Our current exhibit, 'Cromwell's Huntingdon', looks at what our town was like during his early life here, including many royal visits and local political controversy. The display runs until 29 September - ideal for the summer holidays. More details at:
*Sigh* So, we have to post a reminder that we are a museum that presents a factual & balanced account of the life and times of Oliver Cromwell, 'warts and all'. We are not his fan club. Yes, he was a divisive figure; but significant regardless. Please keep abuse to yourselves...
We're often asked if there was any connection between Thomas
#Cromwell
and Oliver Cromwell (many people even confuse the confuse the two). The answer is yes - the two men were related. This thread will explain how with a quick guide to the
#CromwellFamily
#Tudors
#17thCentury
1/7
#OnThisDay
1 April 1656 Oliver Cromwell issues an edict banning ‘All Fool’s Day’, for “the greater protection of public order and worthy humour”. This was not repealed at the Restoration and is still technically statute today.
#FunFact
#OTD
#17thCentury
*Sigh*
So, a periodic reminder that we are a museum that presents a factual & balanced account of the life and times of Oliver Cromwell, 'warts and all'.
We are not his fan club.
Yes, he was a divisive figure; but significant regardless.
Please keep abuse to yourselves... Ta.
#OnThisDay
29 January 1649 the death warrant for the execution of Charles I was signed by 59 of the Commissioners who sat in judgement upon him; their signatures would be used later to condemn them as regicides. Facsimile of the death warrant in our collection.
#17thCentury
#OTD
In today's
#PMQs
@DavidDavisMP
invoked Leo Amery MP's quote of Cromwell's dismissal of the Rump Parliament in 1653 against Chamberlain in 1940: "You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!" 1/8
#OnThisDay
20 April 1653, Oliver Cromwell addressed, then brought in troops to expel, the Rump Parliament. This rare surviving
#17thCentury
hat in our collection is said to be the one that he wore on that day, having been passed down through his descendants.
#OTD
Thread 1/4
#OnThisDay
29 January 1649 the death warrant for the execution of Charles I was signed by 59 of the Commissioners who sat in judgement upon him; their signatures would be used later to condemn them as regicides. Facsimile of the death warrant in our collection.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
3 September 1658 Oliver
#Cromwell
died at Whitehall, London, of a combination of illnesses, exhaustion & grief at his second daughter's death, and on the anniversary of his two greatest victories. This
#17thCentury
cast of his death mask is in our collection.
#OTD
You know you’ve been spending too much time on the
#17thCentury
when you misread the first
@BBCNews
headline and assume an alleged psychic claims to have contacted a beheaded 1600s monarch for his views on the climate crisis… 😂😂
With all the modern political upheavals this week, we wondered if this might have parallels with the
#17thCentury
for our
#FridayFun
this week, and events 370 years ago when the debate was about the trial of
#CharlesI
- a form of 'Rex-it'...? 😉Have a great weekend...
#humour
We’re quite excited this morning as our
#Christmas
cards have arrived, which are suitably
#17thCentury
... They’ll be on sale from tomorrow from the Museum, priced £5 for a pack of 10. Show how Puritanical you are this festive(?) season, with proceeds to support the Museum. 😉
#OnThisDay
20 April 1653, Oliver Cromwell addresses the Rump Parliament. He calls in troops to expel them, saying "You have been sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"
#17thCentury
#OTD
Thread 1/2
#OnThisDay
20 April 1653, Oliver Cromwell addressed, then brought in troops to expel, the Rump Parliament. This rare surviving
#17thCentury
hat in our collection is said to be the one that he wore on that day, having been passed down through his descendants.
#OTD
Thread 1/4
We’re officially reopening from next Saturday, but this week are having a ‘soft opening’ from today to test out our new procedures. If you’re in
#Huntingdon
, do pop in and see us! As you can see we have our own unique way of getting Social Distancing across! 😀
#OnThisDay
20 April 1653, Oliver Cromwell addressed, then called in troops, to expel the Rump Parliament. This rare surviving
#17thCentury
hat in our collection is believed to be the one that he wore on that day, having been passed down through his descendants.
#OTD
Thread 1/3
You know that thing where you think a painting’s eyes are following you around the room?
