Richard Cromwell | Autograph letter signed, to his daughters Elizabeth and Anne, 29 July 1689

Richard Cromwell

Autograph letter signed (with initials "R.C."), to his daughters Elizabeth and Anne

writing warmly with expressions of his paternal love, but acknowledging that his continued absence would be beneficial to his daughters ("... I doe assure you, nothing in this world could be more pleasing to me, then to enjoy the company of my Children: but lett me act as Fa[ther] not to doe that w[hi]ch shall be prejudiciall to them. I thinck my removall should be w[i]th advice, and I am ready to imbrace it..."), assuring them of the comfort his daughters nonetheless give him ("...ye are all blessings & comforts to me, I thanck you for your Xtchian advice: tryalls cals for Faith, a suitablness to the exercise keeps the head above the waves..."), and his pleasure at hearing family news and his plans to see their brother, 1 page, folio, 29 September 1689, with near-complete red wax armorial seal impression

A FAMILY LETTER BY THE FORMER LORD PROTECTOR. Richard Cromwell (1626-1712) had played no significant part in the Civil War or early years of the Commonwealth, but from 1657 he was groomed to succeed his father. He was proclaimed Lord Protector on 3 September 1658 after the death of his father but he was unable to stamp his authority over an increasingly chaotic government, and he resigned the office after eight months. He lived in exile for twenty years after the Restoration but by 1689 was back in England, living quietly under assumed names - hence the use of initials in this letter - in rented accommodation in Finchley, just north of London. Many of his contemporaries commented on the younger Cromwell's gentle charm and modesty, whilst his deep religious faith is evident in his letters, including this example. Richard Cromwell is also one of very few heads of state in British history to have lived to witness the coronation of his successors.