Cromwell, RICHARD

Cromwell, RICHARD, third son of Oliver, born October 4, 1626, became his father's heir by the death of his elder brothers, Robert and Oliver. An amiable but weak man, he lived at first in comparative privacy, but when the Protector had been empowered to nominate his successor, Richard was brought to the front, and an effort was made to train him to the work of government, but in vain. Scarcely had he entered on his office, when the forces of anarchy, both parliamentary and military, broke loose, and he found himself utterly unable to restrain them. It was probably with little reluctance that he quitted Whitehall and retired into private life. After the Restoration he lived for a time abroad under a feigned name; but he returned to England about 1680, and passed the remainder of his life at Cheshunt, where he died July 12, 1712, and was buried in the church at Hursley, Hampshire.