Cotton's Impecuniosity. 161 



Earl of Ardglass, by whom he had no 

 children, and who survived him. 



For many years before his death Cotton 

 was often in great pecuniary difficulties. 

 In answer to a letter of mine asking if 

 possibly some unpublished papers relative 

 to Charles Cotton existed, Mr. Philip 

 Beresford Hope, the present owner of 

 Beresford Dale, very kindly replied as 

 follows : 



" DEAR SIR, Many thanks for your 

 letter. I am afraid we have no unpub- 

 lished papers relative to Charles Cotton. 

 If it would be of any use to you, I could 

 let you have some photographs and draw- 

 ings of Beresford Hall in a partially ruined 

 state, before it was pulled down. I do 

 not know whether you are aware of a cave 

 in the limestone rocks in Beresford Dale, 

 well hidden from view, in which Charles 

 Cotton is popularly reported to have 

 hidden from his creditors for some weeks, 

 and to have evaded them. I am also 

 unaware if you are cognisant of the fact 

 that the interior of Cotton's Fishing-House 

 was at one time frescoed with paintings 

 of piscatorial and other sporting subjects. 

 I will, on my return to town, make a 

 search for any unpublished matter relative 

 to Charles Cotton, and if I come across 



ii 



