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The ‘Royal Ancestry’ statues in the Palace of Westminster are a series of 60 stone sculptures which depict British monarchs from 1066-1837. One non-royal was proposed to be included in this series of artworks – the political leader Oliver Cromwell. However, this statue is not in Parliament today. This story explores the production of the statues, the debate about including Cromwell, and the eventual fate of the Cromwell statue.

The ‘Royal Ancestors’ at the New Palace of Westminster 

When a fire destroyed most of the old Palace of Westminster in 1834, a new purpose-built building was commissioned – the Houses of Parliament we know today. When designing the new Palace of Westminster, alongside the grand architecture, there was an ambitious plan for decorating and furnishing the Houses, including sculpture inside and out.

A non-political committee known as ‘Her Majesty’s Commission of Fine Arts’, also know as the Fine Arts Committee, was set up to oversee the artwork at the new Palace. The chairman was Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, and the secretary was Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, later the first director of the National Gallery. 

One of the proposed decorative schemes was the ‘Royal Ancestry’ statues. The series displays every monarch of England from 1066 until 1837, and their consorts. It begins with the Norman King William I (‘the Conqueror’) and his wife Queen Matilda, or Maud. It ends with King William IV and his wife, Queen Adelaide.

The niches in the walls and screens might be filled with statues of Her Majesty’s ancestors, in chronological order, even up to the period of the heptarchy.

Architect’s Report, 2nd Commission of Fine Arts, 1844 

They can be seen today in Central Lobby and St. Stephen’s Hall, right in the heart of the palace. The series was originally intended to include even earlier monarchs, and extend further across the palace. However, for unknown reasons, it was scaled back to sixty statues. They were installed in the Palace of Westminster between 1853 and 1855. They stand in columns of three, in niches around the main doorways. 

A view of St Stephen's Hall, looking towards a large wood and glass doorway. The room is ornately decorated with stone carving, stained glass, decorative floor tiles and a chandelier. There are several statues in the foreground, and a column of statues built into the wall. These depict medieval royalty, and are stood on ornately carved plinths, one above the other.
View of St Stephens Hall. Some Royal Ancestry statues can be seen in a column in the centre of this photograph. Photo credit: UK Parliament

John Thomas and the Thames Bank Workshop 

The statues are attributed to the sculptor John Thomas (1813-1862). He was the Superintendent of Stone Carving at the Palace of Westminster from 1846. A team of sculptors and modellers assisted Thomas. This sculpture workshop was a part the ‘Thames Bank Workshop,’ which created all the decorative carvings for the new Palace of Westminster. 

…all are designed by, and executed under the superintendence of, Mr John Thomas

Illustrated London News 1855 

Sculptor Robert Jackson (active 1840 –79) was Thomas’ chief assistant. Modeller James Mabey (or ‘Maybee’) (active 1842 – died 1883) was foreman of the modelling from 1842-1858. 

A column of three sculptures, stood vertically one on top of the other within a recess. The sculptures are of medieval monarchs wearing crowns and long robes. The sculptures and the stone walls around them are a mid-brown colour and ornately sculpted. There is brightly coloured stained glass high up in the wall to the right of the sculptures, which is red and blue. The corner of a wall painting can be seen in the bottom right, and in the bottom left, another stone statue is stood.
Another column of 3 statues of medieval royalty. The large stained glass window is on the left hand side, indicating this is another part of the set of statues, in a different part of the same large and ornately decorated room.
Royal Ancestry statues in St Stephen’s Hall, photos UK Parliament.

Creating the Royal Ancestry Statues 

There were multiple stages to creating the statues. Firstly, Thomas produced small, scale drawings of the figures for approval of the design. Then, a full-size plaster model of the sculpture was made. The final statue was carved from tinted Caen stone, based on the plaster prototype. 

In 1853, 40 of the plaster models were sent to the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in south London. They were put on display for members of the public to view.

A stone sculpture in a stone niche within a stone wall. The sculpture is photographed from slightly below. It is a crowned female figure stood in front profile, looking slightly to the right of the image. She wears medieval dress and has her arms crossed one over the other, at waist height. In her right hand she holds a sceptre or short staff. It is held diagonally, resting on her shoulder, and extends from her waist height to just above her shoulder. In her left hand she holds the cloth of her cloak in front of her. Her cloak is worn over her shoulders and opens to reveal a dress with a bodice laced in the centre. The dress extends to the floor and her left foot is visible, in a shoe. She wears a veil behind her head and has curly hair, which is pulled back. The sculpture is in an ornately carved niche. Beneath it is a carved, scroll-like plaque which reads ‘Queen Eleanor’ in capitalised script.
Royal Ancestry Sculpture ‘Queen Eleanor’ by John Thomas and the Thames Bank Workshop, 1854-1855, WOA S145 Photo: UK Parliament

The ‘Missing’ Statue of Oliver Cromwell 

In 1855, a popular paper, ‘The Illustrated London News’, reported the completion of the Royal Ancestry statue series. They published a drawing of twenty-four of the statues. Among the kings, queens and consorts, is Oliver Cromwell. 

