The collected letters and speeches of Oliver Cromwell have appeared in many different editions and versions since they were first published in 1845 by Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle’s fascination with Cromwell grew out of his interest in the concept of heroes and hero worship and he set out in the early 1840s to write a biography of Cromwell. The challenge proved too great and he deliberately destroyed his manuscript. He decided that the best alternative was to produce an edition of Cromwell’s own words and that is what he produced.

There are a total of 205 letters and 19 speeches reproduced here.

The work very quickly went through three editions. It proved to be very popular and helped to shape the image and profile of Cromwell in the second half of the 19th century. The work was to a large extent replaced as a source in 1937 by William Cortez Abbott’s edition of the Writings and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell but Abbott lacked by his own admission Carlyle’s ‘arresting style’ in the linking narrative text and interpretation.

A new scholarly edition of the letters and speeches is now in course of preparation by a team of leading academic experts and will be published in due course and will set a new benchmark for textual accuracy. In the meantime the letters and speeches available here, taken from the 2nd edition of Carlyle of 1846 and initially transcribed by Cambridgeshire Software House in 1999, provide a flavour of Oliver Cromwell’s own words.

The Cromwell Museum and the Cromwell Association are grateful to CSH for permission to use their transcriptions.

Letters of Oliver Cromwell 1635 to 1657

Letter No.	Date	Recipient
1	11th January 1635	Mr Storie
2	13th October 1638	Cousin
3	February 1640	Mr Willingham
4	23rd January 1642	Mr Barnard
5	23rd March 1642	Mayor of Colchester
6	10th January 1643	Mr Hitch
7	10th March 1643	Mr Hitch & Major Gen Crawford
8	10th April 1643	Sir John Burgoyne
9	17th April 1643	Robert Barnard
10	3rd May 1643	Committee at Lincoln
11	13th May 1643	Grantham
12	28th May 1643	Mayor of Colchester
13	31st July 1643	Committee of the Association
14	5th August 1643	from Francis Willoughby
15	6th August 1643	Committee of the Association
16	11th September 1643	Boston
17	5th July 1644	Valentine Walton
18	1st September 1644	Committee for Isle of Ely
19	5th/6th September 1644	Colonel Valentine Walton
20	9th April 1645	Sir Thomas Fairfax
21	25th April 1645	Committee of Both Kingdoms
22	29th April 1645	Governor of the Garrison in Farringdon
23	4th June 1645	Sir Thomas Fairfax
24	14th June 1645	William Lenthall
25	4th august 1645	Sir Thomas Fairfax
26	14th September 1645	Honourable William Lenthall
27	6th October 1645	Sir Thomas Fairfax
28	14th October 1645	Honourable William Lenthall
29	14th October 1645	Sir Thomas Fairfax
30	17th October 1645	Honourable William Lenthall
31	11th March 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
32	19th March 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
33	27th July 1646	Thomas Knyvett
34	31st July 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
35	10th August 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
36	26th August 1646	John Rushworth
37	6th October 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
38	25th October 1646	Bridget Ireton
39	21st December 1646	Sir Thomas Fairfax
40	3rd January 1647	Colonel Robert Hammond
41	25th February 1647	Colonel Richard Norton
42	7th March 1647	Sir Thomas Fairfax
43	10th June 1647	Lord Mayor of Royston
44	1st September 1647	Lord of York
45	14th September 1647	Colonel Jones
46	13th October 1647	Sir Thomas Fairfax
47	22nd October 1647	Sir Thomas Fairfax
48	11th November 1647	William Lenthall
49	November 1647	Colonel Whalley
50	1st February 1648	Mr Robinson
51	12th February 1648	Richard Mayor
52	26th February 1648	Richard Mayor
53	8th March 1648	Richard Mayor
54	14th March 1648	Dr Love
55	14th March 1648	to Richard Mayor
56	28th March 1648	Richard Norton
57	3rd April 1648	Richard Norton
58	6th April 1648	Colonel Hammond
59	18th April 1648	Colonel Kenrick
60	14th June 1648	William Lenthall
61	17th June 1648	Major Thomas Saunders
62	28th June 1648	Lord Fairfax
63	11th July 1648	William Lenthall
64	17th August 1648	Honourable Committee of Lancashire
65	20th August 1648	William Lenthall
66	20th August 1648	Committee at York
67	23rd August 1648	Committee at York
68	1st September 1648	Oliver St John
69	2nd September 1648	Lord Wharton
70	11th September 1648	Lord Fairfax
71	15th September 1648	Governor of Berwick
72	16th September 1648	Lord Marquis of Argyle
73	16th September 1648	Committee of Estates for the Kingdom of Scotland
74	18th September 1648	Earl of Loudon
75	21st September 1648	Committee of Estates of the Kingdom of Scotland
76	2nd October 1648	William Lenthall
77	2nd October 1648	Lord Fairfax
78	5th October 1648	Committee of Estates for the Kingdom of Scotland
79	8th October 1648	William Lenthall
80	9th October 1648	William Lenthall
81	9th November 1648	Governor of Pontefract Castle
82	15th November 1648	Committee of Lords and Commons sitting at Derby House
83	20th November 1648	Robert Jenner and John Ashe
84	20th November 1648	Lord General Fairfax
85	25th November 1648	Thomas St Nicholas
86	25th November 1648	Colonel Robert Hammond
87	18th December 1648	Master and fellows of Trinity Hall in Cambridge