We’ve been playing with a bit of software that might give that impression. Watch carefully... ‘Old Noll’ might be watching you... 😳
#OnThisDay
27 January 1649 was the final day of the trial of Charles I. Still contesting the authority of the court, Charles was found guilty and sentenced to death. The full story can be found in our new exhibit 'Cruel Necessity?' opening this week.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
29 January 1649 the death warrant for the execution of Charles I was signed by 59 of the Commissioners who sat in judgement upon him; their signatures would be used later to condemn them as regicides. Facsimile of the death warrant in our collection.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
15 April 1651 was the first publication of Thomas Hobbes' book ‘Leviathan’ - an influential study on the nature of government, heavily influenced by the events of the
#EnglishCivilWar
.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
28 October 1647 the Putney Debates opened with Cromwell chairing them. The Council of the Army met in Putney church to discuss the 'The Case of the Armie and Agreement of the People', debating very radical constitutional ideas for the 1600s.
#17thCentury
#Levellers
1/3
#OnThisDay
30 January 1649, Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London for 'Treason and other high crimes'. Charles behaved with great dignity, before being beheaded with a single blow of an axe by an anonymous executioner.
#17thCentury
#OTD
It’s
#MayDay
- a day which was traditionally celebrated by dancing and use of a Maypole. Parliament banned the practice of the day in 1644 - interestingly there’s only one recorded prosecution for breaking the ban. In doesn’t seem to have been well enforced... 😉
#17thCentury
#OnThisDay
15 April 1651 was the first publication of Thomas Hobbes' book ‘Leviathan’ - an influential study on the nature of government, heavily influenced by the events of the
#EnglishCivilWar
.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Apologies if we put anyone off their lunch, but one of the more, um, unusual items we've been donated in the last few days is this replica of
#CromwellsHead
, made for a documentary a few years ago! 😳Follow this thread for the bizarre story of the real head... 1/7
#17thcentury
#OnThisDay
30 January 1649, Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London for 'Treason and other high crimes'. Charles behaved with great dignity, before being beheaded with a single blow of an axe by an anonymous executioner.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
28 November 1649 the community of 'Diggers' or 'True Levellers' (who believed in communal ownership of land as a 'common treasury') at Cobham in Surrey were attacked by soldiers. They destroyed 2 houses, evicting 2 or 3 old people out into the open.
#17thCentury
#OTD
This day, 11 September 1649, Parliamentary forces commanded by Cromwell stormed the Royalist held town of Drogheda in Ireland. Over 3000 people were killed in one of the bloodiest sieges of the Civil Wars; understandably the siege has blackened Cromwell's reputation. 1/2
#OnThisDay
11 July 1649 Gerrard Winstanley appealed in vain to the House of Commons against the persecution of the
#Diggers
; as a result the St. George's Hill commune began to disperse and move to Cobham Heath.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
1 April 1657 Oliver Cromwell's Council of State gave orders that a tax was to be imposed on that 'noisome brew', frothy coffee; coffee houses having spread across London since 1652. The tax was repealed, but a tradition of expensive high street lattes was established.
In March last year we had just 6 Twitter followers... 10 months later we’ve just reached over 2,000!! 🍾 Thank you to all of you following our ramblings - all from a small museum in a fairly small town, that’s primarily about a long dead bloke famous for having warts... 😀
If anyone has never seen the 1970 film ‘Cromwell’ it’s on
@BBCFOUR
tonight at 10pm after
@KermodeMovie
’s excellent ‘Secrets of Cinema’ series. Whilst the film is very entertaining & has some great performances (Alec Guineas as Charles I), it’s wildly inaccurate historically... 😊
As an independent museum dependent on visitor income to survive, the current closure hits us hard. 🙁
Can you help? If our social media followers donated just £5 each it would help sustain us during this crisis. You can do so at: . Thank you!
#FridayFiver
#OnThisDay
30 January 1649, Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London for 'Treason and other high crimes'. Charles behaved with great dignity, before being beheaded with a single blow of an axe by an anonymous executioner.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Right, so a week away from
#Christmas
, so let's tackle the big one... Did
#Cromwell
really ban Christmas? In a word, no... Instead that it was Parliament that did (Cromwell was absent at the war when the ban was introduced)... (Thread to follow on this one!)
