Robert Cotton 1571-1631

Sir Robert COTTON, 1st bart 1571-1631

Biographical Note

Of Conington, Huntingdonshire; MP and antiquary.

Books

Best known as the outstanding manuscripts collector of his generation, but also had a significant library of printed books. The library remained in the custody of his descendants for several generations, and was a valued historical resource; it was sold to the nation after the death of Sir John, the 3rd bart, in 1701 and ultimately became a foundation collection of the British Museum/Library.

Sources

• Hall, T. Sir Robert Bruce Cotton in W. Baker (ed), Pre-19th century British book collectors, 1999, 57-69.
• Handley, Stuart. "Cotton, Sir Robert Bruce, first baronet (1571–1631), antiquary and politician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Hoare, P. (gen.ed.), The Cambridge history of libraries in Britain and Ireland. 3 vols. Cambridge, 2006, I 550-7.
• Sharpe, K. Sir Robert Cotton, 1586-1631, Oxford, 1979.
• Tite, C. The manuscript library of Sir Robert Cotton, London, 1994.
• Tite, C. The printed books of the Cotton family and their dispersal, in G. Mandelbrote and B. Taylor (eds), Libraries within the library, 2009, 43-75.
• Wright, C. (ed), Sir Robert Cotton as a collector, 1997.