Oliver Cromwell as Bailiff of Huntingdon in 1626 (from my blog in September, 2008)

 

01 September 2008

Oliver Cromwell as Bailiff of Huntingdon in 1626

The three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Oliver Cromwell's death falls in the next few days. The exact date depends upon one's view of the calendrical changes accepted in England in the eighteenth century. Whichever date one chooses, Cromwell's death marked the end of one of the most remarkable lives of the early modern period.

The most obscure part of Cromwell's personal and public life lies in the period up to 1630. When he wrote his essay on The Making of Oliver Cromwell, in the late-1980s, John Morrill concluded that "We know next to nothing about Oliver's role in the government of Huntingdon in the 1620s because so few borough records survive. ... He may or may not have been one of the twenty-four burgesses elected by all freemen annually to form the common council; he may even have served as one of the two bailiffs. As one of the leading subsidy-men it is to be expected that this was so; and if Hinchingbrook influence could secure his return as MP in 1628, it could surely have secured his election as a councillor." (John Morrill, ed., Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution. Longman. London. 1990. Page 25)

Fortunately, some evidence has come to light to confirm John Morrill's conjecture that Oliver Cromwell was one of the Bailliffs of Huntingdon in the 1620s. It is contained in a letter dated 21 November, 1626 from John Ferrar to his brother, Nicholas, who was in London. It describes how "Richard was at Huntington But Mr Cromwell they said was at London and this day or to Morrow they looked for him home. he acquanted Mr Cromwells sisters with the buissines but they would not receive this Labell but rayled exceedingly at him but he tould them what the buissiness was and in there sight pinned the Labell one the Dore and then went and tould Mr Cromwels under Baly of the buissiness and he said he would take order that his M[aste]r Cromwell should haue notise of it: so I pray god send a good end to it; ...." (Ferrar Papers, Magdalene College, Cambridge. reproduced without superscript letters)

This can only be a reference to Oliver Cromwell and to legal proceedings in which he was involved. The apparent presence of his sisters in his household is also worth noting. When Blair Worden's study of Cromwell is published, this episode will almost certainly be better illuminated.