Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell

Gregory Cromwell
Baron Cromwell
Unknown youth, perhaps Gregory Cromwell, circa 1535–1540,
Hans Holbein the Younger[1]
Coat of armsArms of Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell: Quarterly, per fess, indented, azure and or, four lions passant counterchanged
Tenure1540–1551
SuccessorHenry Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell
Known forSon of Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Bornc. 1520
London[2]
Died4 July 1551 (aged 30–31)
Launde Abbey, Leicestershire, England
Cause of deathSweating sickness
BuriedLaunde Abbey Chapel
52°37′52″N 0°49′23″W / 52.631111°N 0.823056°W / 52.631111; -0.823056
ResidenceLaunde Abbey
LocalityLeicestershire
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1537)​
Issue
Parents

Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, KB (c. 1520[1][3] – 4 July 1551)[4] was an English nobleman. He was the only son of the Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c. 1485 – 1540) and Elizabeth Wyckes (d. 1529).[5][6][7]

Gregory's father Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become the chief minister of Henry VIII, who attempted to modernize government at the expense of the privileges of the nobility and church. He used his office to promote religious reform and was one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation.[8][9][10]

In 1537, Gregory married Elizabeth, Lady Ughtred, widow of Sir Anthony Ughtred, sister to Jane Seymour and therefore became brother-in-law to Henry VIII and uncle to Edward VI.[11] Gregory survived the dramatic fall from royal favour and subsequent execution of his father in 1540, as well as the ousting of his brother-in-law and patron, Edward Seymour, in 1549. He became a wealthy landowner, owning land and property in several counties in England, mainly in Rutland and Leicestershire.[12][13] Gregory's family connections had provided him with wealth, property and privileges; however, it was through his own intelligence and ability, combined with the remarkable education and training provided by his father, that he was able to benefit from them, leaving his wife and family well provided for at his death. Gregory was succeeded by his eldest son, and heir, Henry.[5]

Gregory Cromwell died in July 1551. He may be the subject of two portrait miniatures by Hans Holbein the Younger.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Fitzgerald and MacCulloch 2016.
  2. ^ Leithead 2008:"By 1520 [Thomas] Cromwell was firmly established in London mercantile and legal circles."
  3. ^ Ellis, third series I 1846, p. 338 Introductory notes.
  4. ^ Cokayne III 1913, p. 558.
  5. ^ a b Cokayne III 1913, pp. 557–559.
  6. ^ Strype II(I) 1822, pp. 493–494.
  7. ^ Hawkyard 1982.
  8. ^ Bernard 2007, p. 513.
  9. ^ Underwood 2004, pp. 517–539.
  10. ^ Slavin 1979, pp. 3–19.
  11. ^ Schofield 2011, p. 288.
  12. ^ Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, 16, 580(49).
  13. ^ Wright 1684, p. 97.