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Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell (died 1604) was a Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire and a grandfather of Oliver Cromwell.〔 explains that the reason for Sir Richard Williams, the great grandfather of Oliver Cromwell, changing his name, from Williams to Cromwell. Henry VIII strongly recommended it to the Welsh (whom he incorporated with the English) to adopt the English practice in taking family names, instead of their manner of adding their father's, and perhaps grandfather's name to their own Christian one with nap or ap, as Morgan ap William, or Rich, ap Morgan ap William; i. e. Rich, the son of Morgan the son of Will, and the king was the more anxious as it was found so inconvenient in identifying persons in judicial matters. For these reasons, the Welsh, about this time, dropped the ap in many of their names; or, if it could be done with convenience as to pronunciation, left out the ''a'', and joined the ''p'' to their father's Christian name (Camden's remains; from which it appears that many Christian names were appropriated to families; for the reasons above "we have the Williams's, Lewis's, Morgans, &c. &c. without number, and, by joining the p, the Pritchards, Powels, Parrys, i. e. ap Richard, ap Howell, ap Harry, &c. &c.). Thus Mr. Morgan ap William, Sir Richard's father, seems, from the pedigree, to have taken the family name of Williams; but, as the surname of Williams was of so late standing, his majesty recommended it to Sir Richard, to use that of Cromwell, in honour of his uncle Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, whose present greatness entirely obliterated his former meanness (Various ''lives of Oliver, lord protector, &c''. as also miss Cromwell's pedigree); and it is observable, that Sir Richard's brothers also changed their name to Cromwell (Will of Sir Richard Williams, alias Cromwell, prerogative-office, London, Allan 20. ''Pedigree of the Williams's, alias Cromwells'', Harl. M.S.S. vol. 1174, and Harl. M.S.S. vol. 4135). Thus did the Williams's take, or super-add the surname of Cromwell to that of Williams; and, in almost all their deeds and wills, they constantly wrote themselves Williams, alias Cromwell, down to the seventeenth century. Though the cause of this change is well known, the time is not: many writers pretend the name of Cromwell was not taken up until the time that Sir Richard, was knighted during a tournament; but this is certainly erroneous, as there are grants of ecclesiastical lands patted to him by his names of Williams, alias Cromwell, as early as 1538: these authors are equally mistaken in supposing that the king never knew Sir Richard until the tournament, which cannot be; because those very grants patted some time before these martial games. With the name of Cromwell, Sir Richard assumed the arms of that family; but Sir Henry, his son, and his descendants, retook the proper arms of the Williams's, and never used any other (if the augmentation of the crest is excepted).〕 ==Biography== Sir Henry Williams, of Welsh descent, the eldest son and heir of Sir Richard Williams, was highly esteemed by Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1563,〔, Cites Sylvanus Morgan's ''sphere of gentry''.〕 and did him the honour of sleeping at his seat of Hinchingbrooke, on 18 August 1564, upon her return from visiting the University of Cambridge.〔, Cites Peck's ''desiderata curiosa''.〕 He was in the House of Commons in 1563, as one of the Knights of the Shire for Huntingdonshire,〔, Cites: ''Journals of the house of commons.''〕 and was four times appointed Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, by Elizabeth, ''viz.'' in the 7, 13, 22, and 34 years of her reign;〔, Cites: Fuller's ''worthies, and nom. vicecom''. Harl, coll.no. 259.〕 and in the 20, she nominated him a commissioner with others, to inquire concerning the draining of The Fens through Cloughs Cross and so to the sea.〔, Cites: Dugdale's ''history of the Fens''.〕 He made Huntingdonshire the entire place of his country residence, living at Ramsey Abbey in the summer, and Hinchingbrooke in the winter; he repaired, if not built the manor-house at Ramsey, and made it one of his seats. Mark Noble comments that he had heard that the house of Ramsey was only the lodge of that magnificent pile, and converted by Sir Henry into a dwelling-house. Sir Henry also built Hinchingbrooke House adjoining to the nunnery at Hinchingbrooke,〔"The nuns apartments, or cells, at Hinchinbrook, are now entire, and are used as lodging-rooms for the menial servants; their common room was what is now the kitchen; the church is destroyed, except some trifling ling remains, now part of one of the walls of the house, and seem to have been the corner of the tower; near this place in lowering the flooring, a few years ago, one or more coffins of stone were found." ( writing in 1787)〕 and upon the bow windows there he put the arms of his family, with those of several others to whom he was allied.〔, Cites: Vide the engravings of the arms at Hinchinbrook.〕 Sir Henry lived to a good old age, dying in the beginning of the year 1604. He was buried in All Saints' Church, in Huntingdon, on 7 January.〔, States: "The ''inquisitio post mortem'' gives his death 6 Jan., but as he was buried in a magnificent manner, he could not, we may suppose, be buried the next day. Visit. of Huntingdonfhire, in 1613, says Sir Henry was buried, 24 Jan.."〕 An indication of the funeral pomp used at his interment can be found by the charges of the heralds, which were the same as those incurred at the burial of some of the greatest knights of his day.〔, Cites: Vide letter F in the ''proofs and illust.''〕 Mark Noble stated that Sir William was called, from his liberality, the "golden knight"; and reported that in Ramsey it was said, that whenever Sir Henry came from Hinchingbrooke to that place, he threw considerable sums of money to the poor townsmen.〔, States: Communicated by the rev. Tho. Whifton, of Ramfey.〕 This excellent character is given of him, "he was a worthy gentleman, both in court and country, and universally esteemed";〔, Cites: Banks's and other ''lives of the Lord Protector Oliver''.〕 and which his merit justly deserved. By the record of ''inquisitio post mortem'', taken at Ramsey, 2 June, following his death, it appears that he died possessed of these manors in Huntingdonshire, Saltry, Saltry-Moynes, Saltry-Judith, Sawtry-Monastery, all valued at £60 ''per annum''; Warboys and Whistow, with their rectories, and the New-red-deer Park, valued together at £40 ''per annum''; Hinchingbrooke, valued at £10 ''per annum''; Broughton or Broweton, with the rectory, valued at £20 ''per annum''; Berry and Hepmangrove, and the rectory of Berry, valued at £20 ''per annum''; the forefts of Waybridge, and Sapley, valued at £6 13s 4d; the farm or grange of Higney, and the messuage called the George, with the land belonging to it, valued at £10 ''per annum''; and the manor of Ramsey, with the farm of Biggin, valued at £100 ''per annum''. all of which were held of king by military service. except the forests of Waybridge and Sapley, together with the farm, or grange of Higney, the tenures of which were unknown.〔 Cites: T. Cole coll. ex. Recor. Cur. Wardor. Harl. M.S.S. Vol I.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Henry Williams (alias Cromwell)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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