Margreta (Hill) Cotton (bef. 1592)

Born before 1592 in Cheshire, England [uncertain]

Wife of Thomas Cotton — married 28 Dec 1617 in Eastham, Cheshire, England

Died [date unknown] in Eastham, Cheshire, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jonathon Myers [send private message]

Biography

DISPROVEN:

• Margreta Hill, who married Thomas Cotton, is not the daughter of Jacobi Hill.

• Margreta Hill is not the mother of Susanna, who married William Salisbury of Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony.

Recent research indicates that Margreta Hill, who married Thomas Cotton, is mistakenly thought to be the daughter of Jacobi Hill due to evidence from her baptism and burial records. These records reveal that Margareta Hill was baptized on December 15, 1588, and buried on January 11, 1589, in Bebington, Cheshire, England.^[1] Both records verify that Margreta Hill, who wed Thomas Cotton, is different from Margareta Hill, the daughter of Jacobi Hill, who died in 1589 in Bebington, Cheshire, England, clearly establishing them as separate individuals in close proximity to each other. Bebington, located about 3 miles north of Eastham, is where Margreta Hill married Thomas Cotton on December 28, 1617.^[2] As a result, the parentage of Margareta Hill continues to elude identification.

The average age at first marriage was 25 in the early 17th century, so she would have been born sometime before 1592.

After marrying Thomas Cotton in 1617 in Eastham, Cheshire, England, it becomes challenging to pinpoint the particular Cotton child in the Cheshire registers. The number and names of the children will remain undisclosed unless their wills potentially disclose this information. Their wills may have been stored in the Cheshire archives, necessitating researchers to ascertain their death dates for will identification purposes. Since there are no sources, determining their death dates is challenging, leaving the death date unknown.

After their marriage in Cheshire in 1617, it is uncertain if they moved to other counties in England.

There is no evidence of a relationship between Thomas and Margreta (Hill) Cotton and Susanna, who wed William Salisbury in Massachusetts Bay Colony, as Susanna's maiden name is absent from any 17th-century records of Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony.

The confusion about the relationship between Thomas and Margreta (Hill) Cotton from Eastham and Susanna, who wed William Salisbury, likely arose from a misunderstanding by some earlier researchers in the early 2000s. Their research incorrectly linked Susanna and William Salisbury to Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet of Combermere (1635–1712), son of Thomas Cotton of Combermere (1609–1647), who married Hester Salusbury (c. 1635–1710), the daughter of Sir Thomas Salusbury of Llewenny, Baronet.^[3] Presently, research indicates no relationship between them.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5G4-NRX : 18 September 2020), Margareta Hill, baptized 15 December 1588; buried 11 January 1589, Bebington, Cheshire, England.
2. ↑ "England, Cheshire Parish Registers, 1538-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-XCQ7-MLK?cc=1614792&wc=MJ42-168%3A1042863001 : 20 May 2014), 004019831 > image 906 of 1212; Record Office, Chester. Text: "1617... Decemb. Thomas Cotton et Margreta Hill in Matrimonio coniuncti fuerunt} xxviij°"
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. "Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Combermere." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 Aug. 2020. Web. 14 Jan. 2021.