The Presidents
Father Joseph Henry Souter 1873 - 1885
Joseph Henry Souter was Cotton College's first President. Ordained in 1852 , he taught at Oscott College before becoming choir master at St. Chad's Cathedral. He was appointed President on the death of Canon Moore in 1873, so it could be said that Souter was the last President of Sedgley Park and the first of Cotton. Henry Souter was a dapper , neat little man , described by those around him as a perfect gentleman. He was calm but once aroused would 'fly sky high.' Optimistic by nature , it was said that he spent his first night with his head in his hands , such was the chaos around him. Henry was a great preacher and was much in demand around the district. He did all the practical hard work in transferring Sedgley Park to Cotton College , and steadily increased the population of the school. He was well respected and his skills were soon sought elsewhere. In 1885 Souter was appointed Head at Oscott. In 1888 he was appointed a Domestic Prelate to the Pope. But in 1889 New Oscott ceased as a School and became a Seminary. Henry left Oscott to become PP in Kenilworth and then on to Leamington. He retired in 1900 and lived near his sister , who was a nun , down near Newton Abbot before returning to Kenilworth where he passed away in 1911.
See: http://www.stpeterapostle.org/church/HS.php
Dr. John Hawksford 1885-1897
Canon Hawksford was a Parker , the son of Joseph Bowdon's Lawyer. He took up the reins having been Prefect of Studies under Souter. John was a gruff-looking , stout , reserved man who the boys generally feared , mainly because of his looks. He actually had a keen , rather sardonic sense of humour which he let loose on unexpected occasions on unsuspecting targets. He was kindly but no one could ever become familiar with him. He was not that sort of man and I doubt anyone except me has ever referred to him as John. He was known as The Doctor.  He once sent a boy to Polly saying ' Tell her you have been examined by the Doctor and that you are to be given strawberry jam.' Hawksford was totally dedicated to studies.The Doctor though had plans for the school and decided to build a wing , 'Hawksford Wing' , as the school was in need of extra space. Hawksford , though obsessed with study and drove the boys to academic brilliance with his methods and skill, did involve himself in all aspects of other Cotton life. At sports he would sddenly appear and everyone would stop what they were doing and give him a round of applause. At end of term , some boys had to remain in school. He would organise entertainment for the stay behinds , also parties which he would attend , even if he appeared awkward and out of place in the frivolities. John was also a very keen botanist and woodsman. He replanted most of the woodlands chopped down by his predecessor , Joseph Souter. Doctor's Walk is named after him. Hawksford worked with John Harrison , who's family was associated with Cotton College from beginning to end. John Hawksford also pressed a lot of flowers into books , which apparently remain in the Diocese Archives. In 1897 , John was taken ill and on the advice of his doctor , he decided to relinquish his position. He took a few months holiday but then returned to take up a subordinate position at the school. John had always been first and foremost a priest , but almost as important , a teacher. He stayed at Cotton until his death in 1905 at the age of 72 years , taking classes to the last. "A thorough priest and gentleman.." , according to his successor , Fr. Ireland.
