Cottar had two sons, and the elder, Cotman, was the ancestor and founding member of the Cotton family. Cottar's younger son was known simply as Carl, but if this son left any descendants, they are now forgotten. His name did live on in the Cotton family, though: three generations later, Farmer Tom Cotton named his youngest son 'Carl', presumably in honour of this earlier member of their clan.
Notes
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In Old English, the name Carl (originally Ceorl, a form of the name recorded among the people of Rohan) referred to a particular rank in the stratified society of the Anglo-Saxons. A ceorl was a freeman (that is, not a serf or a thrall), but one of the lowest station, typically a peasant or a workman. Etymologically, the word can be traced back to a root meaning simply 'man'.
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- Updated 24 December 2023
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