Drawing of twenty-four figures in historic dress. Black drawings on a white background. At the top of left of the page is the number ‘136’, the words ‘The Illustrated London News’ and in the right hand corner a date, Feb 10, 1855. There is a line below this writing and then, extended across the length of the page in slim capital letters, the words ‘Statues In the New Palace at Westminster.’ The figures are each represented standing on a light coloured plinth with a name beneath them. There are six figures across in four rows downwards. They are in different poses and historic dress and there are a mixture of male and female figures. The names below the first row read: William 1, 1066, Matilda, Queen of Wm 1, 1066, William 2, 1087, Henry 1, 1100, Stephen, 1120, Matilda, wife of Stephen, 1120. The names below the second row read: Richard 1, 1189, Eleanor, wife of Richard 1, 1189, Edward 2, 1307, Margaret wife of Edward 2, 1307, Richard 3, 1377, Henry 5, 1422. The names below the third row read: Elizabeth, Queen of Edward 4, 1478, Henry 8, 1509, Edward 6, 1547, Queen Elizabeth, 1558, James 1, 1603, Anne of Denmark, Queen of James 1, 1603. The names below the fourth row read: Henrietta, Queen of Chas. 1, 1621, Cromwell, 1649, Charles 2, 1660, William 3, 1688, Queen Anne, 1702.
‘Statues in the New Palace of Westminster,’ Illustrated London News, 1855. Cromwell is on the bottom row, second from the left.  

Although not a monarch of Britain, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) was a key figure in the political conflict of the mid-1600s, known as the English Civil Wars. He was a Puritan leader who played a central role in the trial and execution of Charles I in 1649. This led to the ‘interregnum’ period between 1649 and 1660, when England had no monarch. Cromwell ruled England under the title ‘Lord Protector’ of the republican Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 until his death in 1658. The events of the mid-1600s had a lasting effect on British politics. 

You can read a detailed biography of Oliver Cromwell on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website. A shorter biography has been written by the BBC.

Opposition to Cromwell 

The question of whether Cromwell should have a statue at Parliament had been ongoing since 1845. MPs and newspapers debated the suitability of erecting a statue of Cromwell. In particular, the question of whether a statue of Cromwell should be in the chronological line-up of monarchs was a common theme of both political recordings and newspaper articles at the time.

Cromwell was, and still is, a divisive figure. Thomas Carlyle’s book, ‘The Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell’ (1845), had increased Cromwell’s popularity in Victorian Britain. However, there was also opposition to depicting Cromwell at Parliament. During the 1800’s, opponents referenced his radical views, his imposition of military rule and the fact he was never technically a sovereign.

A full-size plaster model of Cromwell was made, but it was rejected by the Fine Arts Committee. It is unclear whether the stone statue was ever completed, and it was never placed in Parliament.

Oliver Cromwell at the Crystal Palace 

Our series […] contains the statue of Oliver Cromwell which, though executed, has not yet been allowed to take its proper place on the walls of the Council Chamber of the nation 

Crystal Palace Penny Guide, 1864

While Cromwell was not included in the Royal Ancestry series at Parliament, the plaster model of Cromwell did feature among the other Royal Ancestry models which were displayed at the Crystal Palace. The display was called the ‘Kings and Queens’ screen. John Thomas himself provided the Cromwell sculpture for the Crystal Palace display. 

Black and white photograph showing an ornamental wall or screen, with an archway in the centre. There is sculpture arranged on the screen, with six sculptures in a row, two rows high, on each side of the archway. On top of the screen are six pairs of sculptured children, three sets on either side of the archway. The child sculptures are classical in style - nude and sat sideways with legs slightly outstretched on either side of a crowned shield. The one on the left holds a sword upright. The one on the right holds a sceptre upright, though some of the sceptres are damaged at the top. The shields between the figures differ along the screens. These sets of children and shields are separated by ornamental columns and urn sculptures. The arch itself has a sculpture above it, of a full-length female figure stood in an arched and decorative niche. She wears a large crown and long robes and holds an orb in one hand and a sceptre in another. There are other smaller figures wearing robes on her left and her right. There are Latin words at the central figure’s shoulder height which are carved into the screen: Dieu et Mon Droit. There are words and letters beneath the bases of the smaller figures: on the left of the image, Victoria. On the right of the image, the letters D C B H F C. The sculptures on the screen are full length. They are stood in niches which are arched, with columns either side and small angel sculptures holding shields spaced between every two sculptures along the top row. They are in different poses and historic dress and there are a mixture of male and female figures. Each figure is stood on a light coloured plinth and there is a name label beneath them. On the top row of the left side of the screen, left to right, these read: Henry 7, Elizabeth, Henry 8, Anne, Edward 6, Mary. On the bottom row of the left side of the screen these read, left to right: Eleanor, Richard 1, Henrietta, John, Isabella, Henry 3. On the top row of the right side of the screen these read, left to right: Elizabeth, James 1, Anne, Charles 1, Henrietta M, Oliver Cromwell. On the bottom row of the right side of the screen these read, left to right: Eleanor, Edward 1, Eleanor, Edward 2, Isabella, Edward 3. Some of the names are partially obscured by a small metal barrier in front of the screen.
‘Kings and Queens Screen’ at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, around 1913. Photograph by an unknown Photographer. Cromwell can be seen in the top-right hand of the display. Please contact us if you know about the copyright owner of this image.

