Family name to be preserved at former hospital site
A room in the former St Edmond's Hospital site will be named after the great-grandfather of a woman from Northampton who has desperately tried to keep her family name alive.
Jenny Cotton-Howells, aged 47, of Abington, Northampton, has won the recognition for George Cotton, a Northampton surgeon in the 18th century.
He helped many people at the Northampton Union Workhouse, the former St Edmond's Hospital site in Wellingborough Road, and was known to not eat until the poor had eaten first.
Not only a surgeon, he was also the provincial master of Pomfret Freemasons Lodge, in Northampton.
The Cotton name has been passed down through generations. Jenny's father was also George Cotton.
In an attempt to keep the family name alive, Jenny named her two sons George, aged 18 and Edward, aged 16 after her ancestor.
She said: "When I married my husband, David Howells, I realised there wasn't anybody to carry on the Cotton name.
"It was so important to me that if I hadn't have kept it I wouldn't have got married, I felt so strongly about keeping the name."
The surgeon married Annie Eliza Brennan, the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Brennan who were Master and Matron of the workhouse.
He had a son who was also called George, who played for the Saints in the First World War with Edgar Mobbs.
A family connection with the site urged Jenny to contact the Northampton based developers, Rochmills.
She said: "I contacted the developers of the site, I explained about the family connection and they seemed interested in the history of it."
The developers are now keen to look into the family history and Claire Perry from Rochmills said: "We are delighted to hear the story of the Cottons and their connection with the workhouse.
"We will be dedicating a room within the complex to the Cottons to display memorabilia of the family history."
Work to redevelop the area originally began in 2004. The development will see the workhouse site converted into offices, shops and a restaurant.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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