#17thCentury
(cont'd)
#OnThisDay
7 February 1649 a week after the execution of Charles I, the House of Commons passed a final resolution to abolish the institution of monarchy. A committee was appointed to draw up terms & nominate members for a Council of State as the new executive.
#17thCentury
#OTD
We're delighted to have been awarded a grant from
@ace_national
Emergency Response Fund. This makes a huge difference to us given the impact of the
#Covid19
closure. A massive THANK YOU to
#NationalLottery
players who have made this scheme possible & helped sustain our museum! 😀
#OnThisDay
4 January 1642 King Charles I entered the House of Commons backed by troops to arrest 5 MPs who as his leading critics. Tipped off in advance, none of the 5 men were present. The event was a tipping point towards the outbreak of the 1st
#EnglishCivilWar
#OTD
thread 1/3
#OnThisDay
23 November 1658 was the state funeral of Oliver Cromwell, he had been interred privately 2 weeks before in
@wabbey
, whilst arrangements were finalised. This silk funeral banner in our collection is one of only four that survive from that day.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
20 January 1649 the trial of King Charles I began in Westminster Hall, with the session suspended after Charles refused to accept the authority of the court. Coincidentally this facsimile of his death warrant has just arrived today for the museum!
#17thCentury
#OTD
We've just finished a new transcription of 'The Court and Kitchen of Elizabeth Cromwell' for publication next summer. It contains recipes allegedly used by Mrs Cromwell; our book will also include modernised versions too so you can make them yourself!
#17thCentury
#FoodHistory
Our
#ObjectOfTheWeek
are these small jars with beautifully decorated covers, 3 of 40 contained within a Pomade Chest given to Oliver
#Cromwell
as a diplomatic gift by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1656. Some still contain traces of soap, scented with orange!
#17thCentury
#museums
#OnThisDay
12 August 1647 the infamous and self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins died in his home town of Manningtree in Essex, most likely of TB, and buried the same day. His activities led to the deaths of up to 300 people between 1644 and 1646.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
27 January 1649 was the final day of the Trial of King Charles I, held in Westminster Hall. Still contesting the authority of the court, Charles was found guilty and sentenced to death.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Many Politicians (including the Prime Minister) and Journalists are making reference currently to the Christmas ban of the 1640s/50s. They might find it helpful to check what actually happened... 😉 We have a handy short film to help explain it all at:
#OnThisDay
4 January 1642 King Charles I entered the House of Commons with troops to arrest his leading critics, 5 MPs & 1 Lord. Tipped off, none of the men were present. The event was a tipping point towards the outbreak of the 1st
#EnglishCivilWar
#17thCentury
#OTD
thread 1/3
We've had a very generous donation today, a rare original pamphlet dated August 1647 'A Remonstrance from His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax and the Armie under his Command', published at a time when the army was becoming increasingly radical politically.
#collections
#17thCentury
As
#BakeOff
is back, our
#ObjectOfTheWeek
is Mrs Cromwell's cookery book, published in 1664. Part of it is an essay attacking the
#Cromwells
, the rest a cookery book, possibly using Mrs C's original. It was published as Royalist propaganda but does have nice
#17thCentury
recipes!
Can you help us secure an original copy of the Leveller manifesto 'Agreement of the People'?
One has come up for auction in 48 hours: we'd really like to acquire it! 😀
Please help us raise the funds to secure it for future generations at: Thank you! 🙏
Our
#ObjectOfTheWeek
is this pair of
#17thCentury
cavalry riding boots, believed to have belonged to Edward Whalley. He served in & later commanded Cromwell's regiment of horse and signed the death warrant of Charles I. In 1660 he fled to the American colonies, dying there c1674.
#OnThisDay
14 June 1645 was the Battle of Naseby in Northamptonshire, (with hindsight) the decisive battle of the first
#EnglishCivilWar
, where the army of Charles I suffered a major defeat by the New Modelled Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Thread 1/2
We've hit 9,000 Twitter followers! Many thanks to everyone who follows, supports and enjoys our tiny Museum and its online ramblings, it's very much appreciated! 😀🍾
#OnThisDay
22 November 1650, Parliament passes an act for holding legal proceedings in English rather than Latin. Previous to this there was no guarantee that those standing trial could understand the proceedings against them.
