The Cottle Church was an Anglican Church on the island of Nevis

Nevis

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...

. It was built by Thomas Cottle

Thomas Cottle

Thomas Cottle, Esq. was a lawyer on the island of Nevis. In 1822, Thomas started to build a church for all people on the island, including slaves. "The Cottle Church", as it is now called, was completed in 1824 and opened on May 5 that year...

, a Nevisian lawyer. Ground was broken in 1822 and the church was finally finished in 1824, after a severe economic depression.

The Cottle Church was opened to the public on May 5, 1824, and it was the first church on the island of Nevis which welcomed anyone to come and worship, including slaves.

The first Reverend of the Cottle Church was Rev. Daniel Davis

Rev. Daniel Davis

The Right Reverend Daniel Gateward Davis was an abolitionist and the inaugural Bishop of Antigua from 1842 until his death.-Early life:...

. After Thomas Cottle's death in 1828, the church fell into disuse. It was then rebuilt by Governor Sir Graham Briggs in the late 19th century, but because of the population decline on the island, the Cottle Church again fell into ruins at the turn of the 20th century. Today it is now being preserved and can be seen by the public.

Further reading

• Hubbard, Vincent K. 2002. "Swords, Ships & Sugar". Premiere Editions International, Inc. ISBN 1-891519-05-0. A complete history of Nevis.