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Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell ( – 4 January 1456) was an English politician and diplomat. A Privy Councillor from 1422, he served as
Treasurer of England The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
(1433–1443) and twice as Chamberlain of the Household (1425–1432 and 1450–1455) during the reign of Henry VI. He also owned and developed a number of properties, including
Tattershall Castle Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, about 12 miles (19 km) north east of Sleaford. Since 1925 it has been in the care of the National Trust. History Tattershall Castle has its origins in either a sto ...
in Lincolnshire.


Origins

He was the son of
Ralph de Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
by his wife Joan Grey, daughter of the chronicler Thomas Grey.


Early life

In his youth, he served in the household of Thomas, Duke of Clarence and joined him when his army crossed into Normandy in August 1412. Cromwell served Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and throughout the reign, he continued fighting in France. In 1417 he was present when Henry took
Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Treaty of Troyes The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the French throne upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was formally signed in the French city of Troyes on 21 May 1420 in the aftermath of ...
.


Politics

Cromwell gained the confidence of Henry V and of his brother John, Duke of Bedford, and during the minority of Henry VI, he gained an important position among the lords of the council. He was first summoned to parliament on 29 September 1422, and in November he was one of the lords appointed in parliament to form the council of regency. Soon afterwards he was appointed Chamberlain of the Household, and on 29 January 1426, he was one of those sent to mediate with
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 139023 February 1447) was an English prince, soldier, and literary patron. He was (as he styled himself) "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of E ...
and reconcile him with
Cardinal Beaufort Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...
. He seems to have generally sided with Beaufort against Gloucester, and on 1 March 1432, during Beaufort's absence in France, Gloucester seized the opportunity to remove the cardinal's friends from office and Cromwell lost the Chamberlainship. In the following May he was warned not to bring more than his usual retinue to parliament, but on 16 June, following Beaufort's example, he laid his case before the House of Lords. He complained that he had been dismissed without cause shown and contrary to the ordinances of 1429, by which the council's proceedings were regulated. He appealed to testimonials from Bedford as to the value of his services in France, but an assurance that he left office without a stain on his character was all the satisfaction he could get. In the summer of 1433, Bedford returned to England, and during his visit, the disgraced ministers were restored to power, with Cromwell made
Treasurer of England The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
. During his tenure, the French war was the single biggest drain on resources, and the crown debt significantly increased despite his attempts to rein in spending and introduce reforms. Cromwell's tenure as Lord High Treasurer also occurred during the
Great Bullion Famine The Great Bullion Famine was a shortage of precious metals that struck Europe in the 15th century, with the worst years of the famine lasting from 1457 to 1464. During the Middle Ages, gold and silver coins saw widespread use as currency in Eur ...
and the beginning of the Great Slump in England. In July 1443 Cromwell resigned his post as Treasurer, possibly due to the rising influence of
William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, (16 October 1396 – 2 May 1450), nicknamed Jackanapes, was an English magnate, statesman, and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He became a favourite of the weak king Henry VI of Engl ...
, who now succeeded Beaufort as the most influential adviser of the king. Instead he took the position of
Chamberlain of the Exchequer Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
, a post he held until 1455. Cromwell does not again come prominently forward until 1449. One of Suffolk's partisans was
William Tailboys William Tailboys, de jure 7th Baron Kyme (c.1416 – 26 May 1464) was a wealthy Lincolnshire squire and adherent of the House of Lancaster, Lancastrian cause during the Wars of the Roses. He was born in Kyme, Lincolnshire, the son of Sir Walter ...
, a Lincolnshire squire, with whom Cromwell had had some local disputes; and on 28 November 1449, Cromwell was attacked by Tailboys. Cromwell began legal proceedings against Tailboys, but was blocked by Suffolk, against whom Cromwell seemingly began impeachment proceedings. Tailboys was sent to the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
and later convicted in February 1450. Suffolk was impeached by the Commons in January 1450 and later murdered on crossing to France. Cromwell was reappointed Chamberlain of the Household in the same year. The fall of Suffolk let loose a flood of personal jealousies, and among Cromwell's enemies were
Yorkists The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...
as well as Lancastrians, though he seems to have belonged to the former party. This included a bitter disagreement over lands with Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter.


Landholdings

Cromwell financed a number of projects in his lifetime. These included properties at
Collyweston Collyweston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, about three miles southwest of Stamford, Lincolnshire, on the road (the A43) to Kettering. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 514. Geography The villa ...
in Northamptonshire and at South Wingfield in Derbyshire. He instructed in his will that the church at Lambley in Nottinghamshire be rebuilt, where his parents and grandparents were buried. He inherited
Tattershall Castle Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, about 12 miles (19 km) north east of Sleaford. Since 1925 it has been in the care of the National Trust. History Tattershall Castle has its origins in either a sto ...
in Lincolnshire, which became his primary residence. Here, he funded the construction of several buildings, including the Grand Tower at the castle, the
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
, the Holy Trinity church and two
almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...
s. The Grand Tower is described by the
National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, to whom it was given in 1925, as "a masterpiece of early English brickwork" and as "one of the three most important surviving mid-15th-century brick castles in England". Cromwell acquired a manor in Wymondham in Norfolk which still bears his name today.


Marriage, death and burial

At some time before 1433, he married Margaret Deincourt (d.1454), daughter and co-heiress with her sister Alice of John Deincourt, 12th Baron Deincourt, without children. Cromwell died on 4 January 1456 at
South Wingfield South Wingfield is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, it is now part of the borough of Amber Valley and formerly in the Scarsdale hundred. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,514. History and description ...
in Derbyshire and was buried at the church at
Tattershall Tattershall is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, east from the point where that road crosses the River Witham. At its eastern end, Tatter ...
in Lincolnshire.


Succession

As he died without children the barony fell into abeyance between his two nieces,Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement, ''Cromwell, Ralph'' by Albert Frederick Pollard daughters of his only sister Maud, second wife of Sir Richard Stanhope: *Maud Stanhope (d.1497), elder niece and eventual sole heiress, who married firstly
Robert Willoughby, 6th Baron Willoughby de Eresby Robert Willoughby, 6th Baron Willoughby de Eresby ( 1385 – 25 July 1452) was an English nobleman and military commander in the Hundred Years' War. Family Robert Willoughby was the son of William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, and ...
; secondly
Sir Thomas Neville Thomas Fauconberg or Thomas Neville, sometimes called Thomas the Bastard, or the Bastard of Fauconberg (1429 – 22 September 1471), was the natural son of William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, who was a leading commander in the Hundred Years' War ...
, son of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury; and thirdly Sir Gervase Clifton. *Joan Stanhope (d.1490), younger niece, who married firstly Sir Humphrey Bourchier, son of
Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex, KG ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a gr ...
, who was summoned to Parliament from 1461 to 1471 as ''Lord Cromwell'' or ''Lord Bourchier de Cromwell''; and secondly Sir
Robert Radcliffe of Hunstanton Sir Robert Radcliffe or Radclyffe (died 1497) was an English landowner. He was a son of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, and not, as is sometimes stated, a member of the Attleborough branch of the family. His estates were at Hunstanton in Norfolk. He was Ste ...
. Following Joan's death in 1490, Maud became the sole heiress and succeeded to the barony. Tattershall Castle was inherited by Joan, but was confiscated by the crown following the death of her husband.


References


External links


Ralph Cromwell, Lord Treasurer…Mr Moneybags
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell, Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron 1393 births 1456 deaths English politicians Members of the Privy Council of England Lord High Treasurers of England Medieval English diplomats 15th-century English people 15th-century diplomats People from Gedling (district) Barons Cromwell