Richard Cromwell

Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell.

Following his father's death in 1658, Richard became Lord Protector, but he lacked authority. He tried to mediate between the army and civil society, and allowed a Parliament that contained many disaffected Presbyterians and Royalists to sit. Suspicions that civilian councillors were intent on supplanting the army peaked in an attempt to prosecute a major-general for actions against a Royalist. The army made a threatening demonstration of force against Richard, and may have had him in detention. He formally renounced power only nine months after succeeding.

Though a Royalist revolt was crushed by the recalled civil war figure General John Lambert, who subsequently prevented the Rump Parliament from reconvening and created a Committee of Safety, Lambert found his troops melted away in the face of General George Monck's advance from Scotland. Monck then presided over the Restoration of 1660. Cromwell went into exile on the Continent, living in relative obscurity for the remainder of his life. He ultimately returned to his English estate and died thirty years later at the age of 85.

Early years and family

Richard Cromwell was baptised in Huntingdon on 4 October 1626, the third son of Oliver Cromwell and his wife Elizabeth Bourchier. Little is recorded of his early childhood. He, along with three of his brothers, attended Felsted School in Essex, likely due to its proximity to their mother's family home. There is no evidence that he proceeded to university.

In May 1647, Richard entered Lincoln's Inn, though he was not subsequently called to the bar. That same year, he received a commission in the New Model Army, serving first as a captain in the lifeguard of Viscount Lisle and later in the lifeguard of Thomas Fairfax.

On 1 May 1649, he married Dorothy Maijor, daughter of Richard Maijor, a member of the Hampshire gentry. The couple settled at the Maijor estate in Hursley, Hampshire, where they had nine children, of whom five survived to adulthood.

During the 1650s, Cromwell served as a Justice of the Peace for Hampshire and sat on various county committees. In a letter to Richard Maijor, his father Oliver expressed concern about his son's intellectual and moral development:

"I would have him mind and understand business, read a little history, study the mathematics and cosmography: these are good, with subordination to the things of God. Better than idleness, or mere outward worldly contents. These fit for public services, for which a man is born."

By the early 1650s, Richard had become his father's eldest surviving son, a status that placed him directly in line as Oliver Cromwell's intended successor to the Protectorate.

Political background

By the early 1650s, Richard Cromwell had begun to take on minor administrative roles under the Protectorate, despite having little military experience or political ambition. While his father Oliver Cromwell commanded broad authority as Lord Protector, Richard remained on the periphery of national affairs, instead focusing on local governance in Hampshire, where he served as a Justice of the Peace and held various committee appointments.

In 1653, Richard was passed over for appointment to Barebone's Parliament, although his younger brother Henry served in it. He received no public role when his father became Lord Protector later that year. However, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in the First Protectorate Parliament (1654), and later for Cambridge University in the Second Protectorate Parliament (1656).

Richard’s political rise was largely shaped by necessity rather than merit. The deaths of his elder brothers positioned him as Oliver’s heir apparent. In 1657, under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice, a new constitutional framework offered Oliver Cromwell the crown—a title he declined. Nevertheless, the same framework permitted him to nominate a successor to the office of Lord Protector.

Despite lacking a power base within the army or Parliament, Richard was officially designated successor in 1657 and was increasingly drawn into affairs of state. He was made a member of the newly created Other House (the Protectorate’s upper chamber), and began attending Council meetings. In June 1657, he was present at his father's second installation as Lord Protector. He was appointed Chancellor of Oxford University in July, and made a member of the Council of State in December.

Yet contemporary observers often remarked on Richard's inexperience, timid disposition, and lack of the martial charisma that had defined his father's regime.

Lord Protector (1658–59)

Oliver Cromwell died on 3 September 1658, and Richard was informed on the same day that he was to succeed him. Some controversy surrounds the succession. A letter by John Thurloe suggests that Cromwell nominated his son orally on 30 August, but other theories claim either that he nominated no successor, or that he put forward Charles Fleetwood, his son-in-law.

Richard was faced by two immediate problems. The first was the army, which questioned his position as commander given his lack of military experience. The second was the financial position of the regime, with a debt estimated at £2 million. As a result, Cromwell's Privy council decided to call a parliament in order to redress these financial problems on 29 November 1658 (a decision which was formally confirmed on 3 December 1658). Under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice, this Parliament was called using the traditional franchise (thus moving away from the system under the Instrument of Government whereby representation of rotten boroughs was cut in favour of county constituencies.) This meant that the government was less able to control elections and therefore unable to manage the parliament effectively. As a result, when this Third Protectorate Parliament first sat on 27 January 1659 it was dominated by moderate Presbyterians, crypto-royalists and a small number of vociferous Commonwealthsmen (or Republicans).

The "Other House" of Parliament – a body which had been set up under the Humble Petition and Advice to act as a balance on the Commons – was also revived. It was this second parliamentary chamber and its resemblance to the House of Lords (which had been abolished in 1649) that dominated this Parliamentary session. Republican malcontents gave filibustering speeches about the inadequacy of the membership of this upper chamber (especially its military contingent) and also questioned whether it was indicative of the backsliding of the Protectorate regime in general and its divergence from the " Good Old Cause" for which parliamentarians had originally engaged in civil war. Reviving this House of Lords in all but name, they argued, was but a short step to returning to the Ancient Constitution of King, Lords and Commons.

