Thomas Cromwell (Parliamentary diarist)
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Thomas Cromwell born in Putney
, third surviving son of The 1st Baron Cromwell
and grandson of the famous Thomas Cromwell, was an English Member of Parliament
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
. His diaries of proceedings in the House of Commons are an important source for historians of parliamentary history during the period at which he was a member, and Sir John Neale
draws heavily upon them in his ground-breaking two-volume study of Elizabeth I and Her Parliaments (1953-7).
Cromwell was a member of five successive Parliaments between 1571 and 1589. His constituencies included Fowey
(1571), Bodmin
(1572–81) and Grampound
(1586-7 and 1588). He served on numerous Parliamentary committees and, by the end of his career, seems to have been one of the most respected of the independent members and recognised as an authority on Parliamentary procedure. His sympathies were with the Puritan
party in the House, but he was considered a moderate. Neale sums him up as
After his retirement from Parliament, he lived until 1611.
He married Anne, family unknown, and had a daughter Elizabeth Cromwell, born in Birmingham
, Warwickshire
, in 1577, who married Richard Price and had Eleanor Price.
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, third surviving son of The 1st Baron Cromwell
Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell
Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, KB was an English peer.-Early life:Cromwell was born in Putney, then in Surrey, the first child and only son of Thomas Cromwell, later 1st Baron Cromwell and briefly 1st Earl of Essex, and his first wife, the former Elizabeth Wykys.He was tutored by Sir...
and grandson of the famous Thomas Cromwell, was an English Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. His diaries of proceedings in the House of Commons are an important source for historians of parliamentary history during the period at which he was a member, and Sir John Neale
J. E. Neale
Sir John Ernest Neale, FBA was a British historian who specialised in Elizabethan and Parliamentary history.-Academic career:...
draws heavily upon them in his ground-breaking two-volume study of Elizabeth I and Her Parliaments (1953-7).
Cromwell was a member of five successive Parliaments between 1571 and 1589. His constituencies included Fowey
Fowey (UK Parliament constituency)
Fowey was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1571 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
(1571), Bodmin
Bodmin (UK Parliament constituency)
Bodmin was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall from 1295 until 1983. Initially, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England and later the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1868 general...
(1572–81) and Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
(1586-7 and 1588). He served on numerous Parliamentary committees and, by the end of his career, seems to have been one of the most respected of the independent members and recognised as an authority on Parliamentary procedure. His sympathies were with the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
party in the House, but he was considered a moderate. Neale sums him up as
- the model type of parliamentarian: deeply versed in the history and procedure of the institution, though like all his generation ... hopelessly yet profitably lacking in historical perspective; eminently responsible, but fearless in defence of liberty; liberal, not to say radical, by instinct.
After his retirement from Parliament, he lived until 1611.
He married Anne, family unknown, and had a daughter Elizabeth Cromwell, born in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, in 1577, who married Richard Price and had Eleanor Price.