Fr. Walter Ireland 1897-1902
A native of Doncaster , Fr. Ireland joined the staff as a lay master in 1873. After two years he was ordained at a seminary in France , he having already undergone some training before a period of doubt over his vocation put paid to his initial intention of becoming a priest. By 1879 he was back at Cotton and between then and becoming president in 1897 , undertook the roles of Vice President , Prefect of Studies and Prefect of Discipline. Walter Ireland was a big man , bigger even than Hawksford.  Walter was committed to tradition and he sensed change in the way Cotton was being looked at by the Diocese and he didn't like it. On his appointment he stated that there would be no break with tradition . Why should things change? After Stonyhurst , Cotton was scoring the highest success in the Oxford Locals examinations. Ireland was very keen on handwriting and entered Cotton in the Imperial Competition in Upright Penmanship. Ireland was keen on 'Jackson's Upright' as a form of handwriting - again successful as Cotton was actually named by the organisers in the end of competition report. Bizarrely , Walter Ireland had atrocious handwriting. Things were going well but then one day he fell out with the Bishop. Bishop Illsley , a Parker , wanted the senior (and therefore the best ) students to leave Cotton early & go to the English College at Valladolid. The loss of these best students would send Cotton plummetting down the league tables , putting potential parents off sending their boys to Wilfs! Ireland was livid and I'm afraid he had a mouth on him , and let the Bishop know he was unhappy at being let down personally by this. Illsley noted Ireland's lack of respect but let it pass. The order stood , however. School life carried on. The first choir outing took place in 1899 , probably to Dovedale , so we have Fr. Ireland to thank for all the great days clambering up and down Peveril of the Peak. In 1900 two staff left , one being old boy Fr. James Dey , Prefect of Studies. Dey had not much time for his President . They obviously had history . Dey later became a Bishop and wrote later that Walter Ireland was totally unsuitable " ... as a priest or as President..." . Ouch. Ireland took over the role vacated by Dey. He now had three jobs , President , Procurator and Prefect of Studies. By this time Walter was not a well man and the stress began to tell. In 1900 the Church was consecrated , with Old Boy Elphege Pippet designing the temporary altar. Temporary , unfortunately , because it was deemed unliturgical. Pippet and all his family were superb artists , and were great servants to the Church in the Midlands.They all had strange artistic Christian names to go with their talent. In 1901 , Walter Ireland had another falling out with the Bishop. Some of his teaching staff had told the Bishop that Ireland ' lacked sympathy and regard to their comfort.' Ireland basically laughed the accusation off in front of Illsley. The Bishop had now already decided on a change of Head. Illsley was always slow to act. But by December of that year , Ireland had read the runes and tended his resignation in a letter that , unfortunately , was never posted. The small boy entrusted with the deed forgot to post it and on remembering some days later , destroyed the missive. As far as Ireland was concerned , Illsley had never acknowledged the letter - in fact he believed that Illsley had personally snubbed him. Ireland had an ego as big as his frame. The next year , 1902 , saw the Bishop visiting Cotton. He told Ireland that he was appointing Fr.Dey , Ireland's arch enemy , as Prefect of Studies. Ireland was outraged and refused to accept this decision. Walter had now taken a step too far and had questioned Illsley's authority. The Bishop now immediately asked Ireland to quit his position as President. Walter packed his stuff and took a short holiday in France. As far as he was concerned it was a holiday only. He would be back or so he thought , but it was announced that Dr. Hopwood was replacing him. Walter knew his time was up at Cotton. He had many friends who thought he was hard done by and who made mischief with the Bishop for the new appointed President. Walter himself remained awkward. In his defence , he genuinely believed the new incumbent would destroy everything that had been achieved since the move from Sedgley. Illsley appointed him PP at Handsworth ( this had great repercussions) , Burton and Tamworth before his death in 1907. When he died , Walter was buried at Cotton , next to his good friend Dr. Hawksford in the Churchyard.
Father John Hopwood D.D. 1902-03
