Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton of Lleweney 02195

Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, 5th Baronet (''c.'' 1739 – 24 August 1809) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1780 to 1796.

Early life

Cotton was the eldest son of Sir Lynch Cotton. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

, then entered

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

in 1756. He was one of the founders of the

Tarporley Hunt Club The Tarporley Hunt Club is a Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom, hunt club which meets at Tarporley in Cheshire, England. Founded in 1762, it is the oldest surviving such society in England.Egerton-Warburton RE. "A short account of the Tarporley Hunt Club, from its foundation in 1762 to the year 1869". In ''Hunting Songs'' (Henry Young & Sons; 1912)
(Retrieved 11 May 2010)

Domestic life

Cotton married Frances Stapleton, daughter and co-heiress of James Russel-Stapleton in 1767. In 1774 they were visited at Llewenli Hall by Sir Robert's cousin,

Hester Thrale Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821)Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January 1740. The pro ...

, who was accompanied by the writer

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

; Frances "found Johnson, despite his rudeness, at times delightful, having a manner peculiar to himself in relating anecdotes that could not fail to attract old and young. Her impression was that Mrs. Thrale was very vexatious in wishing to engross all his attention, which annoyed him much". The Cottons later broke off relations with Hester following her 1784 marriage to an Italian music teacher. In 1774 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. On the death of his father on 14 August 1775, 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 ...

and inherited the old Salusbury family seat at

Lleweni Hall Lleweni Hall ( Welsh: ''Plas Lleweni''; sometimes also referred to as Llewenny Palace) was a stately home in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, around north-east of Denbigh on the banks of the River Clwyd. It was the principal seat of the Salusb ...

. Soon after the birth of his second son, he moved from Lleweni Hall to

Combermere Abbey Combermere Abbey is a former monastery, later a country house, near Burleydam, between Nantwich, Cheshire and Whitchurch, Shropshire, Whitchurch in Shropshire, England, located within Cheshire and near the border with Shropshire. Initially Congr ...

, the traditional seat of the heir apparent to the baronetcy. He had to lease the family's former estate to Thomas FitzMaurice, a brother of

Lord Shelburne William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (2 May 17377 May 1805), known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who was the first home secr ...

's, because of the profligacy of his uncle, Sir Thomas Cotton. Nevertheless, Sir Robert kept a large hunting establishment and was known as a generous host.

Parliamentary career

Cotton was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

at a by-election on 1 March 1780 and at the succeeding 1780 general election. In 1784 he was a member of the

St. Alban's Tavern group The St. Alban's Tavern group was an informal association of 78 United Kingdom, British Member of Parliament, Members of Parliament who aimed to bring about a reconciliation of William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox in a unified Ministry. The ...

which aimed to reconcile

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a British British Whig Party, Whig politician and statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centurie ...

and

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

. He was returned again unopposed in

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

and

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took pa ...

. Towards the end of that parliament, he applied three times to Pitt for the position of collector of salt duties at

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...

and was ignored. It was unexpected when he decided not to stand again in 1796. His brother later stated that this was due to ill health and that he had declined a peerage, but contemporary accounts claimed it was in annoyance at not being given the post.

Later life and legacy

Cotton was a major in the Nantwich volunteers in 1797 and 1803. He had to sell his Welsh estates for about £390,000, as he was in debt due to extravagance and bad management. He died aged 70 on 24 August 1809. Cotton and his wife Frances had the following children: * Robert-Salusbury (born 11 September 1768), died without issue * Stapleton (1773–1865), 6th baronet, elevated to the peerage as a Viscount and Baron Combermere * William (died 16 June 1853), took holy orders * Lynch, colonel in the army; died in the East Indies in 1799 * Frances (1 December 176926 November 1818), married Robert Needham, 11th Viscount Kilmorey (1746–1818) on 10 January 1792 * Penelope (31 December 1770 – 1786) * Hester-Maria (died 20 March 1845) * Sophia (died 24 May 1838), married Sir H. M. Mainwaring, Bart, of Over Peover, Chester

References

ThePeerage.com
* * ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Robert 1730s births 1809 deaths People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Cotton, Sir Robert, 5th Baronet Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Fellows of the Royal Society