He was age 30 and more when his mother, Alice, died in 1473 (I.P.M)
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British History Online
301. THOMAS COTON, esquire. Writ 3 September, inquisition the last day of October, 15 Henry VII. ( Henry reigned from 22 August 1485 – 21 April 1509)
Thomas Rotheram, late bishop of Rochester, John Grene of Wedyngton, Thomas Sharp, Thomas Wenslowe, Stephen Sharp, John Hertelpole, Thomas Bettes, Thomas Beusay and John Rotheram, were seised of the under-mentioned manor and advowson, and, being so seised, gave them to Nicholas Sharp and Agnes his wife, for the term of their lives in survivorship, with remainder to Thomas Cotton, named in the writ, and Joan his wife, and the heirs of the same Joan of her body by the said Thomas begotten, with remainder, if she died without heir of her body by the said Thomas begotten, after the decease of the said Thomas, to the said Nicholas Sharp and the heirs of his body, with remainder in default to Thomas Sharp, Christopher Sharp, esquire, Robert Sharp, Stephen Sharp, clerk, Christopher Alingyll, William Grene and Thomas Bouesay, their heirs and assigns for ever; by virtue of which the said Nicholas and Agnes were seised of the manor aforesaid in their demesne as of free tenement and died so seised, after whose death the said Thomas Cotton and Joan then his wife, entered upon the said manor and were thereof seised, viz. Joan in fee tail by the form of the gift and Thomas in his demesne as of free tenement; and afterwards the said Joan died so seised and the said Thomas survived her and was seised of the said manor in his demesne as of free tenement by survivorship, and died so seised.
He died the last day of July last. Robert Cotton, his son of the body of the said Joan by him the said Thomas begotten, is his next heir, and is aged 22 and more. Cf. No. 270.
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The visitations of Essex by Hawley, 1552; Hervey, 1558; Cooke, 1570; Raven, 1612; and Owen and Lilly, 1634 : to which are added miscellaneous Essex pedigrees from various Harleian manuscripts, and an appendix containing Berry's Essex pedigrees v.13

Douglas Richardson
1/30/12
Robert Cotton was surely the son of Thomas Cotton's 2nd wife, Jane Sharpe, as stated by the Visitation of Cambridgeshire. Jane Sharpe was an heiress, and, as such, her descendants would have had the right to quarter her arms.

The Cotton arms are in fact found quartered with the Sharpe arms at the tombs of Robert Cotton's male line descendants, Sir John Cotton, died 1593, and Sir John Cotton, 1st Baronet, died 1669. This information is published in East Anglian, 1 (1864): 343-344, which
material may be viewed at the following weblink:
http://books.google.com/books?id=aAUIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA343

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

Will of Leonard Cotton, Clerk and Parson of Cheveley, Cambridgeshire
Reference: PROB 11/39/165
Date:11 May 1557
Held by:The National Archives, Kew, Legal status: Public Record(s)
Closure status:Open Document, Open Description