He was born about 1579, a son of Philip Cottington of Godmanston in Somerset and his wife Jane (Biflete). He was twice ambassador to Spain. In 1622 Francis married Anne, daughter of William Meredith ...

A white marble bust of eminent novelist Sir Walter Scott was unveiled in Poets' Corner Westminster Abbey in 1897 by the Duke of Buccleuch. It was the gift of a group of Scott's admirers and is a copy ...