The Glass Ceiling: Hutchinson and elusive promotion1.

John Hutchinson, as governor of Nottingham and its castle, was crucial to parliament's cause in the north and east Midlands during the first civil war. Alongside Sir John Gell, Hutchinson's counterpart in Derbyshire he was largely responsible for the initial establishment of the parliamentarian presence in the region. Throughout the war, despite its sporadic isolation, Nottingham castle provided an anchor and rendezvous for parliament in the region. However, there are questions about Hutchinson's leadership and his failure to secure promotion and greater responsibilities, which, it might be argued, he merited. The answer seems to lie in his relationship with the civil government in Nottingham itself, despite his strong relationship with Sir Thomas Fairfax. Despite his success in the first civil war, Hutchinson did not achieve further promotion, partly, it seems, due to his problematic relationship with Fairfax's second in command, Oliver Cromwell. This article explores Hutchinson's inability to develop a role outside the confines of Nottingham and its county or to rise above the rank of colonel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]