Frank Roberts' 'History of Sedgley Park and Cotton College' , edited & completed by Neil Henshaw , is the definitive resource for those interested in the origin & life of the Midlands' most important Junior Seminary. Cotton College was described by a boy in the early sixties as "...the most remarkable place in England...". The school had been up and running in a remote part of Stafforshire since 1873. It had produced a thousand clergy for the Catholic Church throughout England , including Archbishops , Bishops , Canons and Priests. Innumerable Catholic Gentlemen went through its corridors. In 1987 , the Archdiocese closed Cotton College forever. The year 2006 sees a derelict site ready for redevelopment.
Canon Buscot's History of the School was written with the permission of his superiors. The tone and substance of his book reflects that. Though a fantastic book , one that is a 'must read' for all Old Cottonians , I have mainly turned to Frank Roberts' History , which tells the full and (almost) unexpunged account of the ups and downs of the College. There were plenty of both. Completed in appropriate style by Neil Henshaw , I have 'cogged' unashamedly from it in order to relay the History of my old school for internet visitors.
www.cottoncollege.co.uk should be the first port of call for any OCs - Dave 'Tug' Wilson's site has brought together old boys and old girls , priests , families , friends and most of all - memories. It has given a massive boost to the St. Wilfred's and Parkers Association. With the click of the mouse , OCs can now email each other. I have been in contact with old form mates I had not seen since the day I left Cotton in 1974. Many OCs retain a massive interest in the old place , hungry for news , and can often be seen referring back to their Cottonian magazines and the Directory of the Midlands Diocese for information on former collegues , teachers and friends. An Annual Golf Tournament at Whiston also helps keep Cotton alive. Tug's site brings together photographs , scans of documents , photos of teachers & pupils , a message board , news & views , and a chat room. Totally superb.
On the right hand side of this screen are various pages relating to aspects of Cotton College. There is a feature on the Presidents / Headmasters, as well as a Teachers page - both these pages have lots of photos. There is a History page that describes some famous Old Boys. Also , as I love lists , I have done a page on the 1881 , 1891 and 1901 Census Returns for Cotton ( thanks to Ian Beech and Wendy Barlow for letting me use their archives) - a lot of interesting characters are noted - and also a Cotton at War page which includes a list of casualties and other Boys who served in His Majesty's Forces in WW1 & WW2. Cotton Life is a page that details some of the memories of the place , including my own. Please email me any of your memories that you would like added.
For a bit of fun , I created a Cotton Visit storyboard whch includes some photos and film I took of a recent pilgrimage to the old place , now sadly lying in ruins.
Also , check out Cotton TV! Youtube & Putfile are fantastic fun , and I do love making films of things that interest me.
Finally we have a Guestbook which I hope you will sign.
I hope you enjoy your look around. I am trying to keep the site updated and am adding extra info all the time as it comes in. If you wish me to add something , please do not hesitate to contact me at:
Glynnpeters@aol.com
Enjoy the free snow. We did , all year round!
Post Script: Think you had it hard at Cotton College? Check out the Sedgley Park Web Site!
http://www.freewebs.com/sedgleypark/
