The Reverend Psychopath

The Reverend Samuel Cotton and his wife Eliza founded The Caragh Orphanage in 1866. They then collected bountiful charitable donations towards the funding of this institution designed for the care of destitute Catholic babies and children. The money they collected was considerable and spread over a long period of time. However little if any of this money ever went towards the children’s welfare. The Cottons lived a life of ease and plenty while the poor vulnerable children literally starved to death. These children were kept in filth and squalor in freezing conditions and dressed in rags.. Thanks to the then recently founded Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children the law eventually caught up with the Cottons. Samuel was twice imprisoned. He was defended the first time by Sir William Carson. Cotton was a psychopath with a serious personality disorder and was irredeemable. He was obsessed with making children suffer and his wife Eliza was of the exact same mind set.. This story has never been told before. The Cotton’s final resting place is unknown.. © Dr Andrew Rynne 2023