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Sir Arthur Haselrig | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the English Council of State | |
| In office May 1659 – October 1659 | |
| Lord President of the English Council of State | |
| In office January 1652 – February 1652 | |
| MP for Leicester | |
| In office 1653 – 1659 (banned from sitting 1655–1658) | |
| Governor of Newcastle | |
| In office December 1647 – 1652 | |
| MP for Leicestershire | |
| In office 1640–1653 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca 1601 Noseley Hall Leicestershire |
| Died | 7 January 1661(1661-01-07) (aged 60) Tower of London |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Frances (1624–1632) (2) Dorothy (1634–1650) |
| Children | (1) Thomas (1625–1680) (2) Katherine (1635–1670) and Robert (1640–1713) |
| Parent(s) | Sir Thomas Hesilrige (died 1632) Frances Gorges |
| Alma mater | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | |
Sir Arthur Haselrig, 2nd Baronet [a] (1601 – 7 January 1661) was an English politician. A major critic of Charles I of England during the period of Personal Rule from 1629 to 1640, he was one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest sparked the First English Civil War in August 1642. As a leading Parliamentarian, he held various military and political posts during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Haselrig approved the Execution of Charles I in January 1649, although he refused to participate in his trial, but later opposed Oliver Cromwell's creation of The Protectorate in 1653. In the political struggle which ended with the Stuart Restoration in May 1660, he sought to prevent the return of Charles II of England. Viewed as an opponent of the new regime, he was arrested and held in the Tower of London, where he died on 7 January 1661.
Personal details
A member of the landed gentry from Leicestershire, Haselrig was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hesilrige, 1st Baronet of Noseley Hall, Leicestershire, and of Frances Gorges, daughter of Sir William Gorges, of Alderton, Northamptonshire.[1]
Haselrig married firstly Frances Elmes, daughter of Thomas Elmes of Lilford Hall, Northamptonshire, by whom he had two sons and two daughters. He married secondly Dorothy Greville, sister of Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, by whom he had three sons and five daughters.[1]
Short and Long Parliaments
In April 1640, Haselrig was elected Member of Parliament for Leicestershire in the Short Parliament He was re-elected MP for Leicestershire for the Long Parliament in November 1640.[2] He was heavily involved in the Act of Attainder against Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, the Root and Branch Bill and the Militia Bill of 7 December 1641.[3] Charles I tried to arrest him for treason on 3 January 1642, along with John Hampden, Denzil Holles, John Pym and William Strode. However the so-called "Five Members", together with the peer Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester who was also due to be arrested, were tipped off by Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex. The king marched with his guards into the House of Commons chamber only to find that the Five Members had fled.
Civil War
Haselrig was very active in the First English Civil War on the Parliamentarian side. He raised a troop of horse for the Earl of Essex and fought at the Battle of Edgehill. He was a commander in the West under William Waller, being nicknamed his fidus Achates, and led his cuirassiers, who were known as the London lobsters.[3] He and his troops distinguished themselves at the Battle of Lansdowne on 5 July 1643, where his men defeated Sir Beville Grenville's Pikemen, although the battle is traditionally seen as indecisive. At the Battle of Roundway Down, on 13 July, Haselrig's force met a Royalist cavalry charge at the halt and after a brief clash, retreated in disorder, the Parliamentarian army losing the battle to Lord Wilmot. Haselrig was shot three times at Roundway Down, with the bullets apparently bouncing off his armour. After firing a pistol at Haselrig's helmeted head at close range without any effect Richard Atkyns described how he attacked him with his sword, but it too caused no visible damage; Haselrig was under attack from several people and succumbed only when Atkyns attacked his unarmoured horse. After the death of his horse Haselrig tried to surrender, but as he fumbled with his sword, which was tied to his wrist, he was rescued. He suffered only minor wounds from his ordeal.[4] This incident was related to Charles I and elicited one of his rare attempts at humour. The king said that if Haselrig had been as well supplied as he was fortified he could have withstood a siege.
