Elizabeth (Bourchier) Cromwell (abt. 1598 - bef. 1665)

Born about 1598 in Felsted, Essex, England

Ancestors

Wife of Oliver Cromwell — married 22 Aug 1620 (to 3 Sep 1658) in St Giles, Cripplegate, London, England

Descendants

Died before 19 Nov 1665 before about age 67 in Northborough Manor, Northamptonshire, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jesse Stone [send private message]

Biography

Elizabeth (Bourchier) Cromwell is Notable.

Elizabeth Bourchier was born at Felsted in Essex in 1598 probably the eldest of the twelve children of furrier and merchant James Bourchier and his wife, Frances Crane.^[1]

Elizabeth with a dowry of £1500 married Oliver Cromwell son of Robert Cromwell and his wife, Elizabeth Stewart, at St Giles, Cripplegate on 22 August 1620. ^[2][1][3] "Both Cromwell and his wife were connected with Wiltshire and it was possibly through both families being already related to the Cranes of Newton Tony that they first met." ^[4] Together they had five sons and four daughters^{[1] [5]} most of whom were born at Huntingdon where Elizabeth began to raise her family. Only one of their babies, James born in 1632, failed to thrive.^[6]

Oliver meanwhile began to make his way on the national stage, being returned as member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628. ^[5] It was a time of great tension between the Crown and Parliament and in March 1629 the king, Charles I, dissolved Parliament beginning what was to be known as his personal rule. ^[7] In the years between Parliaments Oliver managed to have a falling out with the citizens of Huntingdon and sold most of his property there in 1631. For a while they lived at St Ives then moved on to Ely ^[8]where their youngest child, Frances, was born in 1638. ^[9] In due course the two eldest boys, Robert and Oliver had been sent off to Felsted school. Robert died there of smallpox in 1839, aged 17.^[6]

When the King was finally compelled to call a new Parliament in 1640 Oliver was returned both in April and November as member for Cambridge ^[5] and at some time during the year moved his family from Ely to London.^[8] The problems between King and Parliament escalated and it can have come as no surprise to Elizabeth that when in 1642 the King raised his standard at Nottingham,^[7] Oliver took a commission as Captain of Horse for Parliament. ^[5] The following years were full of the horrors of civil war with Oliver away from home with the parliamentary army. Ultimately, with the army successful the King was brought to the block in 1649.^[7] The menfolk continued to squabble for now the issue was whether parliament or army should rule finally settled when Oliver was declared Lord Protector in 1654.^[8] Oliver and Elizabeth took on a quasi regal role moving in to Whitehall Palace where Elizabeth was often styled her highness the lady protectress. Attacked in print as avaricious it was elsewhere asserted that she was ill-suited to her new role. ^[1] Oliver died on 3 September 1658. ^[8] Even his funeral was taken out of her hands for he was buried in regal splendour in Westminster Abbey.^[8]

In a country that had no other model to follow than monarchy, Elizabeth's oldest surviving son, Richard, was chosen to succeed his father. Richard however was not the steely man his father had been and was unable to resolve the conflicts between parliament and army not least because he had no military credentials. He resigned on 25 May 1659. ^[10] By the spring of the following year it was clear that the Stuart monarchy would be restored. Charles II rode in triumph into London on 29th of May 1660. ^[11] Elizabeth fled the Cockpit where she had been living since her husband's death and found refuge at Northborough Manor in Cambridgeshire, the home of her former son-in-law, John Claypoole. ^[1] The new king was surprisingly lenient, only the regicides suffering punishment but that did include dead regicides. Oliver's body was exhumed and beheaded^[11] then hanged in chains at Tyburn before being thrown into a pit. His head was displayed on a pole outside Westminster Hall. ^[8]

Elizabeth died at Northborough Manor in 1665 and was buried at St Andrew on 19th November. ^[12][13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Peter Gaunt, ‘Cromwell (Bourchier), Elizabeth (1598–1665)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 9 Oct 2017
2. ↑ Marriage record St Giles, Cripplegate (22 Aug 1620 Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth Bourch)
3. ↑ Oliver Cromwell Association
4. ↑ Wiltshire notes and queries
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} History of Parliament online: CROMWELL, Oliver (1599-1658), of Austin Friars, Huntingdon, Hunts.; later of St. Ives, Hunts., Ely, Cambs. and the Cockpit, Whitehall
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Waylen, James, 1810-1894. The House of Cromwell And the Story of Dunkirk: a Genealogical History of the Descendants of the Protector. Boston: J. G. Cupples, pg. 58. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009586949 (Use slide tool to go to pg 58)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Wikipedia: Charles I
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} Wikipedia: Oliver Cromwell
9. ↑ Baptismal record St Mary Ely (6 December 1638 Frances Cromwell daughter of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth) Viewed at Ancestry. Text only
10. ↑ Wikipedia: Richard Cromwell
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Wikipedia: Charles II
12. ↑ Burial record Northborough (19 November 1665 Elizabeth the relict of Oliver Cromwell sometime Pro of England buried 19 Nov)
13. ↑ Find a Grave image

See also

• Wikipedia: Elizabeth Bourchier