Lobbying London: Scottish Attempts to Influence Oliver Cromwell's Government, 1653–1658

Abstract

This article explores efforts by different groups of Scots to do business with the complex and hierarchical Cromwellian government, and in particular their attempts to gain access to the protector and his council in London. Three groups are examined: the burghs, which tended to use formal, paid agents; the rival kirk factions, which sought help from different political parties at Whitehall; and private petitioners, especially among the nobility, who relied on personal contacts with individual councillors. None of these strategies was entirely successful, as the Scots found lobbying the government more difficult than their English or Irish counterparts, but their persistence reveals an underlying pragmatism that encouraged them to overcome their misgivings and engage with the Cromwellian state.