At the Battle of Cheriton, his men defeated Sir Henry Bard's cavalry charge, seriously weakening Ralph Hopton's army in the west. This battle was a turning point in the war and the king's secretary Sir Edward Walker said that after Cheriton, instead of an offensive war they were forced to make a defensive war.
Governor of Newcastle
Haselrig supported Oliver Cromwell in his dispute with the Earl of Manchester and the Earl of Essex. When the Self-denying Ordinance was approved by Parliament he gave up his commission and became one of the leaders of the Independent party in Parliament. On 30 December 1647 he was appointed governor of Newcastle upon Tyne, which he successfully defended, besides defeating the Royalists on 2 July 1648 and regaining Tynemouth. In October he accompanied Cromwell to Scotland, and gave him valuable support in the Scottish expedition in 1650.[5] Between 1647 and 1650 Haselrig and his son brought a large amount of property in the north east which included the manors of Bishop Auckland, Middleham, Easingwoodborough and Wolsingham at a total cost of over £22,500.[1]
Parliamentary career under Cromwell
Haselrig approved of the king's execution but declined to act as a judge at his trial. He was one of the leading men in the Commonwealth, but he was antagonised by Cromwell's expulsion of the Rump Parliament, and he opposed the Protectorate refusing to pay taxes.[5] Haselrig considered Cromwell to be a traitor to the cause after this as he was a staunch republican and opposed to all rule by a single person whether by hereditary succession or military might. Edmund Ludlow, one of his opponents admitted "to do him justice .. I must acknowledge that I am under no manner of doubt concerning the rectitude and sincerity of his intentions. For he made it his buseness to prevent arbitrary power wherever he knew it to be affected, and to keep the sword subserviant to the civil magistrate".
In 1654, Haselrig was elected MP for Leicester in the First Protectorate Parliament and in 1656 for the Second Protectorate Parliament,[2] but he was excluded from them both. He refused a seat, offered to him by Cromwell, in the Protectorate House of Lords.[3]
Parliament against Lambert
On Cromwell's death Haselrig refused support to Richard Cromwell, and was instrumental in his downfall. He was elected MP for Leicester for the Third Protectorate Parliament in 1659.[2] In April 1659, the army officers of the Wallingford House party acted to close down this parliament, and in May to restore the Rump Parliament, of which Haselrig was also a member, with government in the hands of the Council of State, appointed by the Rump. Haselrig became one of the most influential men in both Council and Parliament. He tried to keep a republican parliamentary administration, "to keep the sword subservient to the civil magistrate".[5] He opposed the schemes of John Lambert who was resisting parliamentary control over the military. In one altercation Lambert complained that the army was being held at ransom; Haselrig replied that "You are only at the mercy of Parliament who are your friends" to which Lambert replied "I know not why they should not be at our mercy as well as we at theirs." Anger at the independence of the army resulted in nine leading officers, including Lambert, being cashiered. Lambert reacted by calling out the army and blocking all routes to Parliament, and putting guards upon its doors.
After Lambert had halted Parliament, Haselrig decided to restore Parliament. The strength of the army in London called for another location, and for a variety of reasons Portsmouth was chosen. Portsmouth had strong naval traditions and had always maintained independence from the army; it benefited from defensible fortifications on its land side and the support of Admiral John Lawson ensured that the city would not fall easily to a protracted siege. Haselrig knew the area well having campaigned around Hampshire during the civil war. The newly appointed Governor Nathaniel Whetham was a republican who had declared that his men would support him. Whetham was a friend of General George Monck in Scotland who had the best forces in Britain at his disposal and who had declared himself for Parliament in October. On 4 December 1659 Haselrig met with his allies in the Red Lion Inn having arrived at 4 in the afternoon. By the next day a declaration was posted calling for citizens to "restore Parliament to their former freedom, being the peoples indubitable and undoubted birthright". Hurst Castle and the Isle of Wight soon declared for Parliament. The military government, which was now named the Committee of Safety, despatched a force hoping that pro-army members would open the gates. However the Commander of the Army Colonel Nathaniel Rich entered into negotiations and his men decided to join Haselrig. Word soon spread and soon Hull and Plymouth were recorded to be going the same way. The army council, unsure of support of its troops, restored the Rump Parliament by 26 December. On 29 December Haselrig marched to London and attended Parliament still in his riding clothes. Haselrig was at the height of his power as the major figure in a restored republic and was appointed to the Council of State on 2 January 1660. On 11 February he became a commissioner for the army.