John Hopwood was born in 1859 and was one of the first boys to come to the school as a student in 1873. After ordination , John was teaching at Oscott from 1882 until 1902 , apart from a year in Selly Park. After his problems with Walter Ireland , the Bishop , Edward Ilsley was happy to let Hopwood pick his own Staff. The condition was that Fr. Dey was to be Headmaster to Hopwood's President. We don't know Ilsley reason for this but it may be that he thought by appointing Dey it would keep Fr. Ireland away. There were now two seperate positions and Hopwood & Dey were firm friends , who worked well together. Ireland had run an austere ship.  Dr. Hopwood wanted to change that. Hopwood wanted money to spend on upgrading the school , bringing it into the new century , and was delighted to received £1000 from the Bishop. He thought it was a gift but was stunned to learn later that it was only a loan , though interest free. Suddenly things began to go wrong for John. He sensed that he was not actually getting the support from the Bishop that he had hoped for. John Hopwood ( who is seated on the right of James Dey in this photograph) began his alterations and upgrading of buildings and fittings with his £1000. New ways of teaching were also introduced - modern ways. He introduced monitors , something non-Catholic public schools had had for donkeys years but had been resisted in RC establishments. Ireland and his friends heard of these changes. Murmurings in the diocese and complaints about the amount of money being spent were heard. Criticisms were publicly printed and Hopwood was openly slated in the Diocean Yearbook by a close friend of Ireland's , Canon Glancey. Illsley slapped Glancey down , but the damage was done. Hopwood and his team were now targets for anyone against creeping modernisation. Hopwood had gathered around him priests and laity in his own likeness - young , bright new things with modern ideas. Hopwood also now had Fr. Walter Ireland back on his doorstep. He had received a letter written by Bishop Ilsley that he was told to show Ireland should he ever return. The letter stated that Hopwood was the President , end of. After seemingly taking it well , Ireland left but made it his business to make life awkward for Hopwood , especially in matters financial. Hopwood asked the Bishop to tell Ireland to 'back off.' Illsley hummed and ah-ed and did nothing. Illsley seemed motionless to act , whether intimidated by the strong will of Ireland and his friends or with troubles elsewhere. Hopwood begged Illsley to make Ireland relinquish his trusteeship of the bank account, and it took months before Ireland wrote to the bank asking them to remove his name for writing cheques. During that time , Hopwood had little money to spend on the running of the school as Ireland refused to sign cheques he did not agree with. With little or no support now coming from Bishop Illsley , who Hopwood felt was being influenced by his opponents , the final straw came when Ireland was appointed PP of Handsworth , Hopwood's home Parish. It would be totally impossible for Hopwood to fraternize with Ireland during holidays or visits home after all that had happened between then. Hopwood asked Illsley not to appoint Ireland to Handsworth but the Bishop refused to budge. Hopwood then handed in his resignation , effective immediate unless the appointment was rescinded. Ireland's friends made mischief and told the Bishop that this was an ultimatum and a threat to his authority. The Bishop then received the resignations of all the Priests on the staff of Cotton, effective on Hopwood's resignation being accepted. Hopwood's fellow priests had supported him throughout the year and were willing to go with him if he was to leave. Fr. Dey in particular was a key figure throughout this episode and the history between Dey & Ireland possibly exacerbated matters. Illsley decided a clean break was needed. All of the resignations were accepted and Bishop Illsley pursuaded John to stay on until the end of the school year. Glancey objected and said that Hopwood would let the School slide. Dr. Hawksford , still teaching at the School , jumped in at this point and was vehement in the defence of Hopwood running the school to the best of his ability until his departure at year's end. It was the only intervention that Hawksford made during the whole episode. On 23rd July , Father Hymers arrived to take over from Dr. Hopwood. John Hopwood left Cotton College and was appointed PP of SS. Peter and Paul , Wolverhampton. He died in 1913. His brother burnt all documentation regarding his year as President of Cotton College.
Canon Edward Bewick Hymers 1903-1922
Edward was born at Glossop in 1856. There were three brothers , he being the middle one , all Parkers and all Priests. Hymers completed his studies after Sedgley in Douai and was ordained by Bishop Ullathorne in 1879. His first years as a Priest were as PP in St. Cath's , Birmingham , Selly Park , Walsall and finally Wolverhampton. Edward was a strong muscular man with a ruddy face , a snubby nose and fearsome eyebrows. He wore gold rimmed spectacles but had a surprisingly light voice. His nickname was 'Pix' -short for Pick-axe which he used to chop down trees. His Presidency began in 1903 and he was regarded as a safe pair of hands. His reign got off to a bad start. He got rid of Fr. Thomas Leighton Williams , the most academically qualified Master on the staff. His fellow Masters didn't like the way he taught and Hymers asked him to leave. Next , a complaint arrived from Oscott - one of the Old Cottonians had been found smoking during 'Retreat'. The boy said that smoking during 'Retreat' had been allowed at Cotton. It was all put down to Dr. Hopwood's lenient Presidency and everyone went away happy. From that day , though , boys smoking at Cotton was deemed a 'cardinal sin' . The first ten years of Edward's Presidency was described by Canon Buscot as one that "...opened in an atmosphere of disappointed hopes.." Things were still not going too well at Cotton. Buscot wrote his History with permission from his superiors so he basically painted a pretty picture - even the Hopwood affair was rather glossed over. So what Canon Buscot meant by that is pretty much uncertain today but fairly obvious at the time. Cotton College life lurched along with hardly much support , Old Parkers in particular not getting involved in fund raising which they were expected to embrace as in years past. Hymers was not too good with balancing the books either. Academically too , students were suffering. Cotton had some excellent teachers but the whole place had a feel of being ignored. After Hopwood , Hymers probably expected all the moaners , now they had won their battle , to get behind the new man. After all , he offered them what they had asked for - the status quo. Then a change occured. What suddenly seemed to glue everone together was the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the school at Sedgley.  