A Pig in the Pen is worth two in the Book

Vyvian Stapleton Cotton

Vyvian Stapleton Cotton was the only child of Willoughby Lynch Cotton and Rosina Mary Adelaide Jones. She was born in 1889 in Wrenbury, Cheshire when the family were living at The Brooklands. The Cotton family were a minor branch of the Combermere baronetcy family who owned large estates in Cheshire and Shropshire.

Willoughby and Rosina married on 16th May 1888 at St Julian’s, Shrewsbury. Rosina was the daughter of Andrew and Rosina Jones, and had been born in Australia. Andrew died in 1872, leaving his wife to bring up three young daughters, the youngest being born 4 months after his death.

The 1895 Kelly’s Directory shows the family living at The Grove, Whitchurch. This building is no longer standing and has been replaced by a housing estate sharing the same name.

By the time of the 1901 census, the family had moved to Crickett in Ellesmere. At the time of the census, Vyvian was visiting her distant cousin Isabel, wife of Robert Stapleton-Cotton, the 3rd Viscount Combermere at Ethchinghill, Brereton.

From newspaper articles, such as the list of attendees at society balls, it is apparent that the Cottons were regularly moving in the same circles as the Lovetts and so it is perhaps not surprising that the Cottons moved to Weston Rhyn. A report of a meeting of the Rural District Council (Shrewsbury Chronicle 14th October 1904) includes reference to a letter sent to the Council by Mr Willoughby Cotton of Weston Rhyn, concerned that an unfenced reservoir allowed rat to access the water and contaminate the supply.

The Cottons lived in Weston Rhyn until around 1913, when they moved to take up residence at Penybryn Hall, Llangollen. Tragically, early in 1914 Rosina was taken ill and succumbed to heart failure. She was buried on 2nd February 1914 in St John’s graveyard, Llangollen. By June 1914, Willoughby Cotton was advertising household effects for sale with the advertisement stating his intent to leave Penybryn Hall.

In August 1914, Willoughby took up the role of Recruiting Officer for the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, based in Shrewsbury. The 1917 Kelly’s Directory gives his and Vyvian’s address as Waverley, St George’s Street, Shrewsbury. It seems as if not long after moving to Shrewsbury, Vyvian began volunteering with the Red Cross VAD. Her initial posting in January 1915 was to St John’s Auxiliary Military Hospital where she worked as an Assistant Quartermaster, in charge of the provisions store. Vyvian stayed at St John’s Auxiliary Hospital until March 1917. Her next posting was to be the Head Storekeeper/Quartermaster at Prees Heath Military Hospital which she held until August 1917 when Vyvian was redeployed for the final time to Caerynwch Military Hospital, Dolgelly.

Willoughby had remarried in 1916, to Eleanor M Salt, widow of Walter Sutton Salt and daughter of James Henry Sprott, both of whom were Shropshire solicitors. Eleanor also worked as a Red Cross VAD at St John’s Auxiliary Hospital, where she was deployed as a cook and an orderly between 1914 and 1917. From October 1918 Eleanor was employed as a clerk in the Finance department.

In January 1918, Willoughby Cotton died, having developed pneumonia. He was buried with full military honours in Shrewsbury General Cemetery. It looks as if shortly after Willoughby’s death, Eleanor and Vyvian moved to London, living initially at 7 Upper Addison Gardens, before moving to 17 Clarendon Road. By the mid 1920s Vyvian and Eleanor seem to have set up separate households. Eleanor moved to Hookstead House, Kent and died in 1962. Vyvian lived in several addresses in Kensington before moving to Dulverton House, 11 Eaton Crescent, Bristol where she died in 1973.