| Honorific Prefix: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Sir John Cotterell, Bt | |
| Honorific Suffix: | JP TD KStJ CBE |
| Office: | Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire |
| Term Start: | 28 February 1945 |
| Term End: | 12 July 1957 |
| Predecessor: | The Lord Somers |
| Successor: | The Viscount Cilcennin |
| Birth Name: | Richard Charles Geers Cotterell |
| Birth Date: | 1 June 1907 |
| Education: | Eton College |
| Alma Mater: | Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
| Parents: | Sir John Cotterell, 4th Baronet Lady Evelyn Amy Gordon-Lennox |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 4 |
| Relations: | Sir Geers Cotterell, 3rd Baronet (grandfather) Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond (grandfather) Amy Gordon-Lennox, Countess of March (grandmother) |
Lt-Col Sir Richard Charles Geers Cotterell, 5th Baronet JP TD KStJ CBE (1 June 1907 – 5 December 1978), a British soldier.
Cotterell was born on 1 June 1907. He was the only son of Sir John Cotterell, 4th Baronet and Lady Evelyn Amy Gordon-Lennox. His three older sisters were Sylvia Evelyn Cotterell (wife of Capt. Christopher Digby Leyland and she married Roland Norris Fawcett), Cicely Violet Cotterell (wife of Capt. William Adrian Vincent Bethell and Roden Powlett Graves Orde),[1] and Mildred Katharine Cotterell (wife of Lt.-Col. Sir Terence Falkiner, 8th Baronet).[2]
His paternal grandparents were Sir Geers Cotterell, 3rd Baronet (MP for Herefordshire) and Hon. Katherine Margaret Airey (a daughter of Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey). His mother was the eldest daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond and, his first wife, the former Amy Mary Ricardo.[3]
He was educated at Eton before attending Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[2]
On 13 November 1937, he succeeded as the 5th Baronet Cotterell, of Garnons, Herefordshire following the death of his father.[4] He served as a Justice of the Peace for Herefordshire in 1938. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire between 1945 and 1957.[5] He also served as a Forestry Commissioner between 1945 and 1964.[2]
He fought in the Middle East and Italy during World War II, was mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Territorial Decoration. He was commanding officer of the 76th (Shropshire Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery between 1943 and 1945, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was appointed a Knight of Order of Saint John and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1965.[2]
On 16 June 1930, Cotterell married Lady Lettice Lygon at St George's, Hanover Square. She was a daughter of William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp and Lady Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor (a daughter of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor).[6] Before their divorce in 1958, they were the parents of:[7]
On 21 July 1958, he married Molly Seely, Baroness Sherwood (Hon. Molly Patricia Berry), at the Caxton Hall Register Office in London.[10] She was daughter of William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, who owned The Daily Telegraph newspaper, and Mary Agnes Corns (a daughter of Thomas Corns). Molly was widow of Roger Charles George Chetwode (a son of Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode), with whom she had two children, including Philip Chetwode, 2nd Baron Chetwode. After the death of her first husband she married Hugh Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood (a son of Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet), whom she divorced in 1948.[2]
Cotterell died on 5 December 1978 at home at Garnons, Herefordshire. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, John.[2] His memorial was held at Hereford Cathedral and officiated by Norman Rathbone, the Dean of Hereford, who was assisted by Canon Allan Shaw.[11]
In 1931, Sir John and his wife Lady Lettice had their portraits painted by Philip de László. In his portrait, he is pictured "Half-length slightly to the left, full face to the viewer, wearing the ceremonial uniform of the Royal Horse Guards, holding his red-plumed helmet in his right hand".[12] László had previously done a number of portraits for his family, including of his mother in 1913, sister Sylvia in 1924, and later, his father in 1934.[13]