Editing Cotton library (section)

{{Short description|Collection of manuscripts held by the British Library}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:LindisfarneFol27rIncipitMatt.jpg|thumb|The [[Lindisfarne Gospels]] are one example of the valuable and prestigious works collected by Sir Robert Cotton. They are now in the [[British Library]].]]
The '''Cotton''' or '''Cottonian library''' is a collection of manuscripts that came into the hands of the [[antiquarian]] and [[Bibliophilia|bibliophile]] Sir [[Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington|Robert Bruce Cotton]] MP (1571–1631). The collection of books and materials Sir Robert held was one of the three "foundation collections" of the [[British Museum]] in 1753. It is now one of the major collections of the Department of Manuscripts of the [[British Library]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/manuscripts/cottonmss/cottonmss.html|title=Cotton Manuscripts|website=British Library|access-date=2016-03-02|archive-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912081329/http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/manuscripts/cottonmss/cottonmss.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Cotton was of a [[Shropshire]] family<ref>{{Cite web |title=COTTON, Rowland (1581-1634), of Crooked Lane, London; later of Alkington Hall, Whitchurch and Bellaport Hall, Norton-in-Hales, Salop {{!}} History of Parliament Online |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/cotton-rowland-1581-1634 |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org}}</ref> who originated near [[Wem]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The (Almost) Complete Cotton Family Tree |url=http://www.combermere-restoration.co.uk/1500s-to-present-day/ |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Combermere Abbey |language=en-US}}</ref> and were based in [[Alkington, Shropshire|Alkington]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=COTTON, Rowland (1581-1634), of Crooked Lane, London; later of Alkington Hall, Whitchurch and Bellaport Hall, Norton-in-Hales, Salop {{!}} History of Parliament Online |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/cotton-rowland-1581-1634 |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org}}</ref> and employed by the [[Geneva Bible]] publisher, statesman and [[polymath]] [[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]] in the mid 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=nortoninhales |date=2017-06-02 |title=History of Norton Parish |url=https://www.nortoninhales.org/single-post/2017/06/01/history-of-norton-parish |access-date=2023-11-01 |website=nortoninhales |language=en}}</ref>

After the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], many priceless and ancient manuscripts that had belonged to the monastic libraries began to be disseminated among various owners, many of whom were unaware of the cultural value of the manuscripts. Cotton's skill lay in finding, purchasing and preserving these ancient documents. The leading scholars of the era, including [[Francis Bacon]], [[Walter Raleigh]], and [[James Ussher]], came to use Sir Robert's library. [[Richard James (scholar)|Richard James]] acted as his librarian.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/livesjohnselden01aikigoog|title=The Lives of John Selden, Esq., and Archbishop Usher|last=Aikin|first=John|publisher=Mathews and Leigh|year=1812|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/livesjohnselden01aikigoog/page/n401 375]|author-link=John Aikin}}</ref> The library is of special importance for having preserved the only copy of several works, including ''[[Beowulf]]'', ''[[The Battle of Maldon]]'', and ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]''.<ref name=":0" />

In 1731 the collection was badly damaged by a fire in which 13 manuscripts were completely destroyed, and some 200 seriously damaged. The most important Anglo-Saxon manuscripts had already been copied; the original text of ''[[The Battle of Maldon]]'' was completely burned.