| ![Show Contents]() Cottam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestry of the name Cottam dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in one of a number of similarly named settlements throughout England. Coton is found in Cambridgeshire, while Cotton was in Cheshire. There are places called Coatham in Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire. Cotham is in Nottinghamshire. Settlements named Cottam exist in both Nottinghamshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. All of these names stem from the Old English phrase æt cotum, which means at the cottages. Thus, the surname Cottam belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. Early Origins of the Cottam familyThe surname Cottam was first found in Huntingdonshire where the Cotton spelling is listed in the Domesday Book as resident of the Toseland hundred, in the land of the Bishop of Lincoln. 1 They were traditional Lords of the manor of Connington. The Coton spelling boasts no fewer than seven listing in the Domesday Book in various counties. The first record of the name was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where Robert de Cottone was listed in Cambridgeshire. The same rolls also listed Richard de Cottoune in the same shire, Ralph de Cotun in Northumberland and Richard de Cotton in Norfolk. 2 John Cotton (12th cent.?), "is the author of a valuable treatise on music, first printed by Gerbert in 1784. Of this work there are two manuscripts at Vienna, and one each at Leipzig, Paris, Rome, and Antwerp. A sixth, from which Gerbert printed his edition, was destroyed in the fire at St. Blasien in 1768. " 3 Bartholomew de Cotton (d. 1298?), was an English "historian, a monk of Norwich, and probably a native of Cotton in Suffolk, but nothing is known of his life. " 3 The parish of Denton in Huntingdonshire was the family seat of the family in later years. "The church [of Denton] was partly rebuilt about 1665, by Sir John Cotton. Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, whose manuscripts are now in the British Museum, was born here in 1570." 4 Over in Steeple Gidding another record of the family was found. "Here was a large mansion, the residence of the Cotton family; the avenue to it still remains, and some of the existing cottages are built of the materials which formed the stables." 4 Early History of the Cottam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cottam research. Another 219 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1570, 1582, 1585, 1594, 1598, 1621, 1630, 1631, 1633, 1635, 1644, 1652, 1661, 1662, 1679, 1681, 1687, 1689, 1695, 1701, 1702, 1712, 1717, 1748 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Cottam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cottam Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Cottam have been found, including Cotton, Coton, Cotten, Coten, Cottan, Kotton, Kotten, Koten, Kottan, Cottun, Cotun, Kotun, Kottun, Cottune, Cotune, Cottane, Cottain, Kottain, Kottaun, Cottaun, Kuttune, Cottone, Cottaune and many more. Early Notables of the Cottam familyDistinguished members of the family include - Blessed Thomas Cottam (1549-1582), English Catholic priest and martyr
 Migration of the Cottam family to Ireland
Some of the Cottam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Cottam migration to the United States | + |
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Cottam, or a variant listed above:
Cottam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Edward Cottam, who landed in Maryland in 1637 5
| Cottam migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Cottam Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century- N E Cottam, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
| Cottam migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Cottam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Bartholomew Cottam, (b. 1822), aged 20, British Convict who was convicted in Preston, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1908 6
- John Cottam, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Cheapside" 7
- Henry Cottam, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 8
| Contemporary Notables of the name Cottam (post 1700) | + |
- Howard Rex Cottam (1910-1984), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, 1963 9
- Gilbert Geoffrey Cottam (b. 1873), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Dakota, 1924 9
- Barbara Cottam, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island, 1996 9
- Francis Cottam (1900-1987), English cricketer
- Robert "Bob" Michael Henry Cottam (b. 1944), former English cricketer
- Major-General Nicholas Jeremy Cottam CB, OBE (b. 1951), British Army officer, Military Secretary
- John Thomas Cottam (1867-1897), Australian cricketer
| Historic Events for the Cottam family | + |
- Harold Thomas Cottam (1891-1984), English wireless operator serving on the RMS Carpathia who heard the SOS from the sinking RMS Titanic 10
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: In utraque fortuna paratus
Motto Translation: Prepared for either good or bad fortune.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CHEAPSIDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cheapside.htm
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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Cottam migration to the United States 
Cottam migration to Canada 
Cottam migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
