Cromwell Court

Was Oliver Cromwell truly a puritan? Here at Cromwell Court, part of Sidney Sussex College, that question hangs in the air. Sidney Sussex College, you see, is famous as Cromwell’s alma mater. This very court bears his name. He studied here in 1616 and 1617. Yet, Sidney Sussex College wasn’t simply a “puritan” haven. Its history is a tapestry of figures from all sides of the English Civil War. Cromwell Court itself, a much later addition to the college, stands as a quiet testament to this complex legacy. Oliver Cromwell, a man of deep religious convictions, believed his successes were divine providence. He studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, a college with a strong Puritan ethos. But Sidney Sussex also housed royalists like John Bramhall, Archbishop of Armagh, and Walter Montagu, a Catholic convert who became an abbé in France. Even Charles Aleyn, author of royalist poems, and Sir Roger L’Estrange, a staunch supporter of Charles II, were educated within these walls. This court, named after a figure so central to English history, reminds us that Sidney Sussex College, and indeed England itself, was a place of conflicting loyalties and beliefs during this tumultuous period. In 1643, Cromwell even resisted his former tutor, Samuel Ward’s, attempts to protect the college from Cromwell’s own forces. This complicated relationship between Cromwell and Sidney Sussex College is mirrored in the college’s own history, a fascinating blend of religious and political figures who shaped England’s destiny. So, as you stand in Cromwell Court, remember, it’s not just a name on a building. It’s a symbol of a complex and fascinating past, a reminder of the many faces of Sidney Sussex College and the turbulent times it witnessed.