#17thCentury
#Justice
#Law
As one of our regular followers raised that this last weekend was the anniversary of the 'Cromwell' movie in 1970, we thought we'd do a thread looking at the many actors who have played Oliver Cromwell over the last century on film & TV (not including documentaries)... 🙂1/9
#OnThisDay
23 November 1658 was the state funeral of Oliver Cromwell, he had been interred privately 2 weeks before in
@wabbey
, whilst arrangements were finalised. This silk funeral banner in our collection is one of only four that survive from that day.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
12 August 1647 the infamous self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins died in Manningtree in Essex, probably of TB, and was buried the same day. His activities (with others) led to the deaths of over 100 people between 1644 and 1646.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Given the amount of interest that our tweet about the showing of the film ‘Cromwell’ on
@BBCFOUR
tonight at 10pm, our curator will be tweeting along with it on here if you fancy some wry historical commentary. Feel free to join in to alleviate the
#lockdown
boredom! 😊
#OnThisDay
15 March 1649 John Milton appointed 'Secretary of Foreign Tongues' to the Commonwealth. This odd title meant he was responsible for composing diplomatic documents in Latin, used as the language of diplomacy at the time.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Bust of him in our collection.
We're delighted to say that this morning we have been informed by
@ace_national
that we have been awarded a renewal of our Full Museum Accreditation, meeting and exceeding the professional standards for UK Museums. Thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve this! 😀🍾🍾
As it's nearly halfway through
#Lockdown2
(hopefully) our
#ObjectOfTheWeek
is this exquisite 1650s door lock, made by Richard Hewse. It is believed to have been used to secure Oliver Cromwell's bedroom door whilst living at Hampton Court as Lord Protector.
#17thCentury
#OnThisDay
17 March 1649 Parliament passed an Act formally abolishing the Monarchy. Two days later they did the same to the House of Lords.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
8 May 1657 Oliver Cromwell met Members of Parliament at the Banqueting House at Whitehall, where he finally & formally refused their offer to become King, saying "I will not seek to set up that which Providence hath destroyed and laid in the dust…”
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
30 January 1661, the exhumed corpses of Oliver
#Cromwell
, Henry Ireton & John Bradshaw were hanged then decapitated at Tyburn in revenge for their part in the execution of Charles I, 11 years before. Their heads were displayed over Westminster Hall.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
12 August 1647 the infamous and self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins died in his home town of Manningtree in Essex, most likely of TB, and buried the same day. His activities had led to the deaths of over 300 people between 1644 and 1646.
#17thCentury
#OTD
One of our followers yesterday asked about where the terms 'Roundhead' and 'Cavalier' came from during the
#EnglishCivilWar
, so we thought it might be fun to do a quick thread on where these came from. 😀
They were used in the 1640s, originally as terms of abuse..! Thread 1/4 🧵
#OnThisDay
3 September 1658 Oliver
#Cromwell
died at Whitehall, London, of a combination of illnesses, exhaustion & grief at his second daughter's death, and on the anniversary of his two greatest victories. This
#17thCentury
cast of his death mask is in our collection.
#OTD
With current British political divisions, people are using politically insulting nicknames for those of opposing views. This is not new, the terms 'Roundhead' & 'Cavalier' in the
#EnglishCivilWar
were both originally terms of abuse - find out more in this thread.
#17thCentury
1/3
#OnThisDay
16 December 1653 Oliver Cromwell was formally invested as Lord Protector in Westminster Hall (today part of the Houses of Parliament). The Venetian ambassador wrote that "in most solemn and conspicuous manner he found himself created Protector..."
#17thCentury
#OTD
A
#myth
about Oliver
#Cromwell
seen in films & TV is that he dressed dourly in black. The idea that all Puritans did is a Victorian myth; there isn’t a single contemporary portrait of Cromwell in black. He’s always depicted instead in armour or fine clothes.
#17thCentury
#history
#OnThisDay
30 January 1649, Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London for 'Treason and other high crimes'. Charles behaved with great dignity, before being beheaded with a single blow of an axe by an anonymous executioner.
#17thCentury
#OTD
Just a few photos from the official reopening of the Museum today. Many thanks to our funders, designers and volunteers who worked on the project; Sir John Major and members of the
@Sealed_Knot
who made the day so memorable. 😀🍾🍾 More pics over the coming days!
#Huntingdon
#OnThisDay
15 April 1651 was the first publication of Thomas Hobbes' book ‘Leviathan’ - an influential study on the nature of government, heavily influenced by the events of the
#EnglishCivilWar
.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
16 June 1644 Parliamentarian forces besieging
#York
detonated a mine next to St Mary’s Tower in the city's defences (which still bears the scars) attempting to storm the resulting breach. The attack failed, the attackers lost 300 men.
#EnglishCivilWar
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
17 April 1644, Queen Henrietta Maria, at that time pregnant, left
#Oxford
to spend her confinement in
#Exeter
. King Charles travelled with her as far as Abingdon; when they parted it was the last time they ever saw each other.
#EnglishCivilWar
#17thCentury
#OTD
In these stressful times we're injecting a bit of humour with
#FridayFun
posts, adapting images from our collection. This week we're imagining what would have happened if social distancing hit the
#EnglishCivilWar
... Have a good, safe weekend! 😀
#17thCentury
#Humour
#Collections
#OnThisDay
3 September 1658 Oliver Cromwell died at Whitehall, London, of a combination of illnesses, exhaustion & grief at his second daughter's death, and on the anniversary of two of his significant victories. This
#17thCentury
cast of his death mask is in our collection.
#OTD
#OnThisDay
14 October 1645 Parliamentary forces commanded by Oliver Cromwell stormed and sacked Basing House in Hampshire. One of the grandest mansions in England and home to the Marquess of Winchester, it had withstood 2 previous sieges.
#EnglishCivilWar
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
26 October 1649 John Lilburne, having conducted his own defence, was found not guilty by a jury of high treason and inciting the
#Leveller
mutinies, to enthusiastic cheers from the crowds in the courtroom and outside.
#17thCentury
#OTD
As it’s
#WorldBookDay
, we thought we’d share this, a copy of Elizabeth Cromwell’s cookery book. Published as Royalist propaganda in 1664, it was supposed to show how common and provincial the Cromwells were - in fact many of the recipes are really rather nice! 😊
#17thCentury
#OnThisDay
16 December 1653 Oliver Cromwell was formally invested as Lord Protector in Westminster Hall (today part of the Houses of Parliament). The Venetian ambassador wrote that "in most solemn and conspicuous manner he found himself created Protector..."
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
23 July 1637 Charles I’s revised prayer book was first used in St Giles’ Cathedral in
#Edinburgh
. Allegedly Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the minister in protest - the ensuing riot led to the Scots National Covenant and the
#BritishCivilWars
...
#17thCentury
#OTD
#OnThisDay
12 August 1647 the infamous, self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins died in his home town of Manningtree in Essex, most likely of TB, and was buried the same day. His activities led to the deaths of over 100 people between 1644 & 1646.
#17thCentury
#OTD
1/2
For a short period, we have this fragile object on display from our collection until the beginning of November. It's an original painted silk banner from Cromwell's state funeral in November 1658, and is one of only 4 to survive...
#17thCentury
#collections
#museums
#Huntingdon
Gosh, we've hit 7,000 Twitter followers!! Very many thanks to you all for following one of the UK's tiniest and most niche museums and our
#17thCentury
ramblings! 😀🍾🍾
#MuseumsOnTwitter
#OnThisDay
11 July 1649 Gerrard Winstanley appealed in vain to the House of Commons against the persecution of the
#Diggers
; as a result the St. George's Hill commune began to disperse and move to Cobham Heath.
#17thCentury
#OTD
#MayDay
celebrations were banned by Parliament in the 1640s as "a heathenish vanity abused to superstition and wickedness".
Prosecutions for breaking the ban were rare, indicating (most likely) it was difficult to enforce.
Or there was relief at getting out of folk dancing...😉
In his ‘Secrets of Cinema’ episode on historical films
@KermodeMovie
suggested there should be more films on the
#EnglishCivilWar
. Starring who? Who would you get to play Charles I, Cromwell, Henrietta Maria, Prince Rupert or Fairfax and others in a film today? Let us know! 😊
#OnThisDay
23 November 1658 was the state funeral of Oliver Cromwell. He had been interred privately 2 weeks before in
@wabbey
, whilst arrangements were finalised. This silk funeral banner in our collection is one of only four that survive from that day.
#17thCentury
#OTD