Biography of Admiral Arthur Herbert 1st Earl Torrington 1648-1716

Combermere Papers. 1689. When Sir Thomas Cotton [aged 17] reached the age of seventeen his father [aged 53] received a most extraordinary proposal from Admiral Sir George Herbert [aged 41] [Note. George a mistake for Arthur?] afterwards Lord Torrington which he seems to have accepted without the slightest misgiving as to its morality. George was uncle and guardian to Philadelphia [aged 13] daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Lynch twice Governor and Captain General of Jamaica who had died possessed of large estates in the West Indies a share in which Sir George coveted He therefore agreed to marry his ward though only thirteen years old to young Thomas Cotton on condition that his consent was purchased by a portion of the property. The marriage actually took place and the terms were duly carried out. Eventually Thomas though only a fourth son succeeded through the death of his elder brothers to the title and estates but did not enjoy them long dying in 1715 after only a three years tenure. His widow shortly afterwards married a Mr King on whom she bestowed the whole of her large fortune to the entire exclusion of her nine sons and six daughters. In the parish register of Wrenbury Church [Map] near Combermere the birth of a young King is recorded who soon after was christened there by the name of Cotton a novel compliment to the memory of the lady's first husband. Sir Thomas Lady Cotton survived her second partner for some years and lived at East Hyde a fine place in Hertfordshire where her four magnificent horses were the objects of great attention to her little niece Hester Salusbury afterwards Mrs Piozzi. The stately old lady was in the habit of driving about in the neigh bourhood of her country place in a ponderous anti quated coach drawn by four black horses as solemnly grand as herself The animals were the delight of her little niece who in her autobiography thus fondly alludes to them:

At East Hyde I learned to love horses and when my mother hoped I was gaining health by the fresh air I was kicking my heels in a corn bin and learning to drive of the old coachman who like everybody else small and great delighted in taking me for a pupil. Grandmamma kept four great ramping war horses chevaux entiers for her carriage with immense long manes and tails which we buckled and combed and when after long practice I showed her and my mother how two of them poor Colonel and Peacock would lick my hand for a lump of sugar or fine white bread much were they amazed and more when my skill in guiding them round the court yard on the break could no longer be doubted or denied though strictly prohibited for the future.