88	1st January 1649	Lord Wharton
89	15th February 1649	William Lenthall
90	24th February 1649	Governor of Cahir Castle
91	5th March 1649	John Bradshaw
92	22nd March 1649	Governor of Kilkenny
93	25th March 1649	Richard Mayor
94	30th March 1649	Richard Mayor
95	6th April 1649	Richard Mayor
96	15 April 1649	Richard Mayor
97	15th April 1649	Richard Mayor
98	9th July 1649	Sir James Harrington
99	10th July 1649	William Lenthall
100	19th July 1649	Richard Mayor
101	13th August 1649	Richard Mayor
102	13th August 1649	Dorothy Cromwell
103	22nd August 1649	William Lenthall
104	12th September 1649	Chief Officer commanding in Dundalk
105	16th September 1649	John Bradshaw
106	17th September 1649	William Lenthall
107	27th September 1649	William Lenthall
108	14th October 1649	William Lenthall
109	17th October 1649	Commander in Chief of Ross
110	19th October 1649	Governor of Ross
111	25th October 1649	William Lenthall
112	13th November 1649	Richard Mayor
113	14th November 1649	Thomas Scott
114	14th November 1649	William Lenthall
115	November 1649	William Lenthall
116	19th December 1649	William Lenthall
117	17th January 1650	David Lesley
118	17th January 1650	Committee of Estates of the Kingdom of Scotland
119	4th February 1650	Committee of the Army
120	14th February 1650	Dr Greenwood
121	11th March 1650	William Lenthall
122	24th March 1650	Lord President of the Council of State
123	2nd April 1650	William Lenthall
124	2nd April 1650	Richard Mayor
125	2nd April 1650	Richard Cromwell
126	20th June 1650	William Lenthall
127	17th July 1650	Richard Mayor
128	30th July 1650	Lord President of the Council of State
129	3rd August 1650	General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
130	14th August 1650	David Lesley
131	30th August 1650	Council of State in Whitehall
132	2nd September 1650	Sir Arthur Haselrig
133	4th September 1650	William Lenthall
134	4th September 1650	Sir Arthur Haselrig
135	4th September 1650	Lord President of the Council of State
136	4th September 1650	Elizabeth Cromwell
137	4th September 1650	Richard Mayor
138	4th September 1650	Henry Ireton
139	4th September 1650	Lord Wharton
140	9th September 1650	Governor of the Castle of Edinburgh
141	12th September 1650	Governor of Edinburgh Castle
142	25th September 1650	Lord President of the Council of State
143	9th October 1650	Committee of Estates of Scotland
144	25th October 1650	Colonel Strahan
145	18th November 1650	Governor of Borthwick Castle
146	4th December 1650	William Lenthall
147	12th December 1650	Governor of Edinburgh Castle
148	12th December 1650	Governor of the Castle of Edinburgh
149	12th December 1650	Governor of the Castle of Edinburgh
150	13th December 1650	Governor of Edinburgh Castle
151	14th December 1650	Governor of Edinburgh Castle
152	18th December 1650	Governor of Edinburgh Castle
153	24th December 1650	William Lenthall
154	25th December 1650	Colonel Hacker
155	27th December 1650	Elizabeth Cromwell to her Husband the Lord General at Edinburgh
156	12th April 1651	Elizabeth Cromwell
157	12th April 1651	Archibald Johnston
158	3rd May 1651	Elizabeth Cromwell
159	3rd June 1651	Lord President of the Council of State
160	21st July 1651	William Lenthall
161	24th July 1651	Lord President of the Council of State
162	26th July 1651	Lord President of the Council of State
163	28th July 1651	Richard Mayor
164	29th July 1651	William Lenthall
165	4th august 1651	William Lenthall
166	27th August 1651	Lord Wharton
167	3rd September 1651	William Lenthall
168	4th September 1651	William Lenthall
169	2nd October 1651	Pastor in Boston New England
170	30th July 1652	Mr Hungerford
171	10th December 1652	Anthony Hungerford
172	1652	Lieutenant General Fleetwood
173	23rd April 1653	Mr Parker
174	22nd August 1653	Lieutenant General Fleetwood
175	October 1653	Committee Regulating Customs
176	16th November 1653	Henry Weston
177	4th May 1654	Richard Mayor
178	16th May 1654	Lord Fleetwood
179	16th May 1654	Colonel Alured
180	5th July 1654	Sir Thomas Rymer
181	12th January 1654	Richard Bennet
182	20th January 1654	Captain Unton Crook
183	13th June 1655	General Blake
184	22nd June 1655	Lord Fleetwood
185	28th July 1655	Mr Thurloe
186	30th July 1655	General of the Fleet
187	13th September 1655	General Blake
188	26th September 1655	Commissioners of Maryland
189	October 1655	Vice Admiral Goodson
190	October 1655	Daniel Serle Governor Barbados
191	21st November 1655	Henry Cromwell
192	28th April 1656	Generals Blake and Montague
193	6th May 1656	Generals Blake and Montague
194	9th May 1656	Committee of City of London for Gresham College
195	29th May 1656	Richard Cromwell
196	26th August 1656	Henry Cromwell
197	28th August 1656	Generals Blake and Montague
198	18th December 1656	Mayor of Newcastle
199	26th December 1656	Cardinal Mazarin
200	10th June 1657	General Blake
201	11th August 1657	General Montague
202	27th August 1657	John Dunch
203	30th August 1657	General Montague
204	31st August 1657	Sir William Lockhart
205	Not known	Louis King of France

Speeches of Oliver Cromwell 1653 – 1657

Speech No.	Date
1	14th July 1653
2	22nd January 1654
3	22nd January 1654
4	4th September 1654
5	12th September 1654
6	23rd January 1656
7	17th September 1656
8	20th January 1657
9	25th January 1657
10	4th February 1657
11	31st March 1657
12	3rd April 1657
13	8th April 1657
14	11th April 1657
15	13th April 1657
16	20th April 1657
17	21st April 1657
18	8th May 1657
19	9th June 1657