Philip Jones

The main theme in the attacks that Jones was subjected to was that he had exploited his various positions, including his link to Cromwell, to benefit himself financially. This underpinned the criticism of those who attacked the Propagation scheme and Jones directly in 1652, 1655 and 1659. The transformation of Jones’ financial position was the basis of suspicions about how rapidly he had accrued his substantial estate. Part of the suspicion and later Chancery proceedings directed against Jones focused on his possible exploitation of the new and fluid land market that opened up because of the civil wars. With his role on various parliamentary committees, local committees, as an MP, and a leading member of Cromwell’s Council, Jones had several routes to exploit access to others to give him advantages in looking to benefit from this market. Jones’s will and a set of Chancery proceedings over his personal estate, alongside other local sources, including those Jones kept at his Fonmon castle, allow us to recreate a fuller picture of not only where, how and with whom he advanced his material position but also how he was able to keep hold of most of it after the Restoration.