CROMWELL, OLIVER, the son of Robert Cromwell, M.P. for Huntiogdon in the parliament of 1593, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Stuart, was born in St. John's parish in the town of Huntingdon, on the 25th of April, 1599, and named after his uncle and godfather, Sir Oliver Cromwell, a worthy member of his ancient and respectable family. Many idle stories of his childhood and early youth are related by Noble and some others of his bio graphers, but without any sufficient authority, and there ie really nothing authentic known respecting him prior to April 23, 1616, when, having left school at Huntingdon, be was entered at Sidney College, Cambridge ; his tutor being Mr. Richard Howlett. He remeiued at college little more than a year. At the death of his father, which occurred in Juno 1617, he was removed from the university by his mother, who is said to have thought it more prudent to enter her sou at Lincoln's Inn, that be might follow the profession of the law, but there is no entry of his name on the registers of that or either of the other inns of court. The old account of him goes on to say that Oliver, with little intention to line them for their proper purpose, took possession of his chambers, but being no longer restrained by the vigilance of his father, he gave himself up to profli gate habits, and became addicted to gambling; and that continuing for the next two or three years to live this dissolute life he forfeited the friendship of his uncle Sir Oliver Cromwell. But the only autho rity for such statements are the royalist writers, who seem to have taken a strange delight in vilifying the man who had wrought such ruin to their cause. AU that is certain is that soon after having completed his twenty-first year, lie was married August 22, 1620, to Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir James Bourchicr, and that at this time ha was closely united with the puritan party, and himself, in their phraseology, "a professor of religiun." The next clearly ascertained circumstance in hie history is his electiou as member for the borough of Huntingdon in 162S—a proof that be had thus early succeeded in gaining the confidence of his neighbours, perhaps also that he bad Already begun to take an active part in local politics. In February 1529 the House of Commons having resolved itself into a grand committee on religioo, Cromwell made a speech calling attention to the encouragement by the Bishop of Winchester of the "preaching of flat popery," and steps were in consequence ordered to be taken for procuring evidence against the bishop; but before any further proceedings could be taken tho king dissolved the parliament (March 2s The king, by this impolitic dissolution, still further irri tated his enemies. Cromwell returned home certainly no more loyal
a subject, while his puritanism had been not a little strengthened by his contact with episcopacy. It has been said that his house now became the common resort of those who were of the same way of thinking, and that his hospitality to them increased his expenses until his circumstances became so much embarrassed that a portion of his property was necessarily sold. But this again appears to be only a late scandal. Ile did however it is certain in 1631 sell hie property In Huntingdon, of which place he had been made a justice of the peace in the previous year, and take a grazing farm at St. Ives, where he resided for the next four years, diligently pursuing his new occupation, acting as overseer of the parish, and evidently the leading man among his ecareligionista in that part of the country. In January 1630, by the death of Sir Thomas Stuart, his maternal uncle, he became possessed under his uncle's will of property in the isle of Ely amounting to nearly LON. a year. Hero he continued to reside till 1640, and his family for some years longer. But disgusted with the proceedings of the court, he had determined In 1637 to emigrate to America, and having taken a renege to New England in a ship then lying in the Thames, embarked with his whole family. The vessel was however detained by a proclamation forbidding such ecnbarkationa, unless under a licence from the government, which he knew that he should be enable to procure. He returned therefore to Ely ; hut notwitio standing he saw few persons of importance, the activity and vigour of Lie undervtandin; became generally kuown his open advocacy of principles opposed to the government, and the real with which he misted an attempt of certain proprietors to drain some of the neigh bouring Cambridgeshire fens, and secure to themselves the draiued land, attracted the favourable regard of many public men, and made him so popular In the district that he was commonly spoken of as "Lord of the Fens." In such esteem was he held, that lie was elected representative of the town of Cambridge, in opposition to Counsellor Melville, the court candidate, both to the short-lived parliament of 1640, and afterwards to the Long Parliament, by which it was speedily followed.