The Lord Protector stood down on May 25th, 1659. Ever since his own time it has been agreed that Richard Cromwell was not the man his father was, which may have been no bad thing. Born in 1626, he remained in the background as the Civil War ended, Charles I was executed and the Commonwealth established. After his marriage in 1649 he lived quietly among the Hampshire gentry, enjoying hunting and country pursuits, acting as a magistrate and playing an occasional minor role in local government. His father criticised him for his ‘idleness’ and his fondness for good living, which ran him into debt. He was 27 when his father became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth at the end of 1653.