Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Ardglass, 11 June 1594 to 20 November 1653, was an English

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, son of

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 ...

and his second wife Frances Rugge.

Personal details

Thomas Cromwell was born on 11 June 1594, the eldest son of

(1560–1607) and his second wife Frances Rugge (1563–1631). He had two sisters, Frances (1595–1662) and Anne (1597–1639), as well as a half-sister from his father's first marriage, Elizabeth (born before 1593).

Career

Thomas Cromwell's father Edward escaped punishment for his role in

Essex's Rebellion Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in February 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court. Background Robert ...

of 1601 but debt forced him to exchange his estates in England for lands in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

which had been confiscated after the end of Tyrone's Rebellion and relocate his family to the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...

. Thomas succeeded as 4th Baron Cromwell 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. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

after his father died in

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...

on 24 September 1607 and was further created 1st Viscount

Lecale Lecale (, ) is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or ''túath'' in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the An ...

in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

, on 22 November 1624. A supporter of

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

during the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

, he was

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of Lord Cromwell's Troop of Horse, raised as part of the

Royal Irish Army Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

in 1640. In return for his service, he was created 1st Earl of

Ardglass Ardglass () is a coastal fishing village, townland (of 321 acres) and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the historic barony of Lecale Lower. It is still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardglas ...

, in the Peerage of Ireland, on 15 April 1645; he was subsequently fined £460 by the

Committee for Compounding with Delinquents In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees: the Sequestration Committee, which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents, whi ...

set up by

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. This allegiance placed him in an opposing camp to his distant cousin

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

Marriage and issue

He married Elizabeth Meverell (died 1651), daughter and heiress of Robert Meverell of Ilam, Staffordshire, and of

Throwley Old Hall Throwley Old Hall is a ruined stately home near the village of Calton and adjacent to the River Manifold, in north-east Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument. The estate is privately owned.

, Staffordshire (died 5 February 1627/1628) and Elizabeth Fleming, both buried at Blore, Staffordshire, the daughter of Sir Thomas Fleming,

Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English and ...

, and had three children: *

Wingfield Cromwell, 2nd Earl of Ardglass Wingfield Cromwell, 2nd Earl of Ardglass, DCL, (12 September 1624 – 3 October 1668) was an English nobleman, son of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Ardglass and Elizabeth Meverell. He held the subsidiary titles of 2nd Viscount Lecale and 5th Bar ...

(12 September 1624 – 3 October 1668) *

Vere Essex Cromwell, 4th Earl of Ardglass Vere Essex Cromwell, 4th Earl of Ardglass PC (I), (2 October 1625 – 26 November 1687) was an English nobleman, son of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Ardglass and Elizabeth Meverell. He was the last direct male descendant of Henry VIII's ch ...

(2 October 1625 – 26 November 1687) * Mary Cromwell (died 8 April 1676), married as his first wife William FitzHerbert, of

Tissington Tissington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tissington and Lea Hall, in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 158. The population "Tissington and Lea Hall" at the 20 ...

, Derbyshire (1624/1629 – 24 June 1697), who married secondly Anne Breton, widow of John Parker, of London, and daughter of Richard Breton, of Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, without any male issue. He and his wife both died in 1653 and were buried at St Peter's Church,

Tickencote Tickencote is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is noted for St Peter's Church, Tickencote, St Peter's Church, with its Norman chancel arch. The population at the 2001 census was 67. At ...

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

, and his last

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, dated 26 March 1653, was

probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...

d in 1661.

Arms

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Cracroft's Peerage, Ardglass, Earl of (I, 1645 – 1687)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardglass, Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl Of 1594 births 1653 deaths Cromwell family Cavaliers Peers of Ireland created by James I Earls of Ardglass Barons Cromwell