Henry Cromwell (abt. 1537 - 1604)

Born about 1537 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Joan (Warren) Cromwell — married 1562 in Godman, England

Descendants

Died 6 Jan 1604 at about age 67 in Hinchinbrooke, Huntingdonshire, England

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Kyros Podulke [send private message] and David Mitchell [send private message]

Biography

Henry Cromwell was born in Middlesex, England.

Sir Henry Cromwell was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Henry Cromwell was born about 1537^[1]. He was the first child of Sir Richard Cromwell alias Williams and Frances, daughter of Sir Thomas Murfyn, a former Lord Mayor of London. His father was about 27 at the time, his mother just seventeen. His younger brother and only sibling, Francis was born a few years later. While he is sometimes described as 'of Hinchinbrooke', he was definitely not born there as his father did not acquire the nunnery there (at its dissolution) until the year after his birth. He was probably born in London where his father was working for Thomas Cromwell. His father did set about pulling down the nunnery and replacing it with a house for his family while Henry was a young boy.

Tragically his mother died in 1543 and his father the year after. His father's will leaves detailed instructions on how his large inheritance is to be handled until Henry and Francis come of age in 1558 and 1562. Henry's wardship was granted to Sir Edward North^[1].

He was educated at Queen's College, Cambridge ^[2] as was common for men of good family but did not graduate as he was not joining the church. He became a member of Lincolns Inn in 1557^[1].

He completed his father's rebuilding of Hinchinbrooke and Ramsey, using the latter as his summer residence^[3].

Hinchingbrooke House

In 1562, he married Joan Warren, the daughter of Sir Ralph Warren, twice Lord Mayor of London. Their first son, Oliver (not that Oliver), was born in April of 1563.

He was elected MP for Huntingdonshire in 1563 and when Queen Elizabeth made her Royal Progress through Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in the summer of 1564 she stayed at Hinchingbrooke House on 18 August and knighted Henry^[1].

Henry and Joan went on to have ten more children. Their second son was Robert Cromwell, the father of the Oliver Cromwell. Joan died in 1584 a year after the birth of their youngest child.

Joan died in 1584 and thereafter Henry married Susan Weeks. They had no children^[1].

Henry was known as ‘The Golden Knight’ because he threw coins from his coach to the people in the streets as he moved from Hinchingbrooke (aka Cromwell House) in Huntingdon to Ramsey for the summer months, and he was one of 12 ‘knights of great possessions’ suggested for baronies in 1588^[1].

Henry died 6 January 1604 at the age of 66 and was buried in All Saints Church in Huntingdon^[1].

Offices Held

• MP for Huntingdonshire: 1563
• Justice of the Peace for Huntingdonshire: from c.1569
• Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire: 1565-6, 1571-2, 1580-1, 1592-3
• Commissioner of the Muster for Huntingdonshire: by c.1570
• Warden of Waybridge and Sapley forests: 1580

Keeper of the Rolls for Huntingdonshire: 1581.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Henry Cromwell (alias Williams), article by N. M. Fuidge posted by the History of Parliament Online
2. ↑ Cambridge Alumni http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=CRML540H&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50
3. ↑ Victoria County History, Huntingdonshire; Volume II, page 69

See also:

• Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Williams_%28alias_Cromwell%29
• Findagrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61592358 This FAG entry is full of errors with dates and ancestry completely wrong. The picture attached is of his grandson, John Hampden. Even has the location of the grave wrong...
• Bysshe, Edward. A Visitation of the County of Essex, 1664-1668 (Mitchell and Hughes, London, 1888) Page 14