William Cotton (bishop)

William Cotton (died 1621) was an English bishop.

Life

William Cotton was brought up in Finchley, Middlesex.^[1] He graduated M.A. at Queens' College, Cambridge in 1575.^[2] He became Bishop of Exeter in 1598.^[3]

He was confrontational in his relationship with the Puritans of his diocese. He took rooted objection to the nomination as Bodley lecturer of John Hazard.^[4] Cotton suspected Hazard of “false doctrine”, of intrusion into congregations that already had preachers, and association with the seventh-day Sabbatarian John Traske, which Hazard denied; George Abbot as Archbishop of Canterbury had licensed Hazard to preach, but Cotton was not satisfied with that.^[5]^[6]

Notes

^ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22508
^ Cotton, William in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
^ Concise Dictionary of National Biography
^ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=67120
^ Christopher Hill, Society and Puritanism in Pre-Revolutionary England (1969 edition), p. 102.
^ http://users.rcn.com/rwtrask/jtraske.htm

Church of England titles
Preceded by Gervase Babington	Bishop of Exeter 1598–1621	Succeeded by Valentine Carey

Persondata
Name	Cotton, William
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1621
Place of death