At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's liberties. Moreover, the new Parliament seemed to show a lack of respect for the army which many military men found alarming. In particular, there were fears that Parliament would make military cuts to reduce costs, and by April 1659 the army's general council of officers had met to demand higher taxation to fund the regime's costs.

Their grievances were expressed in a petition to Cromwell on 6 April 1659 which he forwarded to the Parliament two days later. Yet Parliament did not act on the army's suggestions; instead they shelved this petition and increased the suspicion of the military by bringing articles of impeachment on 12 April 1659 against William Boteler, who was alleged to have mistreated a royalist prisoner while acting as a major-general under Oliver Cromwell in 1655. This was followed by two resolutions in the Commons on 18 April 1659 which stated that no more meetings of army officers should take place without the express permission of both the Lord Protector and Parliament, and that all officers should swear an oath that they would not subvert the sitting of Parliament by force.

These direct affronts to military prestige were too much for the army grandees to bear and set in motion the final split between the civilian-dominated Parliament and the army, which would culminate in the dissolution of Parliament and Cromwell's ultimate fall from power. When Cromwell refused a demand by the army to dissolve Parliament, troops were assembled at St. James's Palace. Cromwell eventually gave in to their demands and on 22 April, Parliament was dissolved and the Rump Parliament recalled on 7 May 1659.

In the subsequent month, Cromwell did not resist and refused an offer of armed assistance from the French ambassador, although it is possible he was being kept under house arrest by the army. On 25 May, after the Rump agreed to pay his debts and provide a pension, Cromwell delivered a formal letter resigning the position of Lord Protector. He told parliament that "I love and value the Peace of this Commonwealth much above my own concernments”. "Richard was never formally deposed or arrested, but allowed to fade away. The Protectorate was treated as having been from the first a mere usurpation."

He continued to live in the Palace of Whitehall until July, when he was forced by the Rump to return to Hursley. Royalists rejoiced at Cromwell's fall, and many satirical attacks surfaced, in which he was given the unflattering nicknames "Tumbledown Dick" and "Queen Dick".Fraser, Antonia (1979). ''King Charles II''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 163.

Later years (1659–1712)

During the political difficulties of the winter of 1659, there were rumours that Cromwell was to be recalled as Protector, but these came to nothing. In July 1660, Cromwell left for France, never to see his wife again. While there, he went by a variety of pseudonyms, including John Clarke. He later travelled around Europe, visiting various European courts. As a visiting Englishman, he was once invited to dine with Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, who was unaware of who he was. At dinner, the prince questioned Cromwell about affairs in England and observed, "Well, that Oliver, tho' he was a traitor and a villain, was a brave man, had great parts, great courage, and was worthy to command; but that Richard, that coxcomb and poltroon, was surely the basest fellow alive; what is become of that fool?" Cromwell replied, "He was betrayed by those he most trusted, and who had been most obliged by his father." Cromwell departed from the town the following morning. During this period of voluntary exile, he wrote many letters to his family back in England; these letters are now held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in Huntingdon.

In 1680 or 1681, Cromwell returned to England and lodged with the merchant Thomas Pengelly in Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, living off the income from his estate in Hursley.

Death and burial

Richard Cromwell died on 12 July 1712 at the age of 85. He was officially buried in the chancel vault of All Saints' Church, Hursley, Hampshire, where a memorial tablet commemorates his interment.

Despite evidence of his burial at Hursley, local lore in Cheshunt, where Cromwell spent his later years, has suggested otherwise. Ian H. James, in his memoir ''20A Lordship Road'', recounts a long-standing rumour that Cromwell, living under the alias "John Clarke", may have been buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin Church, Cheshunt. This claim, however, lacks documentary support and is not corroborated by contemporary burial records. The church of St Mary the Virgin and the surrounding churchyard do contain memorials and monuments to members of the extended Cromwell family, reflecting the family's historical association with the area, likely contributing to the local lore of Cromwell's unmarked grave.

Although Cromwell served as Lord Protector for less than a year (1658–1659), he remained a notable historical figure for his longevity. He was the longest-lived person to have held the position of British head of state, living to the age of 85—outliving even long-reigning monarchs such as George III and Queen Victoria. This record stood for over three centuries until the death of Elizabeth II in 2022 at the age of 96.

Fictional portrayals

Cromwell has been depicted in historical films. They include '' Cromwell'' (1970), where he was portrayed by Anthony May, and '' To Kill a King'' (2003), where he was played by John-Paul Macleod. The 1840 historical stage play '' Master Clarke'' by Thomas Serle revolves around Cromwell, who was portrayed by William Macready at the Haymarket Theatre.

Cromwell is portrayed in the novel '' The Last Protector'' by Andrew Taylor.

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External links

BBC Bio of Oliver Cromwell

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell, Richard

1626 births
1712 deaths
17th-century English politicians
18th-century English people
17th-century English judges
Members of the pre-1707 Parliament of England for the University of Cambridge
Heads of state of England
People educated at Felsted School
New Model Army personnel
Chancellors of the University of Oxford
People from Huntingdon
Republicanism in England
Cromwell family
People of the Interregnum (England)
English MPs 1654–1655
English MPs 1656–1658
Lords Protector of England
English justices of the peace
Children of Oliver Cromwell
Man in the Iron Mask