana Felicite Tennant (later Bethell, Tennyson and Beck; 13 July 1896 – 3 September 1960), known as Clare Tennant, was a British socialite, prominent in early 20th century high society in London. Early life Clare was bor ...

. After his death in 1941, she married Roden Powlett Graves Orde, son of Roden Horace Powlett Orde, in 1946. * Mildred Katharine Cotterell (1902–1989), who married Lt.-Col. Sir Terence Falkiner, 8th Baronet, son of Sir Leslie Falkiner, 7th Baronet, in 1925. * Sir Richard Charles Geers Cotterell, 5th Baronet (1907–1978), a Lt.-Col. in the Royal Artillery Shropshire Yeomanry who married Lady Lettice Lygon, daughter of

William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp (20 February 1872 – 14 November 1938), styled Viscount Elmley until 1891, was a British Liberal politician. He was Governor of New South Wales between 1899 and 1901, a member of the Liberal administrations of ...

and Lady Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor (a daughter of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor), in 1930. They divorced in 1958 and he married Hon. Molly Patricia Berry, daughter of

William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, DL (23 June 1879 – 15 June 1954) was a British peer and newspaper publisher. Life and career Berry was born in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, the second of three sons of Mary Ann (Rowe) and John Mathias Be ...

, later that same year. In 1934, Sir John's portrait was painted by

Philip de László Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; ; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal and aristocratic personages. ...

. In the portrait, he is seated "wearing the ceremonial uniform of the Life Guards with decorations, a black great coat over his shoulders, holding a sword in his left hand and a glove in his right resting on his knee". László had previously done a number of portraits for the family, including his wife in 1913, daughter Sylvia in 1924, and son Richard and daughter-in-law Lady Lettice. in 1931. He died on 13 November 1937 at his London home, 10

Hertford Street Hertford Street is a street in central London's Mayfair district. It runs between a junction with Park Lane and Old Park Lane at its western end, to Curzon Street at its north-east end. In 1771, Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn marr ...

. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his only son,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 916. Garnons, the family seat, was requisitioned during the war years and the family relocated to Byford Court.

Descendants

Through his son Richard, he was a grandfather of John Henry Geers Cotterell, who became the 6th Baronet in 1978.

References

External links

Portrait of Sir John Cotterell, 4th Baronet
1934, by

.
Portrait of Lady Evelyn Cotterell
1913, by Philip de László.
Portrait of Mrs Rowland Norris
1924, by Philip de László.
Portrait of Sir Richard Cotterell, 5th Baronet
1931, by Philip de László.
Portrait of Lady Lettice Cotterell
1931, by Philip de László. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotterell, John 1866 births 1937 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom High sheriffs of Herefordshire Lord-lieutenants of Herefordshire