Jim Cotter Archive
Biographical History
The Reverend James England Cotter (Jim Cotter) was born in 1942 in Stockport. He attended the local Grammar school, and then went on to study at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Before he was ordained in 1967, Cotter spent a year doing Voluntary Service Overseas work in Nigeria. From 1967 to 1970, he was curate at St. Matthew’s, Stretford, in the Diocese of Manchester. From 1970 –1973 he lectured at Lincoln Theological College. He became Chaplain at Gonville and Caius College from 1974-77.
In 1976 Cotter became the first Honorary Secretary of The Gay Christian Movement (now OneBodyOneFaith), originally based in St Botolph’s Church, Aldgate.
Cotter became Associate Vicar of All Saints, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, in the St Alban’s Diocese, from 1977-1983. During this period, he was also Assistant Principal of the Diocese Ministerial Training Scheme. In 1982, he became Director of the St. Albans Ministerial Training Scheme, until 1986.
Cotter set up a publishing house, named Cairns, in the 1980s. The books published were written by Cotter and other writers. Cotter wrote poetry and reworked hymns.
He purchased a vicarage in Sheffield and led retreats there, but following a bout of ill health he returned to Church Ministry in 2001, becoming Vicar of St. Hywyn’s Church, Aberdaron. In 2008 Cotter was reprimanded by the Bishop of Wales after he held a blessing at Aberdaron for a lesbian couple.
He died of Leukaemia on 16th April 2014, in Llandudno.
After his death, the Jim Cotter Trust was launched on 29th February 2020 in accordance with his wishes, and funded CRCOnline, a website ‘to provide theological, spiritual and liturgical resources from an open, inclusive, progressive, questioning and radical approach to Christianity’.
Scope and Content
The Jim Cotter Archive contains the personal and research papers and books of Jim Cotter. It includes notebooks used as appointment books and diaries, college notes, Gonville and Caius College chapel service papers and chapel letters from his time as a student, papers related to services led by Jim Cotter, personal, pastoral, and professional correspondence, photographs, family history papers, records related to Cairns publishing house, records related to sexuality and the Church, a file of newspaper clippings dated from 2010-2014, files containing notes for various projects, drafts of writings by Jim Cotter, published books and magazines, and recordings of broadcast talks.
Physical Description and Extent
The archive consists of 75 archive boxes. The records it contains are mainly paper based, including handwritten and typed papers, notebooks, published books, and magazines. It also contains audiovisual materials such as CDs, VCRs, cassette tapes, and born digital records.
Provenance
The archive was originally deposited at Gladstone’s Library by Dilys Stone, the literary executor for Jim Cotter, in 2016, two years after Cotter’s death.
Arrangement
The archive was arranged by Jim Cotter and has been kept in its original arrangement and order.
Access and Finding Aid
The catalogue for this archive is in the process of being brought up to archival cataloguing standards and so finding aids are only available upon request. To discuss arranging a viewing, contact [email protected].
Reprographics
All reprographics queries should be directed to [email protected]. Information about Gladstone’s Library’s reprographics services can be found here.
Related Collections
Records related to Jim Cotter are also found in the Eric James Archive.
There are several books by Jim Cotter in Gladstone’s Library’s Main Collection in the Theology Room. These can be found by searching MainCAT.
Additional Information
Jim Cotter’s obituary in the Church Time can be read here.
The website CRCOnline funded the Jim Cotter Trust can be found here.
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