Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell

Soon afterwards he was appointed Chamberlain of the Household, and on 29 January 1426, he was one of those sent to mediate with Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and reconcile him with Cardinal Beaufort.

During his tenure, the French war was the single biggest drain on resources, and the crown debt significantly increased despite his attempts to rein in spending and introduce reforms.

In July 1443 Cromwell resigned his post as Treasurer, possibly due to the rising influence of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, who now succeeded Beaufort as the most influential adviser of the king.

The fall of Suffolk let loose a flood of personal jealousies, and among Cromwell's enemies were Yorkists as well as Lancastrians, though he seems to have belonged to the former party.

Here, he funded the construction of several buildings, including the Grand Tower at the castle,[5] the college, the Holy Trinity church and two almshouses.

[3] The Grand Tower is described by the National Trust, to whom it was given in 1925, as "a masterpiece of early English brickwork" and as "one of the three most important surviving mid-15th-century brick castles in England".

[4] As he died without children the barony fell into abeyance between his two nieces,[8] daughters of his only sister Maud, second wife of Sir Richard Stanhope: