Joan Barrington, Lady Barrington born Joan Cromwell aka Joan Williams (c.1558 – 1641) was an English matriarch and patron of clergy.

Life

She was born in about 1558 and her parents were Joan and Sir Henry Williams (later Cromwell). She was the aunt to the future Parliamentarian leaders

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

and

John Hampden John Hampden (24 June 1643) was an English politician from Oxfordshire, who was killed fighting for Roundhead, Parliament in the First English Civil War. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, he was one of ...

. and her sister Frances married the politician Richard Whalley. She married Sir Francis Barrington and they lived at Barrington Hall until their eldest son married and then they moved to the Priory House at

Hatfield Broad Oak Hatfield Broad Oak (also known as Hatfield Regis) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The village is approximately south-east of Bishop's Stortford. Near the church of St Mary the Virgin is former Benedi ...

. They were active supporters of the Puritans and in their home in Hatfied they had a portrait of

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza (; or ''de Besze''; 24 June 1519 – 13 October 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most ...

. They used their wealth to support protestant clergy including

Arthur Hildersham Arthur Hildersham (1563–1632) was an English clergyman, a Puritan and nonconforming preacher. Life Arthur Hildersham was born at Stetchworth, and brought up as a Roman Catholic. He was educated in Saffron Walden and at Christ's College, Cam ...

, Bishop Leonard Mawe, John Preston, Ezekiel Rogers, and

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

. They had nine surviving children, including four sons,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

(c.1585-1644),

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

(?-1642), Francis (?-before 1628) and John (?-1631), who died in the Netherlands during the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exce ...

. Her son, Thomas's second wife was Judith Barrington who was also a notable supporter of puritan clergy and one of her correspondents. Of Joan's five daughters, Elizabeth was married to Sir William Masham, and Mary to Sir Gilbert Gerard, Winifred to Sir William Meux. All three of her sons-in-law and her two elder sons were MPs at one stage or another; these family connections put Barrington at the centre of a powerful political clique. Barrington died in 1641 and is thought to be buried with her family at Hatfield Regis Priory.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrington, Joan 1641 deaths Matriarchy 1550s births 16th-century English nobility Joan Puritans 17th-century English nobility