Baron Cromwell is a title that has been created several times in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in th ...

. The first creation, which was by

writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

, was for John de Cromwell in 1308. On his death, the barony became extinct. The second creation came in 1375 when Ralph de Cromwell was summoned by writ to Parliament as Lord Cromwell. His grandson, the third baron, served as

Lord High Treasurer 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 ...

King Henry VI Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at ...

. However, on his death in 1455 the barony fell into

abeyance Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. ...

between his nieces Maude and Joan. On Joan's death in 1490 the abeyance was terminated in favour of Maude, the fourth holder. When she died childless in 1497 the peerage once again fell into abeyance, this time between the daughters of the first baron. The title remained in abeyance for over 400 years. However, in 1922 the Committee for Privileges of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

reported in favour of the petition for the termination of the abeyancy of Selina Frances Bewicke-Copley. She was the daughter of Sir Charles Watson Copley, 3rd Baronet, and one of the co-heirs of Maud, daughter of the first baron Cromwell. Selina died in 1923 and in July of the same year the abeyance was terminated in favour of her son Robert Godfrey Wolesley Bewicke-Copley, who became the fifth baron. He notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire. the ancient barony is held by his grandson, the seventh baron, who succeeded his father in 1982. Having lost his seat in the House of Lords under the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, in April 2014 he was elected at a hereditary peers' by-election as a

Crossbencher A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

. The third creation of the title came in 1461 when Sir Humphrey Bourchier was summoned by writ to Parliament as Lord Cromwell. On his death the barony became extinct. The fourth creation of the title came in 1536 for the famous statesman

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

, who served in many political offices, including

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Ch ...

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

, and

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. Originally, ...

. In contrast to the three previous creations, this peerage was created by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, tit ...

. In 1540, Lord Cromwell was made Earl of Essex, but later that year he was executed for treason, and all of his titles were forfeit. The final creation of the title came in 1540 for Cromwell's son, Gregory, also by letters patent. His great-grandson, the fourth baron, was made

Earl of Ardglass The title Earl of Ardglass (pronounced "Ar-''glass''") was created in the Peerage of Ireland on 15 April 1645. The Earl held the subsidiary titles of ''Baron Cromwell'' (Peerage of England, 18 December 1540) and '' Viscount Lecale'' (Peerage of I ...

in 1645.

Barons Cromwell, first creation (1308)

* John de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (d. c. 1335)

Barons Cromwell, second creation (1375)

Ralph de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell Ralph de Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell 2nd creation (died 27 August 1398), Tattershall in Lincolnshire, was an English peer. He was summoned to the House of Lords as Lord Cromwell in 1375.Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives ...

(d. 1398) *

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 ...

(1368–1417) *

Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell 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 (1433–1443) and twice as Chamberlain of the Household (1425–1432 and 1450� ...

(1403–1455) (abeyant 1455) * Maud Stanhope, 4th Baroness Cromwell (d. 1497) (became sole heir 1490; abeyant 1497) * Robert Godfrey Wolesley Bewicke-Copley, 5th Baron Cromwell (1893–1966) (abeyance terminated 1923) * David Godfrey Bewicke-Copley, 6th Baron Cromwell (1929–1982) * Godfrey John Bewicke-Copley, 7th Baron Cromwell (b. 1960) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's son the Hon. David Godfrey Bewicke-Copley (b. 1998)

Barons Cromwell, third creation (1461)

* Humphrey Bourchier, 1st Baron Cromwell (d. 1471)

Barons Cromwell, fourth creation (1536)

Baron Cromwell, ''of Wimbledon in the County of Surrey'': *

Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charg ...

(forfeit 1540)

Barons Cromwell, fifth creation (1540)

Baron Cromwell: *

Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, Order of the Bath, KB ( – 4 July 1551) was an English Nobility, nobleman. He was the only son of the Tudor period, Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex ( – 1540) and Elizabe ...

(c. 1520–1551) *

Henry Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell Henry Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell (before 1 March 1538 – 20 November 1592), the son of Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell and Elizabeth Seymour, was an English peer during the reign of Elizabeth I. He was the grandson of Henry VIII's chief ...

(1538–1592) *

Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell (– 27 April 1607) was an English peer. He was the son of Henry Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell by his wife Mary, daughter of John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester and his first wife Elizabeth Willoughby. Hi ...

(c. 1560–1607) * Thomas Cromwell, 4th Baron Cromwell (1594–1653) (''created 1st Viscount Lecale in 1624 and 1st

in 1645'') * Wingfield Cromwell, 5th Baron Cromwell (1624–1668) * Thomas Cromwell, 6th Baron Cromwell (1653–1682) * Vere Essex Cromwell, 7th Baron Cromwell (1625–1687)

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell 1308 establishments in England Baronies in the Peerage of England Cromwell family Extinct baronies in the Peerage of England Noble titles created in 1308 Noble titles created in 1375 Noble titles created in 1461 Noble titles created in 1536 Noble titles created in 1540