Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
NameSir Henry CROMWELL , 1794
Birth1524
Death1603
EducationQueen’s College Cambridge
FatherSir Richard WILLIAMS ALIAS CROMWELL , 1861 (1500-1546)
MotherFrances MURFYN , 4086 (-1533)
Spouses
Unmarried
ChildrenElizabeth , 1793 (-1664)
 Robert , 1819 (1560-1617)
 Oliver , 1860 (1563-1655)
 Henry , 1916
 Richard , 1917
 Philip , 1918
Notes for Sir Henry CROMWELL
Of Hinchinbrooke Huntingdonshire. Arms of Williams/Cromwell displayed at the house.64

The eldest son, Henry Cromwell, matriculated at Queens' in the early 1540s, the first member of the family, so far as is known, to enter the College.

Sir Richard Cromwell's elder son Henry Cromwell was knighted by Elizabeth I in 1563, the year before she visited Hinchinbrook House. He was MP for Huntingdonshire in 1563 and four times High Sheriff of Hunts and Cambs. He was also a Commissioner for the draining of the Fens. He restored and repaired the Manor House at Ramsey, living there in the summer, and built Hinchinbrook House (now a school) in which he and his family lived in the winter. He was famous for his liberality to the poor and was known as "The Golden Knight". There was, however, one dark episode towards the end of his life. His first wife having died after bearing him eleven children, he married again. The second Lady Cromwell died after a long and unpleasant illness. Because of its lingering nature, her death was attributed by local folk to witchcraft. An elderly couple from Warboys and their daughter were accused and in circumstances of extreme barbarity were tortured, condemned and executed. Their meagre possessions, valued at £40, were seized and should have reverted to Sir Henry as Lord of the Manor of Warboys. Instead, he gave the money to the Borough of Huntingdon on condition that a "Bachelor or Doctor of Divinity of Queens' College, Cambridge" should be invited to the town every year to preach a sermon against the evil of witchcraft in one of the churches. This annual sermon was still being preached as late as 1787.
Last Modified 19 Aug 2007Created 4 Mar 2023 using Reunion for Macintosh