Cotrim, Salvador Soares, "Títulos e noticia da Família dos Cotrins, origem de seu apelido, sua antiguidade em Portugal, suas armas, sua genealogia continuada até ao ano de mil setecentos e vinte e quatro", Tomar, 1724.

Translation by José Paulo Neves Amended with end notes by Ron Catterall.

(...) Dom Afonso 11th., king of Castile, married Dona Maria, legitimate daughter of Dom Afonso, 4th king of Portugal, and had issue Dom Pedro, king of Castile, who died at the hands of his illegitimate brother Dom Henrique, who took the kingdom from him, and is named as Henry the second in the list of the Kings of Castile  The afore-mentioned Dom Pedro had a daughter called Dona Constança, the legitimate pretender to the Castile kingdom, who was married in England to John of Lancaster [1], son of Edward III, king of England, and they had issue Dona Catherina [2].  By that time Dom Fernando was king of Portugal, and was worried about the usurpation of the Castile crown by the illegitimate and fratricide murderer and tyrant D. Henrique, who now held the power in Spain, which should have descended to the daughter of the dead king Dom Pedro [3].  D. Fernando didn't have enough power himself to start a legitimate and justified project [4], so he wrote to John, Duke of Lancaster, asking him to come to Portugal and promising to help him establish the legitimacy of what in justice was his right [5].  As the Duke of Lancaster was not able to come himself to Portugal, he sent his younger brother [6], the Count of Cambridge with a large army.  Among them was a General called Jayme Cotrim, or James Cottrell, born in London, and a member of one of the most important families of England, but they soon returned to England without glory, because firstly Dom Fernando, King of Portugal had established peace with Castile, and secondly because they realised they had not enough strength, so they decided to wait for a better opportunity [7].  Meanwhile Dom Fernando had died and the people proclaimed the Master of Avis (João) as the new king of Portugal.  At this time king João was a supporter of the rights of the Duke of Lancaster, and sent his support, help and friendship, with his ambassador, the Master of Santiago.  Happy, the Duke came himself to Spain bringing with him Dona Constança, his wife, their daughter Catherine [8], and his daughters Felipa [9] and Isabel[10]. They arrived in Corunha and the Portuguese King [11] sent a delegation to meet them. They met in the borders of Galiza (Galicia) and a marriage was arranged [12].  The wedding was quickly celebrated, and among the nobles who joined Queen Filipa [13] there was Jaime Cotrim, who remained in Portugal as the queen's "Mordomo-mór".  Jaime ceased this function when the Queen died [14].  After his mother died, Prince Dom Henrique, the legitimate son of Dom João and Dona Felipa [15], and Master of the Christ Order [16], named James Cottrell as his Monteiro-mór.  They both lived many years in Tomar [17] where the great Castle of this Order was located.  Jaime's arms and his descendants are registered in the Torre do Tombo (national archive) in page 34 of the Armary book.  They are composed of a chessed shield in blue and gold with 6/6 and as his timbre (over the helmet) three penachos in blue.  Jaime Cotrim married Dona Ana Canas de Urofol [18], a Dame of Dona Felipa's house and had a son called Lopo Canas Cotrim who married Dona Isabel de Sousa, daughter of Dom Gonçalo de Sousa e de Dona Teresa de Alvim (...)  Other notes [19], [20] and [21].

End Notes