In 1649 Richard Cromwell, eldest son of Oliver, married Dorothy Major, daughter of the Lord of Merdon Manor, Richard. Amid the turmoil of the English Civil War Hursley was to remain Richard's home.

In 1658, on the death of his father, Richard became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. A role neither he nor those he ruled particularly desired and after just two years he was forced into exile. An exile from the country that lasted until 1680, but one that lasted from Hursley until his death in 1712.

Richard's exile from Hursley followed his son, Oliver II, claiming the manor on the death of his mother as it was held through the Major family not Cromwell.

His exile was further extended by the daughters he had lovingly written to during his years abroad also claiming the manor on the death of their brother in 1705. In the end Richard only returned to Hursley in 1712, to be buried! His daughters finally claimed the estate, only to sell it six years later to William Heathcote.

The Cromwell era was marked by acrimonious disputes and legal actions, not just within the family but also a landmark case against the family by their tenant farmers in 1707.