Here was an opportunity to get everyone working as a team. Old Parkers had become distrustful of Cotton in recent years, as they felt the School was breaking with tradition at every available opportunity. We are about talking men - influential people , priests , Canons , business men - who had gone through the hardship of Sedgley ( which made Cotton seem like a holiday camp for the pampered.) These people were in the position to make or break Cotton. But the 150th anniversary did more for morale of everyone connected at whatever level at a difficult time than any other piece of P.R. before or since. The Catholic Media , which was very important in those days , as well as local big wigs in the Church attended the celebrations. Archbishop Illsley said Holy Mass , it was a great week of rejoicing. The picture above shows Hymers to the left of Illsley. Illsley appears very jolly. His role in the ups and downs of Cotton cannot be underestimated. By 1913 , Hymers had slowly but surely guided the school along if rather unspectacularly - but it had at least survived. Bishop Illsley asked if he would be happy to accept Fr. Williams back onto the staff. Hymers wrote saying he had no problem himself with Williams but he feared the other members of staff would not accept his re-appointment. The second part of Hymers reign now began , and it was the time of The Great War. Again , Hymers not only held it all together - Masters were off to the front , boys were jacking in their vocations to join up , old boys were being posted as killed in action - but also provided a steadying influence , rather like Mister Chips in the film Goodbye Mister Chips. The post war period brought change socially throughout England and by 1922 Hymers was seen as old style and had to be replaced. Unfortunately no one had the guts to tell him face to face and he resigned under some cloud with regard to lack of renovation and care of the buildings. The powers accused him of not spending enough money! In fact , though Edward was particularly bad with money - he didnt quite understand it and the rules and regulations that the diocese placed upon him were probably designed to force him out - he never had a lot of it to lose. The Diocese sent some people around to inspect the buildings , tutting as they went , pointing at the degenerative state of certain parts of the College. Edward took the hint and tendered his resignation that was accepted instantly. Edward Hymers left in November 1922 , when the boys lined up to wave him off. Hymers must have had a funny look on his face when he realised that the man replacing him was none other than Fr. Thomas Leighton Williams.
Edward is buried in Ashburton Roman Catholic Cemetery. His inscription reads:
"Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of the very Reverend Edward Bewick Provost Hymers of the Archdiocese of Birmingham who died at Gosforth Newcastle
on Tyne on May 13th 1938 aged 81 years. He was for 19 years president of Cotton College Stoke on Trent and for 16 years rector of the Catholic Church, Sedgley
Staffordshire. May he rest in peace."
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The Headmasters
Thomas Leighton Williams M.A. 1922-1929
Cotton College's first true Headmaster was appointed to succeed Edward Hymers in 1922. Thomas Williams appointment was in order to modernise the school , bring it once and for all into the 20th Century. Hopwood had tried and failed , but now the time was right. The old prejudices from Parkers who were intolerable of change had eased and there was a definate movement post-war to embrace a new way of life. Whereas Hopwood was now perceived as a maverick , a man too far ahead of his time who had surrounded himself with new young blood in his own image, Thomas Williams had come out of the old syst em but brought with him vitality & new life and ideas. The versatile Williams ( left) immediately decided to change the Douai system of study to the Oxford & Cambridge Joint Board system. He also greatly improved the Libraries and also the sanitation of the school. He was a man of vast experience of leadership. After one term teaching at Cotton in 1903 - he had been forced out by Hymers in that year after other Masters complained of his teaching techniques - he was made Curate in Hanley. In 1905 he joined the staff of St. Edmunds , Ware. In 1909 he was appointed Master of St. Edmund's House , Cambridge. By 1916 , he was Army Chaplain but stayed in Cambridge , serving abroad in the Rhine Army in 1919 until demob in 1920. He then became head of St. Charles' House , Oxford. It must have been slightly annoying for Hymers to be replaced by the man he had