Sir John Cotton, 3rd Baronet (1621 – 12 September 1702) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...

at various times between 1661 and 1687.

Early years

Cotton was the son of Sir Thomas Cotton, 2nd Baronet of Conington, Huntingdonshire, and his first wife Margaret Howard, daughter of

Lord William Howard Lord William Howard (19 December 1563 – 7 October 1640) was an English nobleman and antiquary, sometimes known as "Belted Will" or "Bauld (bold) Will". Early life Howard was born on 19 December 1563 at Audley End, Essex, the fourth and las ...

, of

Naworth Castle Naworth Castle, also known or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England, near the town of Brampton, Carlisle, Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 road (England), A69 road from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, ...

, Cumberland. He became a

gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

in 1661. He studied at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, matriculating in 1637.

Career

In 1661, Cotton was elected Member of Parliament for

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

. He succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on the death of his father on 13 May 1662. In 1685 he was elected MP for

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

. Cotton died at the age of 80 at Stratton, Bedfordshire, and was buried at Conington where he has a monument.

Family

Cotton married firstly on 8 June 1644England, Marriages, 1538–1973. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. Dorothy Anderson, daughter of Edmund Anderson, of Stratton and Eyworth and his wife Alice Constable, daughter of Sir John Constable, who was later Cotton's stepmother. He married secondly on 20 October 1658, at Mark's Hall, Essex, Elizabeth Honywood, daughter of Sir Thomas Honywood, of Mark's Hall, and his wife Hester Lamotte, daughter of John Lamotte, of London. Elizabeth's portrait was painted by

Jacob Huysmans Jacob Huysmans (c. 1633–1696) was a Flemish people, Flemish portrait painter who, after training in his native Antwerp, immigrated to England before the Restoration (England), Restoration. He became a feted court painter and attracted the ...

. His eldest son John predeceased him, and the title passed to his grandson

Sir John Cotton, 4th Baronet, of Connington Sir John Cotton, 4th Baronet ( – 5 February 1731) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England and the House of Commons of Great Britain at various times between 1705 and 1713. He was the son of John C ...

. On the younger Sir John's death without issue, the title passed to his uncle Robert, his grandfather's son by Elizabeth Honywood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, John 1621 births 1702 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1685–1687 English landowners Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Huntingdonshire