617.Rowland Cotton. Rowland died in Derby, Derbyshire in 1604. Buried in St Alkmund’s Chyd, Derby.34 Occupation: Lawyer.
Rowland, of Derby, England.
(This Rowland Cotton did not marry Elizabeth Saltonstall. That was his greatgrandson Rev. Rolwand Cotton (b. 1667) who married Elizabeth Saltonstall (b. 15 Sep 1668).)
Rowland’s will, dated 29 Jan 1603/4, names his four children—Mary, John, Roland, and Thomas—and his wife.34
Roland Cotton’s ancestry
H.G. Somerby made a connection between Rowland Cotton and the Cambridgeshire Cottons in his book The English Ancestry of Rev. John Cotton of Boston,34Dutton & Son, Boston, 1868.
First, Somerby says that Rowland was the son of George Cotton of London. Second he says that George Cotton of London was one of four children of Clement and Constance Cotton of Cotton Hall in Cambridgeshire.
Some of what Somerby says about George Cotton of London is probably correct. George resided in London in the parish of St. Giles-without-Cripplegate. His will was dated 14 Oct 1558, proved 21 Mar 1559/60. He mentions his wife’s brother Thomas Whittacre, sons Rowland and Thomas, and daughter Tymothy.34 But it’s a stretch to identify George’s son Rowland with Rowland Cotton of Derby. Some evidence is needed beyond having the same name.
The next connection is even more suspect. Somerby claims that George Cotton of London was one of four children of Clement and Constance Cotton of Cotton Hall in Cambridgeshire.
The Cottons of Cambridgeshire are well documented with vistiations. See The Harleian Society, 41 (1897) which has articles on the visitations of Cambridgeshire in 1575 and 1619. http://archive.org/details/visitationofcamb4143stge The pedigree for the Cotton family is found starting on page 20. On-line publications (up through 2008) of The Harleian Society are listed on the page http://www.heraldry-online.org.uk/HarleianPublications2.htm
George Cotton does not appear in the Cotton chart of the visitiation. The charts of the vistation include the other three children of Clement and Constance Cotton of Cotton Hall, namely Jane, Roger, and Thomas, but not George. It appears that Somerby fabricated the connection of George Cotton of London the Cottons of Cotton Hall.
There’s an article by Leslie Mahler that appeared in The American Genealogist about the year 1999. It probably explains more.
On 16 Aug 1582 Rowland married Mary Hurlbert in Derby, Derbyshire.34