Cromwell Lee facts for kids

Cromwell Lee (died 1601) was an English gentleman. He was the son of Sir Anthony Lee. He was also the younger brother of Sir Henry Lee, who was a special champion for Queen Elizabeth I. Cromwell Lee is remembered for starting to write an Italian-English dictionary.

Family Life

Cromwell Lee was the youngest son in his family. His parents were Sir Anthony Lee and Margaret Wyatt. Margaret Wyatt was the sister of the famous poet, Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Cromwell had three older brothers and five sisters. He also had two half-brothers who were born before his father's second marriage.

Cromwell Lee's Career and Life

Cromwell Lee's mother, Margaret Wyatt, painted by Hans Holbein.

Cromwell Lee's eldest brother, Sir Henry Lee, painted by Anthonis Mor.

Cromwell Lee's father, Sir Anthony, likely worked for Thomas Cromwell around 1532. Sir Anthony had an active career at court and in local government. Cromwell's eldest brother, Sir Henry Lee, was a well-known courtier. He was also Queen Elizabeth I's champion.

Around 1572, Cromwell Lee started studying at St John's College, Oxford. However, he left college without getting a degree. After leaving, he spent several years traveling in Italy.

Cromwell Lee seemed to be very close to his eldest brother, Sir Henry Lee. He was also close to his half-brother, Sir Richard Lee. Sir Richard Lee owned land in Hook Norton through his first marriage. Records from 1587 show that Sir Richard had rented out parts of this land to Cromwell. Cromwell Lee lived on this property with his family. There was a disagreement about these land rentals.

Besides the land at Hook Norton, Cromwell Lee also owned property in Cutteslowe in Oxfordshire. He served as a Justice of the Peace for that county. This role meant he helped keep law and order. He mainly lived in Oxford city. In 1590, he received special permission to eat meat during Lent.

In September 1590, Sir Henry Lee was asked to investigate a murder. His brother Cromwell helped him with this investigation. Other important people also joined them.

In 1599, Sir Henry Lee bought the rights to a manor called Spelsbury. He bought it in Cromwell Lee's name. This arrangement allowed Sir Henry to use the manor during Cromwell's life. After Cromwell's death, Sir Henry would fully own it. In 1600, Sir Henry also gave Cromwell his interest in the church rights of Charlbury.

In February 1601, Sir Henry Lee was recovering from an illness at Woodstock. He heard news about a rebellion led by the Earl of Essex. Sir Henry first wanted to go to London with Cromwell. But he had a relapse and could not travel. It is not known if Cromwell Lee went to London by himself.

Cromwell Lee worked on an Italian–English dictionary. He completed it up to the word tralignato. He gave this work to the library at St John's College, Oxford. A neat copy of it is still there today. Even though it was not finished, it was said to be very large.

Cromwell Lee passed away in December 1601. He was living in the parish of St Cross Holywell, Oxford, at the time. His eldest brother, Sir Henry, was his legal heir. In his own will, Sir Henry asked for tombs to be built for Cromwell and other family members. However, it seems this was never done.

A painting believed to be of Cromwell Lee was shown in an exhibition in Oxford in 1904. The artist is thought to be Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. However, no one knows where this painting is now.

Marriage and Family Claims

In 1575, Cromwell Lee married Mary Harcourt. Mary was the widow of Richard Taverner. Richard Taverner had worked for King Edward VI. Mary was one of eight daughters of Sir John Harcourt. She had no children with Cromwell Lee.

A family called Lees from Barna, Tipperary, claimed to be related to Cromwell Lee. This connection might have been through a son named Robert Lee. Robert was the son of Cromwell's servant, Joan Hopkins. In his will, Cromwell left some belongings to Joan and her daughter Alice. He left his household items and land leases to Robert. Joan and Robert were also named as the main inheritors of his remaining property. Joan later married Thomas Aylwin.

Cromwell Lee is also thought to be the father of John Lee (died 1609). John Lee was a Fellow at St John's College, Oxford. He earned his Master of Arts degree in 1591. John Lee's mother was named Anne. He had a brother, Francis Lee, and a sister who was married. John Lee held positions in churches at Fleet Marston and Wootton.

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