discarded so early in his Presidency - though to be fair to Edward Hymers , he had been quite prepared for Williams to return but thought the other Masters would not stand for it. Thomas was a tall elegant figure , with iron grey hair , slightly thinning , and bushy eyebrows. His first duty was to secure proper funding for the school. He called on the Vicar General , one Mgr. Glancey , Fr, Ireland's friend , for his support. Glancey proved himself a good friend to Cotton - as did James Dey who was appointed Bishop in later years. Money was more forthcoming as the atmosphere between Birmingham and Cotton was warming. He made £8,000 of repairs and renovations which were paid for upfront by the Diocese in a loan. Williams introduced blacks and greys for Sundays and Feast Days so that boys would be smart "...at least one a week...". He abolished the title 'President' , thereby becoming the first Headmaster ( though James Dey may be entitled to that honour as he was appointed by Ilsley as Headmaster under Dr. Hopwood). Williams also did away with the title 'Public Man' , replacing it with Captain of the School. This proved unpopular but the title Public Man eventually returned under a future Headmaster (Mgr. Doran) . He also standardised the name of the school as Cotton College. It had previously been referred to as either St. Wilfrid's College or Cotton. In 1923 Cotton College already had the house system - namely Hawksford and Souter Houses. By 1924 there were four houses , Pugin , Newman , Faber and Souter. There were not enough boys to occupy four houses ( it being especially difficult to create a decent House Rugger team) . Therefore in 1929 , the two Houses of Milner and Bowdon were instigated - Challoner House would be created in 1930. In 1927 famous Master , Mr. Leslie Warner , joined the staff and began his long association with the school. On June 27th 1929 the Prefect of Studies came into the study place during evening prep and announced that the Pope had appointed Father Williams to be Archbishop of Birmingham. There was great rejoicing and though not one for Holidays , Williams issued one. On his appointment he had said to the boys on the Lower Bounds steps that there were too many Holidays. One of his final tasks was to present prizes at Speech Day. It was a great honour for the school to have their Headmaster appointed as the Arch.. Cotton College had lost an excellent Headmaster , but the Diocese had gained a great Archbishop. Thomas Leighton Williams went on to make a superb name for himself and after his tenancy Cotton College grew , definately because of his support. Known at Cotton as 'Our Great Man' , Thomas Leighton Williams died in 1946.
Father Bernard Manion 1929-1941
Archbishop Williams' first job was to appoint his successor and there was no better choice than the youthful ( 38 years of age is youthful ) Bernard Manion , who had been Prefect of Studies and who the boys nicknames Plum. Manion was dapper with a full head of curly hair. He was stern in nature and could be thought of as unfriendly , particularly with his fellow staff members. Manion's most important achievement as Headmaster was the addition of the St. Thomas Junior School , 'Thosses' as it is known by OCs. It is actually dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury who is the patron saint of secular clergy.  This provided an extra 50 dormitory places , a number of Masters rooms , new classrooms , a gymnasium and kitchens. The best feature was a large hall with a superbly equipped stage. Cardinal Bourne , formerly Archbishop of Birmingham , opened it in 1932. House Plays began that year and from this Cotton College produced a number of well respected actors. Though 'Thosses' would help Cotton College become more self sufficient , this being the aim of every President and Headmaster before Manion , debts were incurred and it was decided to create The Cottonian Association , a body to raise funds to pay off the debts. It actually took until 1966 to pay off the debt. The Associaion continued as a fund raiser and was completely seperate to SWAPA. It was also under Manion that Challoner House was instigated , the increase in the population making this possible. The Ref (refectory) was divided into three- Bowdon House eating on the Lower Bounds side , Challoner in the middle and Milner at the top bounds side. In 1935 , Manion had the swimming pools built. Freezing in the summer months and used for skating in winter months , every Cottonian will shudder with the memories of a dip in the pool. In 1937 Bernard Manion was conferred with a Canonry in recognition of his service. During Manion's tenure , Whiskey Roberts was appointed to the staff. In 1940 , with the world at war once again , Canon Buscot completed his history which was priced at ten shillings (I paid £20 - that's inflation). Buscot died in '41. It was in the summer of 1941 Bernard Manion retired from Cotton, leaving 163 boys at the college. He had founded the Reference Library , built the Lower Field Cricket Pav , developed rugger over soccer , improved Top Bounds , established an endowment fund and encouraged the performing arts. After leaving Cotton , he became PP in Dorridge until ill health forced his retirement 26 years later. He died in 1973 and was buried beside the church at Cotton. Cotton flourished and grew under his leadership.T.L. Williams had been a hard act to follow but Manion managed it well.
