A great parliamentarian pushed into obscurity
SIR – It is a source of annoyance to members of the John Hampden Society when we walk past Westminster Hall and see Oliver Cromwell’s statue in full view, while that of his cousin Hampden – much more a friend of the parliamentary system – is situated at the entrance to the Central Lobby, so not visible to the public. We therefore have some sympathy with Jeremy Crick’s campaign to have Cromwell’s statue removed (report, September 30).
Until his death in 1643, Hampden was a much greater statesman than Cromwell, and his fame continued down to the mid-19th century, by which point his name had been given to many communities across the English-speaking world.
However, as our president, Professor John Adair, points out in his 1976 biography: “From this pinnacle of fame the name of Hampden slipped into a country obscurity. Thomas Carlyle in Cromwell’ s Letters and Speeches, published in 1845, displays a contempt for him. The Cromwell band-wagon had begun to roll.”
Reflecting Carlyle’s assumption that history is made by a few great men, biography after biography of Cromwell appeared, extolling his role above all others. A new myth grew up that he had conceived and led the opposition to King Charles from the start and won the Civil War single-handed. Hampden became a footnote, usually mentioned in connection with “ship money”. Roy Bailey
Chairman, The John Hampden Society Great Shefford, Berkshire