born Jan. 22, 1571, Denton, Lancashire, Eng.
died May 6, 1631, London?
English antiquarian.
From с 1585 Cotton collected ancient records, manuscripts, books, and coins and welcomed scholars to his library. He entered Parliament in 1601 and was favoured at court until с 1615. His acquisition of so many public documents aroused misgivings, and after he wrote several works criticizing policies of Charles I , his library was sealed in 1629. After his death his son regained possession of the library, and his great-grandson presented it to the nation in 1700. The Cottonian Library's historical documents formed the basis of the manuscript collection of the British Library .