Father Joseph William Dunne 1941-48
Manion was succeeded by William 'Billy' Dunne.  Dunne took over in the middle of the war and managed to keep the school afloat during this period and through the post war austerity. It seems that every time Cotton is getting on its feet , something comes along to knock it down. The war years were quite austere , with little money being available for non essentials. Despite this , Dunne managed to keep the numbers up - some may have sent their sons to Cotton safe in the knowledge that the Luftwaffe were most unlikely to drop any bombs on such a remote and frankly inhospitable place. Females now made an appearance in numbers for the first time. It was in 1943 that Nuns came to Cotton - Sisters of the Sacred Heart - and stayed at the school for 36 years , cooking , cleaning , sewing and mending. During the wars years , Mr. John Brennan who had a very long association with the College , gave concerts , him being the music teacher for 37 years.. In September 1945 , 171 boys assembled after the summer hols. That winter , Cotton had to endure dreadful weather , and this was followed by Arctic conditions in '47. No outdoor game was played between November and March. During Dunne's spell as Headmaster , Father Piercy was added to the staff. Dunne's friendship with Eric Partridge , ' the last of the great lexicographers ' brought about annual visits to Cotton , as well as the yearly literary Prize named after him. Partridge referred to Dunne as 'Will' which was probably his familiar name. Fr.Dunne retired from Cotton in 1948 and was created an honourary Canon. He became Rector of St. Peter's , Birmingham , then in 1953 was appointed to St. Mary's , Walsall. He was described as a saintly man with a strong temper if roused. But he did have a winning smile and was much less severe than his predecessor. An Old Boy said of him that he was proof that you could be human as well as holy.
Mgr. Wilfrid Doran 1948-67
An Old Cottonian from the 1920's , Wilfrid Doran was appointed to succeed Fr. Billy Dunne. He left Cotton to train for the priesthood at Oscott , and then went to Cambridge before returning to Cotton as a member of staff in 1938. A good administrator ,  Doran possessed other skills. He was a good rugger and cricket coach. He could also produce plays. A young breed of staff were brought in , including Ireland Rugby International player and OC Thomas Gavin. It was Fr. Gavin who founded the '54 society which met for debates , slide shows and talks. During Monsignor Doran's headship , the Fr. Faber Wing was built. Archbishop Grimshaw was a good friend to Cotton and he gave permission for this extension , which gave the college a boost and its biggest population , 225. Doran's aim was 260 pupils. It never happened. The Faber Wing , which connected from Souter Wing , was completed in January 1962. The Faber Wing was paid for by an anonymous donation of £10,000 . In 1961 the tennis courts were laid down , as well as the opening of a new Cricket Pav. 1963 saw the Bicentennial Celebrations , including Mass on the front lawn. Whiskey Roberts , ever the historian , took some Masters off to Betley in 1962 as 1762 was when the very first school was established in that small village , before being transferred in a cart under cover to Sedgley. Also during Doran's rule, Shakespearean plays were fully in vogue , mainly due to the skill of Fr. Vincent Leo Armishaw. From these years at least two old boys became professional actors , Paddy Drury and Paul Ridley and these have worked consistantly from the 1970s up to today. In 1967 , Mgr. Doran stepped down and became PP at St. Anthony's , Oxford. His length of time as headmaster was equalled only by Canon Hymers.
