The 18th Century Monuments in All Saints Church Weston, Bath. No 5. The Mural monument to Sophia Cotton and her sister Sidney Arabella Cotton. . Slight return.........

 

The Monument to Sophia Cotton (b. c 1704 - died 1767).

 and Sidney Arabella Cotton (b. c.1709 d. 1781).

 Daughters of Sir Thomas Cotton, 2nd Baronet and Philadephia Cotton.

Sisters of Thomas Salusbury Cotton; Henry Cotton; Anne Cotton; Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, MP, 3rd Baronet; Philadelphia Cotton and 10 other siblings.

 The monument which is not inscribed by the sculptor bears all the hallmarks of the Bath workshop of the Fords father and son.

John Ford I  (1711 - 1767) Mason and John Ford II (1736 - 1803) who described himself as a Statuary.

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The Monument was probably put up shortly after the death of Sophia in 1767.

 For an in depth look at the works of both father and son see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/10/monuments-by-ford-of-bath-bath-abbey.html

 

The Cotton monument could do with a very gentle wash which would reveal the delicate detail and allow the quality to be more easily assessed.

 A notable feature on the Cotton monument is the textured background of the relief of the grieving lady which also appears on several other of the earlier monuments by the Fords including the relief  formerly on the Malone Monument in Bath Abbey of 1765/66, the Monument to Leonard Coward (d. 1764) and his wife Elizabeth d.1759, and their son Leonard (1717 - 1795) also in Bath Abbey and the The Monument to Martha Maria Phillips at St Swithun's Parish Church, Bathford of 1759.

I will take the opportunity here to illustrate the five variants of the version of the relief with the reclining grieving lady clutching the urn.

Variations of this relief  (all illustrated below) were used by the Fords on several other monuments including - 

that of Robert Cox monument at Piddletrenthide, Dorset where the urn is slightly different and the sarcophagus on the right is replaced with a Palm tree. 

The John St Aubyn monument at Stringston Somerset, again with the palm tree to the right.

The Day family monument at St Mary Magdalene, Ditcheat, Somerset, 

The Monument to Richard Long d.1760 in the Church of St Mary's, Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire.

 

 

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It is strange that as time progressed the quality of the workmanship of the Ford monument reliefs gradually deteriorated. I suspect Ford Jnr had little to do with the carving.

Here the textured background of the relief is plain to see.

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The Robert Cox d.1777 and George Cox (d. 1777) Monument in All Saints Church, Piddletrenthide, Dorset.

Clearly inscribed on the supporting bracket Ford Bath. Fct.

This monument was very difficult to photograph  - it is on the North East wall of the Aisle of Chancel tucked away behind the organ.

Another Monument inscribed by Ford of Bath to William Cox d.1790 is also in the church.

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A Memorial on the Floor of Bath Abbey.

In a Walled Grave / are deposited the Remains of / John Cox / Esquire / fourth Son of the late / William Cox Esquire / of Piddletrenthide / in the / County of Dorset / Died / 20th. January 1814 / Aged 41.

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John St Albyn - Funerary Monument - 1766 -

 Stringston, nr Bridgwater. Somerset.

 Inscribed Ford Bath Ft on the supporting bracket.

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Day (or Dawe) family member - Funerary Monument, 

The inscription is illegible.

 St Mary Magdalene - Ditcheat, Somerset.

 

The form of the skull on the apron should be noted - it is repeated on other Ford monuments - including on the reliefs with the grieving child on both the  Coward Monument at Bath Abbey, the Phillips Monument at Bathford, and the Smith monument at Combe Hay.

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The Monument to Richard Long - d. 6 May 1760.

Church of St Mary's, Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire.

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