Oliver Cromwell and his Family

Oliver Cromwell's mum and dad

Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon on the 25th April 1599.

His family owned a large area of farmland.

His parents had 10 children altogether, but only 7 children lived to be grown-ups – and Oliver was the only boy!

Oliver’s grandfather lived at Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdon, where the big school now is. He would have visited there and enjoyed exploring the house and large gardens.

What do you think it would be like to be the only boy with so many sisters?

Can you find a picture of his grandfather's house on the web?

Like you, Oliver Cromwell went to school in Huntingdon – but his lessons started at 6 in the morning! The school is now the Cromwell Museum.

Oliver Cromwell’s teacher was called Dr Beard. The main subjects he taught were Religious Studies, English and the old languages of Greek and Latin.

It is said that the young Oliver was good at football and loved playing practical jokes!

At the age of 17 Cromwell went to study some more at Cambridge University. This was what the sons of most wealthy farmers did at that time. However, one year later, his father died and Oliver returned home to look after his mother and his sisters.

Can you find out any more about what schools were like 400 years ago?

What kind of practical jokes do you think Oliver Cromwell might have played on people?

As an adult, Oliver Cromwell became a very religious person. He saw all the events of his life as part of God’s plan for him and his religious beliefs influenced all he did.

He became what was called a ‘Puritan’. Along with other things, Puritans believed in plain church services without music, in dressing plainly and modestly and they did not like the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, which they saw as the opposite.

What else did Puritans believe in?

In 1620, when he was 21, Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth Bourchier. She was the daughter of a rich businessman from London. They lived in St Ives for a while and then in Ely.

Mr and Mrs Cromwell had 9 children altogether whose names were Robert (named after Oliver Cromwell’s father) Oliver (named after himself!), Bridget, Richard, Henry, Elizabeth, James, Mary and Frances.

It said that Cromwell had a favourite child, his second daughter, Elizabeth, he called her ‘Bettie’. He became ill when she died, just a month before he did.

Oliver Cromwell died on 3rd September 1658.

Can you find any pictures of the other people in Oliver Cromwell's family?