Thomas Cooper (parliamentarian)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cooper was a colonel in the Parliamentary Army who fought in the English Civil War
and aided in the Cromwellian occupation of Ireland
. He was appointed to the Cromwell's Upper House, and died in 1659.
Cooper was of an ancient and respectable family in Oxfordshire
, which had possessed the manor of South Weston
, with other estates in that county for several centuries; he was an alderman of Oxford, which place he represented in the Short Parliament
called by King Charles I
in 1640, with Lord Howard; but that assembly, having been most imprudently dissolved,Nobel could have misread his source, this may have been another Thomas Cooper (c.1593–1640) who was Mayor of Oxford in 1628 (Jenkins, Stephanie. Thomas Cooper Mayor of Oxford 1630/1, website of Oxford History, Headington, Oxford Retrieved 6 September 2009) he was again returned to the Long Parliament
. He rose in the Parliament army to the rank of Colonel of foot, and accompanied Oliver Cromwell into Scotland in 1651. He afterwards was sent into Ireland. In 1656, he was one of the representatives of the counties of Down, Antrim, and Armagh, in the latter kingdom. Some time after the initial nominations, he accepted the nomination as a lord in Cromwell's Upper House. His name is under the order for proclaiming Richard Cromwell
Protector. What he may have gained during the usurpation was not known to Mark Nobel, who was writing at the end of the eighteenth century, but Nobel speculated that perhaps it was considerable; for though Cooper was a great sufferer by the restoration of the monarchy
, his descendant and heir, Thomas Cooper, Esq. inhered the manor at South Weston, with other properties, in Oxfordshire, of the value of £1000 per annum.Noble is supported by Reid, basing his account on John Thurloe
's manuscripts as a source, assert that the Thomas Cooper who was an English soldier who moved from Scotland to Ireland, was the Thomas Cooper who was also in London in 1658. Noble is also supported by Anne Conway, who in a footnote to a letter dated 5 July 1659 to from Lord Conway
in Kensington
, to his brother Major Rawdon. In it Conway states he had recently spoken to a Colonel Cooper (presumably in London) to which Conway states in a footnote "Thomas Cooper whom Cromwell had put in charge of forces in Ulster in 1655".(Conway p. 160 footnote).
However Aidan Clarke states that the Colonel Thomas Cooper who was in Ulster was a Scotsman and that he died in Ulster on 21 December 1659.(Clarke pp. 58, 115)
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and aided in the Cromwellian occupation of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
. He was appointed to the Cromwell's Upper House, and died in 1659.
Cooper was of an ancient and respectable family in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, which had possessed the manor of South Weston
South Weston
South Weston is a village in Lewknor civil parish, about south of Thame in Oxfordshire. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.-Parish church:...
, with other estates in that county for several centuries; he was an alderman of Oxford, which place he represented in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
called by King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in 1640, with Lord Howard; but that assembly, having been most imprudently dissolved,Nobel could have misread his source, this may have been another Thomas Cooper (c.1593–1640) who was Mayor of Oxford in 1628 (Jenkins, Stephanie. Thomas Cooper Mayor of Oxford 1630/1, website of Oxford History, Headington, Oxford Retrieved 6 September 2009) he was again returned to the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. He rose in the Parliament army to the rank of Colonel of foot, and accompanied Oliver Cromwell into Scotland in 1651. He afterwards was sent into Ireland. In 1656, he was one of the representatives of the counties of Down, Antrim, and Armagh, in the latter kingdom. Some time after the initial nominations, he accepted the nomination as a lord in Cromwell's Upper House. His name is under the order for proclaiming Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
Protector. What he may have gained during the usurpation was not known to Mark Nobel, who was writing at the end of the eighteenth century, but Nobel speculated that perhaps it was considerable; for though Cooper was a great sufferer by the restoration of the monarchy
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, his descendant and heir, Thomas Cooper, Esq. inhered the manor at South Weston, with other properties, in Oxfordshire, of the value of £1000 per annum.Noble is supported by Reid, basing his account on John Thurloe
John Thurloe
John Thurloe was a secretary to the council of state in Protectorate England and spymaster for Oliver Cromwell.-Life:...
's manuscripts as a source, assert that the Thomas Cooper who was an English soldier who moved from Scotland to Ireland, was the Thomas Cooper who was also in London in 1658. Noble is also supported by Anne Conway, who in a footnote to a letter dated 5 July 1659 to from Lord Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway PC, FRS was an English peer and politician who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1681 and 1683.-Life:...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, to his brother Major Rawdon. In it Conway states he had recently spoken to a Colonel Cooper (presumably in London) to which Conway states in a footnote "Thomas Cooper whom Cromwell had put in charge of forces in Ulster in 1655".(Conway p. 160 footnote).
However Aidan Clarke states that the Colonel Thomas Cooper who was in Ulster was a Scotsman and that he died in Ulster on 21 December 1659.(Clarke pp. 58, 115)
Further reading
- Editors. The Gentleman's magazine, Volume 191 Gleanings from the Irish Council Books p. 1852 Letter from Henry Cromwell to Cooper and others in charge in Ulster over religion
- Notes and queries, Volume 11, January–June 1867. p. 417 pp. 491,492 "Thomas Cooper (3rd S. xi 417.) E. H. C is referred to a statement in Burke's Armory, from whence it appears that Thomas Cooper, Colonel in Cromwell's army, called to the Protector's Upper House in 1658, is now represented by the family of Thomas Beale Cooper, M.D., of Mansion House, Bengeworth, Esq., whose pedigree may probably be found in that author's Landed Gentry. — ; Pingatoris.