Mgr. Thomas J. Gavin 1967 - 78
Thomas Gavin  was described by Frank Roberts as a man of great strength and energy. He was my Headmaster and I always found him to be a man of utmost respect. He was fit , funny , jolly and fair minded. He actually treated you as both a boy and a growing man. He had his little ways and was obsessive about rugger and seemed to have a loathing for soccer. He would often appear on the Lower Field and show boys how to tackle by going for the legs. A disappoointment to him was the playing of soccer on Top Bounds. He once banned it and came out shouting " You can play football...RUGBY football!" ...and threw a rugger ball at us. It may have had something to do with disaterous rugger results against other schools. Monsignor Gavin brought the school bang up to date , introducing television to the Common Rooms and females to the teaching staff. Foreign students were also encouraged to attend Cotton , and each class soon had students from all parts of the globe. One of my form mates , Pete Perera , of Sri Lanka , was the greatest all round cricketer in Cotton's history. Pete was also the perfect gentleman and a stunning all round sportsman , in hockey and tennis as well as his first love , cricket. During Tom Gavin's early years as Headmaster , new science labs were built. In 1971 a new sports hall was built , opened by Bishop Cleary. The Sports Hall was used for a new sport , Judo. The school was visited by the GB Olympic Judo Team and the sport proved popular with the boys. Bottom Field was developed into an all weather athletics track surrounding a rugby pitch. Sporting facilities at Cotton were now at a very high level. In 1973 we had the Centenary of the move from Sedgley Park to Cotton College. There were many eminent guests from clergy & local dignitaries , and lunch was taken in a Marquee. I remember we had a glass of pale ale with our food. It was a wonderful two days , the first was a beautiful day and we enjoyed access to the front of the school , always off bounds except during retreat. The second day was wet & miserable but the school was still in celebratory mood. Life at Cotton was now changing. The austere structures employed by the clergy were becoming outmoded. Many of the priests who had dedicated decades of their lives to Cotton were moved into parishes , with lay teachers taking their places.Some were OCs such as Mr. Pierre Castille (Science) and Mr. Paul Tubb ( Maths). I am thinking of Frs. Armishaw , Grady , Piercy , Sankey , Keniry , Sims and Stewart who left after the mid 1970s. All were Old Boys and Cotton men blood & bone. Father Dominic Round was added to the staff. Fr. Pargeter remained as PP. By 1977 the Nuns also had left , and in 1978 Monsignor Gavin brought his own 35 year association with Cotton to a close. Tom Gavin moved to his native Coventry. In later years he organised the Papal Mass during John Paul II's visit to the Midlands. He remains very active in annual reunions.
Father James Austin 1978-83
James Austin was the first Headmaster not to be an old boy since 1897. He was also the first head appointed from outside the school since Thomas Williams in 1922. In 1978 compulsory daily Mass was abolished. Boys now had to get up at 7.20 am instead of the 6.50 am. Saturday Holy Hour between Prep and supper also was done away with. Fr. Austin introduded a minibus , computers and the video casette recorder to Cotton life. Also a Combined Cadet Force was created. Other traditions were also phased out to meet modern life. No more blacks and greys on a Sunday , informality between pupils and staff (and also between different year groups) , less time in ranks - and the decline in caning (also known as flogging or tanning or fishing ( a Sedgley-ism.)) In 1983 after a 5 year Headship , James Austin returned to Manchester , and was described by Bishop Cleary , who presided on Speech Day , as "...a priest first and last..." He was a gentle , genial man , full of kindness.
Dr. R John Hutchings 1983 - 1985
Dr. Hutchings  was Cotton's first lay Headmaster. Previously Biology Master , his wife , Mrs. Margaret Hutchings also joined the teaching staff. His mission was to raise the number of pupils , and to reform the school. A lot of reform had already taken place and the writing was basically on the wall. Dr, Hutchings completely altered the dormitories , neatly partitioning off rooms so that no boy had to share with more than five others. Carpets were put on the floors of the bedrooms. The days of huge dormitories were gone forever. The dorms were huge gatherings with no privacy and likely to get rowdy. I remember in 1974 Father Keniry giving a '4' to everyone in Middle Dorm for rowdiness , apart from John Frain who protested his innocence so received a '6' for his honesty. New furniture was also added under Mr. Hutchings' refurbishment. Another massive change was the introduction of girls to the pupil numbers. Father Austin introduced the first girl as a day student in '83 , but John Hutchings carried this policy forward so that soon the number of girls was 13 as boarders. Another cultural change was allowing Sixth Formers to smoke in designated areas. Smoking was acceptable once more - it had been a definate no-no over many years and had caused much distress to those found indulging , this despite most of the Profs puffing away on pipes. There is nothing new under the sun. Dr. Hopwood had allowed it (during retreat ,too , apparently) so Hutchings was in good company. Today smoking is a cardinal sin once more. The final act was the construction of Headmaster's House , built in front of Faber Wing to accomodate future years of family men as Headmaster. It was not to be. Cotton was no longer wanted by the Archdiocese. Cotton had run its course and was earmarked for closure. Cotton College closed its doors in 1987 , after a service of 224 years.
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Created by P.J.Glynn (70-74)
