Major-General Frederick Cotton
(1807-1901)
19 March 1861

Volume 2, page 336, sitting number 2634.

Frederick Conyers Cotton, formerly of the Madras Infantry, appears on the 1861 census, a retired Major-General living at Ealing Green with his wife Mary (born in India) and one servant.

Major-General Frederick Conyers Cotton died, aged 94, on 12 October 1901 in London.

According to a brief obituary in the Globe (15 October 1901): 'A younger brother of the late Field-Marshal Sir Sydney Cotton and of the late General Sir A. Cotton has just passed away in the person of Major-General Frederick Conyers Cotton, he being the last of the members of the family who rendered splendid service to the State. He was born in 1807, and entered the Madras Engineers at an early age, and after spending some years in the Public Works Department, was employed as commanding engineer during the first war with China. The records of the war show the distinguished part he played, and it was on the recommendation of Sir Hugh Gough that he received a brevit majority. He retired from the service over forty years ago, and was granted a good service pension.'

His obituary in Clifton Society (17 October 1901) referred to 'his great services in India as an irrigation engineer. [...] Only a few months ago, when close upon his 94th year, he published an interesting pamphlet on this subject. About a fortnight ago he spent a few days in a country house, where he struck every one who met him with his wonderful powers of memory and keen love of nature. He was then apparently in excellent health, but on the 10th of this month he had a sudden attack of illness, which terminated fatally on the 12th.'