This volume has been many years in preparation and accordingly numerous debts of gratitude have been incurred along the way. Three such debts should be warmly and gratefully acknowledged at the outset, for without them this project could not have proceeded. Firstly, the Henry Cromwell correspondence transcribed and annotated here is contained in three volumes of the Lansdowne Collection held by the Department of Manuscripts of the British Library and I am most grateful to the British Library in general, and to the Head of Administration of Western Manuscripts in particular, for granting permission for this material to be published. The correspondence formed the basis of a Master of Letters thesis by Clyve Jones, awarded by the University of Lancaster in 1969 and comprising in large part an annotated transcript of the majority of the letters. Having decided not to prepare a scholarly edition for publication himself, Dr Jones strongly supported my own proposal to work on the material afresh and to prepare an edition for publication. Thus, secondly, I am enormously grateful to Dr Jones not only for his approval and endorsement of my taking on this project – without it, I could not and would not have taken the idea any further, as he had undertaken detailed work on the manuscript well ahead of me – but also for his unfailing help and encouragement throughout its lengthy gestation. Thirdly, I am enormously grateful to a trio of senior academics for the encouragement, help, and support that they offered at the outset, as I framed a formal publication proposal and embarked upon the work: to the late Professor Austin Woolrych, who had himself worked on the correspondence and had supervised Dr Jones's Masters thesis; to Professor Ivan Roots, who supervised my own doctoral thesis on Protectoral central government and who has remained a valued friend and mentor ever since; and to Professor Blair Worden, who was the pre-1700 literary director for the Royal Historical Society at the time that my proposal was submitted and accepted and as serious work began.

The Henry Cromwell correspondence  1

Henry Cromwell and his governance of Ireland  9

This new edition spans the entire Henry Cromwell collection in the three Lansdowne volumes and covers all 536 seventeenth-century items contained within them. The overwhelming majority of the letters are transcribed in full and the entire texts are reproduced here. In a small number of cases the contents are briefly noted; they are not calendared. This applies mainly to minor letters of recommendation, courtesy, or religious exhortation; letters which merely repeat the contents of an earlier letter by that author; some of the more minor letters dealing with disputes over private business affairs or land allocated in Ireland; and the miscellaneous items of non-correspondence. Thus, in this edition, items are either reproduced in full or they are briefly noted; no letter is partly transcribed and partly noted and no letter is calendared. The overwhelming majority of the items, either dated or closely datable, have been arranged in a single chronological sequence, while the few items that cannot be assigned a fairly narrow date range have been placed at the end, followed by the handful of miscellaneous items. Throughout, the aim has been to produce a readable and easily accessible edition of the correspondence, while broadly adhering to the principles and practices recommended in R. F. Hunnisett, Editing Records for Publication (London, 1977).

Letter of request, seeking charitable relief and support to help lift the writer and his family out of their sad condition; refers to an earlier unanswered letter to the same purpose of July 1653 and expresses regret at his failure to wait on Henry Cromwell in person during the latter's recent visit to Ireland.1

Though my personall attendance on your lordship receives a discontinuance by my absence from Ireland, I cannot so much forget the obligation of that noble respect vouchsafed me there and the authority of your lordship's commands as not to waite on your lordship by my letters till a new oportunity admitt me againe the honour of kissing your lordship's hands. And though the impression I am under of your lordship's high civilityes might justifye large acknowledgments, yet beleeving your lordship delights more in obligeing acts then the repetition of them, I forbeare saying more then that I shall retayne a due resentment of my great ingagements to appeare your lordship's servant and am ambitious to receive some commands from your lordship which may witnesse you are pleased so to account of me.

Being att Whitehall from whence one sence my coming thither I have troubled you, and this is like to prove another, I professe the only reason why I am not this way more often vissetting you. And peradventure my cautiousnesse may be accounted neglect, but having a clear mark of affection to you, I can by that give my selfe a great deale of quiett. I desire to abandon all thought of unkindnesse and I am certaine it must be high provocation that shall raise such a spiritt in me. As nature hath linked us soe near, soe shall the grace of God tye our affections with cords of true love that cannot be broken. I ought not to robb you of your pretious time, nor should I have gone any further, much lesse troubled you with any new matter, but that I am through the exceeding civility of my countryman, Mr Reynolds,1 prest in my disposition to answer the obligation of his kindnesse by recommending to your intrested power in the councell of Ireland the consideration of his bussinesse that it may have a speedy dispatch and effectually to answer the expectations which are very much raised even to confidence, for that his Highness hath written on his behalfe. That which is aimed att is that his lands may be sett oute. I need not ofer many arguments, there being a justnesse in it that it should be done and a just disposition in you to see those juste rights speedily and rightly placed; it being a carrecter upon you, hath prouved great reputation; never did private spiritt doe anything that was worthy of living praisse. I desire God to continew such a spiritt to you as may be publique, it being comprehensive you are certaine by its learge cercumference to take in all sorts of people, and soe consequently the people of God; you making noe difference but when the seale is upon a saint and the marke of the beaste upon an enimy to Jesus Christ, yet it preserving property to all sorts and ranks of men. I am ashamed of my tediousnesse to you, and therefore I shall desire your excuse and the presenting my unfeined respects and service to my dear sister and your self, I take leave and rest, deare brother,

