One of the most commonly held myths about the festive season is that Oliver Cromwell - who, this week in history, 1653, became the "head of state" of England, Scotland and Ireland - tried to personally ban Christmas.
In truth, Cromwell didn't "personally" ban it. Rather, he was part of a wider "Godly", or parliamentary, party which chose to restrict the celebration of Christmas, and other Saint's and holy days.
However, Cromwell, as Lord Protector, or head of government, wholeheartedly supported the motion's enforcement. So, we can still fairly safely bet that he didn't like Christmas very much.
It is therefore perfectly unfitting that a piece of memorabilia, believed to have been owned by Cromwell himself, has been snapped-up by a collector just in time for Christmas.
A pair of boots, thought to have been Cromwell's have sold at Dreweatts auctioneers Berkshire, UK, for nearly eight times their estimate, bringing £3,800.
The 60cm-high (24in) boots were sold to private bidder. The previous owner was the late John Fane, a descendant of the 8th Earl of Westmorland.
Although there is no concrete proof that the boots were Cromwell's, the story of the provenance has been passed down generations, beginning with Colonel Adrian Scrope.
Scrope - who signed Charles I's death warrant - was a prominent Parliamentarian during Cromwell's time as Lord Protector.
Collectors sorry to have missed a chance to own a piece of Cromwell will wish to take a look at an example of his signature we currently have available.
- More news on Memorabilia and Militaria
- Enjoy the read? Don't forget to sign up for your free newsletter with exclusive content