The omission [of Cromwell] has been supplied at Sydenham by Mr. Thomas, who has presented a statue of the “Protector” to the directors

Evening Chronicle, 5th June 1854

Cromwell was placed beside the statues of King Charles I and his wife, Henrietta Maria. Unfortunately, a fire in 1936 destroyed the plaster models at the Crystal Palace in Sydenham. 

Black and white photograph showing an ornamental wall or screen, with an archway in the centre. There is sculpture arranged on the screen, with six sculptures in a row, two rows high, on each side of the archway. On top of the screen are six pairs of sculptured children, three sets on either side of the archway. The child sculptures are classical in style - nude and sat sideways with legs slightly outstretched on either side of a crowned shield. The one on the left holds a sword upright. The one on the right holds a sceptre upright, though some of the sceptres are damaged at the top. The shields between the figures differ along the screens. These sets of children and shields are separated by ornamental columns and urn sculptures. The arch itself has a sculpture above it, of a full-length female figure stood in an arched and decorative niche. She wears a large crown and long robes and holds an orb in one hand and a sceptre in another. There are other smaller figures wearing robes on her left and her right. There are Latin words at the central figure’s shoulder height which are carved into the screen: Dieu et Mon Droit. There are words and letters beneath the bases of the smaller figures: on the left of the image, Victoria. On the right of the image, the letters D C B H F C. The sculptures on the screen are full length. They are stood in niches which are arched, with columns either side and small angel sculptures holding shields spaced between every two sculptures along the top row. They are in different poses and historic dress and there are a mixture of male and female figures. Each figure is stood on a light coloured plinth and there is a name label beneath them. On the top row of the left side of the screen, left to right, these read: Henry 7, Elizabeth, Henry 8, Anne, Edward 6, Mary. On the bottom row of the left side of the screen these read, left to right: Eleanor, Richard 1, Henrietta, John, Isabella, Henry 3. On the top row of the right side of the screen these read, left to right: Elizabeth, James 1, Anne, Charles 1, Henrietta M, Oliver Cromwell. On the bottom row of the right side of the screen these read, left to right: Eleanor, Edward 1, Eleanor, Edward 2, Isabella, Edward 3. Some of the names are partially obscured by a small metal barrier in front of the screen.
Plaster sculptures of Charles I, Henrietta Maria and Oliver Cromwell at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham. Photograph by an unknown photographer. Please contact us if you know about the copyright owner of this image.

Cromwell and the Parliamentary Art Collection

The first depiction of Cromwell entered the Parliamentary Art Collection in 1897, when art collector Charles John Wertheimer (1842-1911) donated a marble bust of Oliver Cromwell to the Palace of Westminster. Two years later, the monumental statue ‘Oliver Cromwell’, by sculptor William Hamo Thornycroft (1850-1925), was erected on Cromwell Green, outside the Palace. There are now over thirty likenesses of Oliver Cromwell in the Parliamentary Art Collection.

A statue in front of Westminster Hall. The statue is in the foreground of the image. It is a tall white stone pedestal with a slightly wider top. In the centre of the pedastal are the words ‘Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658.' There is a full-length statue of a man on top of the pedestal. This statue is bronze and is stood on a large bronze base. He looks slightly downwards and has a moustache and shoulder-length wavy hair. He wears plate armour at the neck and a breastplate with a wide sash around the middle. He has sleeves which extend to his wrists and the top extends to his thighs. He has thigh-high boots which are loose around his legs. There are straps on the front. His right arm is extended to the side and rests on the hilt of a thin sword, which is held diagonally and rests on the base beside his right foot. His left elbow is slightly bent and his hand rests on a book, held against his thigh. There is a hat with a large feather under his arm. Midway down the base is a sculpture of a lion, which is also bronze. It is lying on its side with its back facing the viewer and front arms outstretched. It is a male lion with a large mane. It looks in the direction of the front of the photograph, slightly toward the right hand side. The base extends beneath the lion into a wider circle with four extended points, which have decorative carving at the top. There is brickwork clearly carved into the stone. The background is the sides and roof of a building. There are three tiered layers to the building, with arched windows in the first and second layer. The roof is partially visible and there is a buttress in the background on either side of the statue, with a decorative pointed top. The building is stone in flat brickwork and is a light brown colour.
Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658 Sculpture by Sir William Hamo Thornycroft ©UK Parliament WOA S29 

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