New York decides to drop its Cromwell crest
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.In New York's Long Island town of Huntington, history burns brightly. It may be 350 years since English settlers founded the town and named it after the similarly sounding Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon home of Oliver Cromwell, then the British Lord Protector. But for some in the community mainly the Irish Americans it might as well have been last week.
After a dispute lasting several months, the town has decided that the Cromwell family crest is to be dropped from its official coat of arms, after complaints that it should not be honouring a man responsible for the massacre of thousands of Irish Catholics.
"Oliver Cromwell was a mass murderer and the father of a system of institutionalised religious intolerance," wrote resident William Farrell in a letter to the town's authorities.
Mr Farrell, a member of the Suffolk County Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish cultural and social organisation, continued: "He is clearly ineligible for such homage, and to pay it to him is to insult the memory of his many victims, the suffering of those who survived by fleeing their homes and the bravery of our founding fathers who risked their lives to establish a country free of his legacy."
The row reached a high point as the community prepared for year-long celebrations to mark the 350th anniversary of the town's founding. There were re-enactments of the Revolutionary War, a special song was written and the coat of arms was emblazoned on banners, pamphlets and T-shirts.
The coat of arms shows a Pilgrim and a Native American standing either side of a shield while in the middle a lion is placing a horn to its mouth. The lion came from the Cromwell family coat of arms.
David Ring, a historian for the Hibernians, said the Cromwell crest was "as offensive as a swastika would be to Jewish people".
The town set up a commission to look into the matter. Eventually, the town's board unanimously passed a motion urging it to "cease and desist use of the coat of arms as soon as practicable''. However officials agreed it would cost too much to replace all the anniversary decorations.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments