| Code | P/0015 |
| Dates | 1571-1631 |
| Person Name | Cotton; Sir; Robert Bruce (1571-1631); 1st Baronet; of Conington |
| Surname | Cotton |
| Forenames | Robert Bruce |
| PreTitle | Sir |
| Title | 1st Baronet |
| Epithet | of Conington |
| Activity | Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, 1st Baronet was a large landowner in Huntingdonshire who expanded his family's lands considerably and rebuilt his seat at Conington Castle. His passion was clearly antiquities however and in addition to amassing a huge collection of manuscripts he researched the history of Huntingdonshire and took a trip to Hadrian's Wall in 1600 where he copied inscriptions. Much of his life was taken up by administering the Cotton Library, and he had a role as a finder of precedents for parliament, as well as being a member of the body himself a number of times. He was also a courtier, rising and falling in favour with the monarchs a number of times and constantly requiring a patron to maintain his position. He frequently used his knowledge to present proposals that helped King James and King Charles, while at other times being accused of writing seditious pamphlets. It is clear that these monarchs saw his intelligence as an asset but knew that the knowledge he collected could also be a threat to him. In his personal life, Cotton had a slightly scandalous reputation. Though there is no mention in his own papers, other sources attest that he had a possibly irregular marriage with Frideswide Faunt before he wed Elizabeth Brocas in 1593. Elizabeth was an heiress who brought him significant funds, and bore his son Thomas, who would become 2nd Baronet (1594-1662) however they had a tumultuous relationship and lived separately for possibly over a decade, though eventually they reconciled. In this time, Robert lived with the widowed Lady Hunsdon, who may have been his lover for a number of years. |
| Relationships | Father: Thomas Cotton (1544-1592)
Mother: Elizabeth Shirley (c.1540-1579) daughter of Francis Shirley of Staunton Harold, Leicestershire
Spouse: (unconfirmed) Frideswide Faunt, daughter of William Faunt of Foston, Leicestershire
Elizabeth Brocas (m.1593) daughter of William Brocas of Theddingworth, Leicestershire
Children: Sir Thomas Cotton, 2nd Baronet (1594-1662) |
| RefNo | Title |
| KCON/3/1/A/10 | Judgement (Inspeximus) |
| KCON/5/12/2 | Report of Jury on Sir Robt. Cotton re. his inclosing of 7 farms in Conington (c.205a.) and converting their use from arable to pasture. |
| KCON/2/4/A/20 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/3/1/E/1 | Bargain and Sale |
| KCON/4/2/16/1-27 | Assessments, Holman Goss Hundred |
| KHAC4/4179 | Robert Cotton's notes on Hunts (copies) |
| KCON/2/4/A/16 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/3/1/A/9 | Royal Grant |
| KCON/3/1/A/13 | Letters Patent Royal Pardon. |
| KCON/3/1/E/3 | Covenant; (Modus for tithes) |
| KCON/4/2/1/1 | Rental Conington. |
| KCON/2/4/A/18 | Quitclaim |
| KPH/17/11 | Conington Church, memorial to Sir Robert Cotton and Bishop's chair. |
| KCON/4/2/1/2 | Rental Conington. Written mostly in the hands of Sir Robt. Cotton and his son Thomas. |
| KCON/2/4/A/11 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/2/4/A/15 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/3/2/A/67 | Final Concord |
| KCON/2/4/A/13 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/2/4/A/5 | Inquisitio Post Mortem |
| KCON/2/4/A/19 | Quitclaim |
| KFIELDEN/F5/3/1 | Survey of Lands and Manor of Glatton and Holme totalling 2125ac taken by John Hausted of Glapthorne, Northants, showing freehold and copyhold tenants and their holdings. (Note, Sir Robert Cotton, Bart, purchased the manor from James I in ???) |
| KCON/2/4/A/14 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/3/15/2 | Judgement of the King's Court at Westminster. Confirmation of the rights of Sir Robert Cotton and Thomas Cotton in the hundred of Norman Cross. |
| KCON/3/1/A/11 | Lease |
| KCON/2/4/A/17 | Quitclaim |
| KCON/2/4/A/6 | Covenant |
| KCON/2/4/A/28 | Settlement (Demise for a Term) |
| KCON/3/1/A/12 | Lease |
| KCON/3/1/E/2 | Letters of Attestation; From Richard, Archbishop of Canterbury, (the See of Lincoln being vacant). |
| K588/F/34 | Pedigree book and cartulary of Cotton family of Conington with ink sketches of achievements and monuments of a knight. |
| K588/F/41 | Pedigree roll of Cottons of Conington, Huntingdonshire, with parallel pedigree of Sir Robert Cotton and Scottish royal family from Bruce to Mary Queen of Scots. |
| KCON/2/4/A/21 | Quitclaim |
| K588/Z/1 | Volume of manuscript historical notes upon Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire parishes by Sir Robert Cotton, baronet, of Conington (Huntingdonshire) [the antiquary]. |
| K588/Z/3 | Volume of antiquarian collections, mainly derived from the Ramsey Abbey Cartulary and Chronicle and from the Thorney Abbey Cartulary [Cotton MS Vit. D.V.; this ms was destroyed in 1731]. |
| KCON/2/4/A/22 | Demise for a Term (and counterpart) |
| KCON/2/4/A/10 | Covenant |
| KCON/2/4/A/27 | Assignment of Trust |
| KCON/2/4/A/25 | Declaration of Trust; Thomas Cotton, Esq., son and heir apparent of Robert Cotton, Kt. and Bart. |
| KCON/2/4/A/40 | Deed to lead Uses of Fine |
| KCON/3/1/A/15 | Agreement |
| KFIELDEN/F3/7/11 | Schedule of deed relating to the Manor of Glatton purchased by Thomas Truman from Sir John Cotton, Bart, commencing with grant from James I, 16 July 9 James I. |
| KCON/4/2/16/48 | Extract from Rent Audit Book of 1603-1612. of Money received in lieu of tithes on 28 Nov. 1603 by Mr. Henry Williamson, parson of Conington, fr. Sir Robert Cotton, Conington. |
| KHP17/6/2 | List of Cotton family monumental inscriptions. |
| KCON/8/1 | Pedigree of the Brus-Cotton family, showing the descent of the lordship of Conington, Hunts, from Waltheof Earl of Huntingdon to whom St. Edward the Confessor gave it after he had banished Turkill the Dane. |
| KCON/3/2/A/58 | Assignment of Term |
| KCON/2/4/A/9 | Declaration |
| KCON/2/4/A/39 | Marriage Settlement; (Marriage of Thomas, son and heir of Sir Robt. Cotton, and Margaret Howard, dau. of Lord Wm. Howard, son of the Duke of Norfolk). |
| KCON/3/2/A/64 | Bargain and Sale |
| KCON/3/2/A/65 | Bond |
| KHAC4/4878 | Glass plate slides of Cromwelliana and Hunts scenes |
| KCON/2/4/A/7 | Gift |
| KCON/2/4/A/8 | Gift |