Elizabeth Cromwell

I wrote this article for the Sealed Knot Magazine, I don't knw if it will be used. It's abbreviated from my book The Women of the English Civil War, I always try to find little known facts about the women I write about as I don't think they should be forgotten.

Elizabeth Cromwell

1598 – 1665

Elizabeth Cromwell is almost forgotten in history. In the films made about Cromwell's life she is a figure in the background, hardly there. Invisible. She was eclipsed by her husband and finding out anything about her was a difficult task.

She was born into the wealthy merchant classes to Frances Crane and Sir James Bouchier of Felstead in Essex. She was not particularly a beauty, and had a defect in her eye. Samuel Cooper's portraits of her do not show this and he describes her as “neither uncomely or undignified in person”.

What we do know about Elizabeth was that she was a good cook, and one of her recipe books still exists in the Cromwell Museum in Ely.

Elizabeth bore Oliver his “two families” of nine children, seven of whom lived to maturity. The first family consisted of Robert born 1621,Oliver 1622, Bridget 1624, Richard 1626, (his successor), Henry 1628, Elizabeth 1629 (his favourite daughter).There was a five year gap in her child bearing while Oliver was MP for Huntingdon. Then followed James,1632, died in infancy. Then Mary in 1637, and Frances in 1638. So Elizabeth always had her hands full with her children. In letters to Elizabeth, Oliver always refers to her children!

For a woman whose life revolved around hearth and home, it must have been hard for this ordinary housewife and mother to be thrown into the turbulent politics of the day.

She was accused of influencing her husband by Col. Lilburne who said she was : “steering the helm as well as turning the spit.”

Nothing could have been further from the truth, Oliver was his own man.

She was also called “Joan” by the Cavaliers, an insulting name given to a common or rough woman, and accused her of drunkenness.

When she moved from her farm in Ely to the Cockpit in London while the palace of Westminster was being made ready for the Lord Protector. She found herself very unhappy there.

Elizabeth and her daughter actually met King Charles when he was imprisoned at Hampton Court, it is said they had lunch with the King's gaoler Mr. Ashburnum, afterwards.

There are some moments in Elizabeth's life that stand out. It is known that she employed six daughters of clergymen to do needlework for her in her own apartments. It was her way of protecting these young women when there were not enough young men left to marry and keep them.

Another was when she asked Oliver to recall Charles II back to the throne. Influenced no doubt by Elizabeth Dysart of the original Sealed Knot.

When Oliver died in 1658, and after his son's abortive attempt to take his place, in 1660, Elizabeth tried to take some of the King's possessions with her when she left Whitehall. Hiding them in a fruiterer's warehouse in Thames Street, but they were discovered and returned to Whitehall.

So scared of the Cavalier reprisals, Elizabeth faked her own death and eusscaped to Wales to live while the excitement of the Restoration was at it's peak.

Elizabeth wrote to Charles II pleading to go to the country and lead a quiet life. The Cavalier's were as cavalier in their forgiveness of the former Protectress Joan as they were about everything else. Except the Regicides.

She was given a pension and allowed to live out her days with her daughter Elizabeth and son in law John Claypole at Norborough in Northamptionshire.

She is buried in Norborough church.


Copyright Margaret Cooper Evans, all rights reserved. Any use of this material for any purpose without permission of the copyright owner will be prosecuted,