Arthur Cotton was born 15th May 1803 in Combermere Abbey. He was the tenth son of Henry Calveley Cotton and Matilda Lockwood. 
Known as ‘Irrigation Cotton, or ‘Cotton Dora’, he was responsible for some of the greatest civil engineering projects of his time. 

In 1821, aged 18, Arthur Cotton was appointed to service in India at Madras in the office of the Chief Engineer of the Presidency.

He served in the first Burmese war (1824-26). In 1828, he began his life work on the irrigation works of southern India. 

In 1844, his survey recommended irrigation canals in order to irrigate the area of the Godavari delta, and in 1847 the project received approval by the Madras Government. 

1852 saw the completion of work of a 2.25-mile long 12ft high masonry dam across the delta of the Godavari. As a result of this work, considered at the time to be one of the greatest public works in the world, the living conditions of the people of the district of Godaari was transformed, and crops output more than doubled.

As a result of his success, Arthur Cotton was elevated to the post of Chief Engineer of the Madras Presidency. 1876 he was knighted.

Cotton was the founder of the school of Indian Hydraulic Engineering.

Sir Arthur Cotton died 24th July 1899, aged 96.