The English Civil War refers to a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms,the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War,the Second English Civil War and the Third English Civil War. The latter is also known as the Anglo-Scottish war,since most of the fighting took place in Scotland.
Robert Devereux,3rd Earl of Essex,KB,PC was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the 17th century. With the start of the Civil War in 1642,he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army,also known as the Roundheads. However,he was unable and unwilling to score a decisive blow against the Royalist army of King Charles I. He was eventually overshadowed by the ascendancy of Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax,and resigned his commission in 1646.
John Pym,20 May 1584 to 8 December 1643,was a politician and administrator from London,who played a major role in establishing what became the modern English Parliamentary system. One of the Five Members whose attempted arrest in January 1642 was a major step in sparking the First English Civil War,his use of procedure to out manoeuvre opponents was unusual for the period. Although this meant he was respected by contemporaries rather than admired,in 1895 historian Goldwin Smith described him as "the greatest member of Parliament that ever lived".
Stephen Marshall was an English Nonconformist churchman. His sermons,especially that on the death of John Pym in 1643,reveal eloquence and fervour. The only "systematic" work he published was A Defence of Infant Baptism,against John Tombes (1646).
John Hampden was an English landowner and politician whose opposition to arbitrary taxes imposed by Charles I made him a national figure. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym,and cousin to Oliver Cromwell,he was one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest in January 1642 sparked the First English Civil War. All five are commemorated at the State Opening of Parliament each year.
Sir William Brereton,1st Baronet,13 September 1604 –7 April 1661,was an English religious Independent,author,and landowner from Cheshire. He was Member of Parliament for Cheshire at various times between 1628 and 1653,and during the First English Civil War,commander of Parliamentarian forces in the North Midlands.
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646. It is part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms,which also include the Bishops' Wars,the Irish Confederate Wars,the Second English Civil War,the Anglo-Scottish war (1650–1652) and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Historians calculate some 15% to 20% of all adult males in England and Wales served in the military between 1639 and 1653,while around 4% of the total population died from war-related cause,versus 2.23% in World War I. These figures illustrate the impact of the conflict on society in general,and the bitterness it engendered.
Sir Bevil Grenville was an English landowner and soldier who sat as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1620 and 1642,although during those years there were few parliamentary sessions. When the First English Civil War broke out in August 1642,he joined the Royalists and played a leading role in their early campaigns in the West Country. He was killed in action at the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643.
Robert Greville,2nd Baron Brooke was a radical Puritan activist and leading member of the opposition to Charles I of England prior to the outbreak of the First English Civil War in August 1642. Appointed Parliamentarian commander in Staffordshire and Warwickshire,he was killed by a Royalist sniper at Lichfield on 2 March 1643.
William Scawen (1600–1689) was one of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish language. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.
Cornwall played a significant role in the English Civil War,being a Royalist enclave in the generally Parliamentarian south-west.
The New Cornish Tertia were four Royalist regiments of infantry raised in Cornwall and Devon by Sir Richard Grenville,1st Baronet in 1644,during the English Civil War. As the maps aside show,Cornwall and Wales were staunch Royalist strongholds whilst South East England was held by Parliament,and the remainder of England was in dispute.
Charles Trevanion,c. 1594 to c. 1660,was an English landowner and politician,who was MP for Cornwall in 1625 and Sheriff from 1633 to 1634. He supported the Royalist cause during the First English Civil War,during which his eldest son John Trevanion was killed.
John St Aubyn (1613–1684) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640. He served as a colonel in the parliamentary army in the English Civil War.
Sir Francis Drake,2nd Baronet of Buckland Abbey,Devon was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1662. He was a Colonel of the Horse,fighting in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War.
Sir William Godolphin was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640. He fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.
Robert Scawen (1602–1670) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1670. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.
Sir George Chudleigh,1st Baronet,of Ashton,Devon,was an English landowner and politician,who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1625. He had close family connections to a group of Devon Presbyterians,including Sir William Strode.
Humphrey Nicholls (1577–1643) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629.
Colonel James Chudleigh was an English military officer,who served in the First English Civil War. Initially appointed to command the Parliamentarian garrison at Barnstaple,he showed considerable ability,and was quickly promoted.
