Frances Cromwell, Lady Russell (c. 6 December 1638 – 27 January 1720) was the ninth child and youngest daughter of
Oliver Cromwell,
Lord Protector
Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...
of the
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his wife,
Elizabeth Cromwell
Elizabeth Cromwell (née Bourchier; 1598–1665) was the wife of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland; and the mother of Richard Cromwell, the second Lord Protector.
Family and marriage
Eli ...
. She was baptized at St. Mary's Church in
Ely Ely or ELY may refer to:
Places Ireland
* Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely
* Ely Place, Dublin, a street
United Kingdom
* Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England
** Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral, formal ...
on 6 December 1638.
Family and marriage
After growing up in the Cromwell family home, Frances moved to both
Whitehall and
Hampton Court when her parents became the protector and protectress of England. Historians have linked her to several suitors, amongst them
Charles II,
[Antonia Fraser, (1973) Cromwell our Chief of Men, p. 601 ] but she did not marry until 11 November 1657 when she wed Robert Rich (1634–1658), grandson of
Robert Rich, second earl of Warwick (1587–1658), and only son and heir of
Robert Rich, Lord Rich (1611–1659). After a difficult courtship and days of celebration the marriage was short-lived: Rich, who had been ill at the time of the marriage, died 16 February 1658 at Whitehall.
Five years later, on 7 May 1663 Frances married
Sir John Russell
Sir John Wriothesley Russell (22 August 1914 – 3 August 1984) was a British diplomat and ambassador.
He was the only son of Thomas Wentworth Russell, better known as Russell Pasha, who was descended from John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford.
H ...
. Russell died in March 1669. Frances raised their five children, before spending the latter part of her life with her sister
Mary and her husband
Thomas.
Children
Sir John and Lady Russell had three sons and two daughters:
* Sir William Russell, 4th Baronet (c. 1660–1725)
* Christina Russell (d. 1669)
* Frances Elizabeth Russell (1664–1733)
* Maj.-Gen.
Rich Russell
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
**Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated communi ...
(c. 1667–1735)
*
John Russell (1670–1735), President of Bengal
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Frances
Oliver Cromwell
1638 births
1720 deaths
18th-century English people
17th-century English women
17th-century English people
18th-century English women
Frances
Children of Oliver Cromwell
Wives of baronets