George Edward Lynch Cotton

Infobox bishopbiog
name =George Edward Lynch Cotton


image_size = 100px
caption = Bishop Cotton
religion =Church of England
See =Calcutta
Title = Bishop of Calcutta
Period = 1858–1866
Predecessor =
Successor =
ordination =
bishops =
post =
date of birth = birth date|1813|10|29
place of birth = Chester, England
date of death =death date and age|1866|10|6|1813|10|29
place of death =Kushtea, IndiaAnglican Portal

George Edward Lynch Cotton (October 29, 1813–October 6, 1866) was an English and educator and churchman, renowned for his connections with British India and the public school system and figures as "the young master" in "Tom Brown's Schooldays". Fact|date=June 2008

Life in England

He was born at Chester. He received his education at Westminster School, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. Here he joined the Low Church party, and was a close friend of several disciples of Thomas Arnold, including CJ Vaughan and WJ Conybeare. Arnold's influence determined the character and course of Cotton's life.

He graduated B.A. in 1836, and became an assistant master at Rugby School. He became master of the fifth form in about 1840. In 1852 he accepted the appointment of headmaster at Marlborough College.

India

In 1858 Cotton was offered the office of the Bishop of Calcutta, which, after much hesitation, he accepted. The government of India had just been transferred from the British East India Company to the crown, and questions of education were eagerly discussed, following Macaulay's famous minute.

Cotton established schools for British and Eurasian children. The Bishop Cotton Schools in Bangalore and Shimla bear his name; he founded many other schools in India, including St. James' School in Calcutta and Cathedral and John Connon in Bombay.

On October 6, 1866, he had consecrated a cemetery at Kushtea on the Ganges, and was crossing a plank leading from the bank to the steamer when he slipped and fell into the river. He was carried away by the current and never seen again.

A memoir of his life with selections from his journals and correspondence, edited by his widow, was published in 1871.s-ttl|title=Bishop of Calcutta
years=1858–1866

References

*1911