Whereas I cane answer for demanding my pay and a discharg from thee Henery Cromwell in a miutinous and sedissous maner, it is falce, I disowen it, for I came in the feare of God to desire a discharg of thee which thou did promis me. I demanded it not in a miutinous nor sedisous manner, as that of God in thy conscience may wittness and as many peopele whoe were then present may wittness to the contrary, and when I came to thy house to looke for thy promis I was put out of doors by the shoulder. Then I came to thee again and gave thee a paper sheweing the justnes of what I desired of thee and in it demanded my wages not in a miutinous nor sedisous maner as yee falcely accus me and as that of God in all your consciences may wittness to the contrary, and to the light of Christ in all tender consciences who reads that paper I leave it to judg whether thos words be spoken in a miutinous and sedisous maner which are written in that paper.

We have received your counsell's letter, and the counsell heare are very sensible of your condition and will not want desires and endevors to get you monyes. The assignments allready orderd you will, I presume, not make your arreare so great as a 100,000. We shall compare your account sent to collonel Jones with what the treasurers heare comput it at, and if you are not equally concerned and provided for with any of the other forces we shall soone remidy that difficulty, though the complaints from Scotland and the army in England are much to the same purpose, and really our case is so sadde that which way we shall be able to turn ourselves from the difficultyes we are under I know not; but I shall no more at presant trouble you and shall by the next have an exact account, and in the meane time we shall charge the 20,000 formerly assigned out of delinquents' lands upon the new buildings.1 Our fleet and armyes are in a sadde condition. This army never hade such an occation to be tempted as they have now, yet are, and I trust will be, in a very stauch2 and quiet condition. The Lord direct and manage the hearts of the parliment to such a consideration of the case of this nation that the issue may be for further settlement of thes poore nations, upon true and lasting foundations in preserving the libertyes of the people of God, and the civill libertyes allso, both of which we ought to have a due regard unto, though the 1st to have the preference. I think ther is much in the present goverment which conserves both, which that it may be most upon our hearts is the desire of,

The last weeke Mr Secretary Thurlowe and Doctor Slater were chosen for Cambridge and for other parts Mr Charles Rich, Mr Turner (of Greys Inn), Mr Barrington (one of his Highnes' bedchamber), Mr Brewster, collonel Matthews, Mr Herbert (earle of Pembroke's brother), major Ludlow, Mr Hill, Sir John Carter and Mr Manley.2 Wednesday last his Highnes conferred the honour of knighthood upon collonel Hugh Bethell.3 Such of our fleet lately returned from the Sound and not prejudiced by the ice are ordered to remaine in the Downes and the rest to come into harbour. A booke entytuled Breife Directions how fitt a popular Governement may bee made, referred to a comittee to finde out the author thereof. Upon complaint of the Dutch embassador against 2 books, entytuled Mercurius Anglicus and The Dutch Charactarized, referred likewise. The king of Sweden intends to leave a sufficient leaguer before Coppenhagen and to joyne with 10,000 of generall Wrangell's forces intrenched neere Fredericks Ode4 and in order thereunto 5,000 men are marching to him out of Pomerania. Sir George Aiscue is certainely gott into the Sound with his 2 shipps. A flood hath lately happened which hath overrunn 3 villages in the north of Holland. I humbly subscribe myselfe, my lord,

The respect and honour I bare your excellencie will not suffer mee willingly to offer the least injury to your patience, and if I did not thinke it a duty incumbent uppon mee, I should choose much rather to be silent then give your excellencie this trouble and it is not without much feare least likewise the occation should not be pleaseing to you, but I beg your excellencie's beleife that I am cautious of doing the one or the other. What I have to write is to acquaint your excellencie that there is a treaty of marriage betweene my lady Reynolds1 and myselfe, which I suppose is already knowen to your excellencie, for I must confesse I know not how to owne it, considering the relation shee stands in to your excellencie, but desired my lord Russell to intimate and excuse it for mee, whose intercession, I hope, hath in some measure procured my pardon. I have nothinge to say but that as I was induced to it out of a true and reall affection to my lady, soe twas without any presumption towards your excellencie and I am sure my discouragements were not a few, least it should be thought soe, but if your excellencie did but knowe the sinceritie and candidnesse of my heart in this thinge, you would rather pardon then condem mee. I trust I have learnt not to aime at greate thinges, but that wherein I may have comfort and satisfaction soe farre as this world can afford, which I doubt not but I shall in this, if I may obtaine your excellencie's favour, and I shall desire it noe longer then I shall approve myselfe, may it please your excellencie,

Address of loyalty to, and warm affection for, Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector, who was empowered by the Lord and was working with the Lord to safeguard the state; expresses support for the existing constitutional arrangement of government resting with a single person and a parliament, together with other provisions ensuring liberty of conscience, guarding against a perpetual parliament, and so forth, though notes that if specific amendments were necessary the army would not interfere; pledges continuing support for the Protector and invites him, in turn, to depend upon the army.