Monck and the Restoration
However Monck had begun to march south from Coldstream on 1 January. Lambert moved to face Monck but knowing the strength of Monck's forces and the doubtful loyalty of his own troops avoided engagement. Monck avoided answering questions as to his intentions and by 3 February entered London. Haselrig, trusting to his assurance of fidelity to the "Good Old Cause" consented to the retirement of his regiment from London.[5] The Rump Parliament was dissolved and Haselrig found himself marginalised by the unfolding events. A new Convention Parliament came in on 31 April and by 8 May Charles II was proclaimed King. Haselrig petitioned for a pardon, claiming he had not supported the overthrow of Charles I and had supported the Commonwealth only to avoid bloodshed.[6]
Despite Monck's guarantee of a pardon, Haselrig was targeted by the Royalist Silius Titus, who was also responsible for disinterring the bodies of Cromwell, Bradshaw and Ireton and having them ritually executed at Tyburn. His life was spared but he was imprisoned in the Tower of London where he died on 7 January 1661.[7]
Character
Clarendon described Haselrig as "an absurd, bold man." He was rash, "hare-brained," and devoid of tact and had little claim to the title of a statesman, but his energy in the field and in parliament was often of great value to the parliamentary cause. He exposed himself to considerable obloquy by his exactions and appropriations of confiscated landed property, though the accusation brought against him by John Lilburne was examined by a parliamentary committee and adjudged to be false.[5]
Legacy
In 1646, Haselrig purchased Auckland Castle, previously home of the Bishop of Durham, and replaced it with a new country house. After the 1660 Restoration, the property was returned to the Church of England, and the new bishop, John Cosin, demolished Haselrig's home and constructed his own. In 2024, a team of archaeologists began excavating the area, looking for traces of Haselrig's building.[8]
Footnotes
- ^ Alternative spellings include "Heselrig", or "Haselrigge"
References
- ^ a b c The English baronetage: containing a genealogical and historical ..., Volume 1 By Arthur Collins
- ^ a b c Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. pp. 229–239.
- ^ a b c Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Philip Haythornthwaite, The English Civil War, An Illustrated History, Blandford Press (1983) ISBN 1-85409-323-1, p. 49.
- ^ a b c d e One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hesilrige, Sir Arthur". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 406–407.
- ^ "Charles II - volume 1: May 29-31, 1660 Pages 1-16 Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1660-1. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1860". British History Online. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Jordan, Don, Walsh, Michael (2012). The King's Revenge: Charles II and the Greatest Manhunt in British History (2013 ed.). Abacus. p. 244. ISBN 978-0349123769.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Milligan, Mark (7 June 2024). "Archaeologists search for home of infamous Tower of London prisoner". Heritage Daily. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
Sources
- Dodds, Glen (1996). Historic Sites of County Durham. Albion. ISBN 978-0-9525122-5-7.
- Firth, Charles Harding (1891). "Hesilrige, Arthur". In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. , and authorities there quoted; Early History of the Family of Hesilrige, by WGD Fletcher;
- Cat. of State Papers Domestic, 1631–1664, where there are a large number of important references, as also in Hist. manuscripts, Comm. Series Manuscripts of Earl Cooper, Duke of Leeds and Duke of Portland;
- also SR Gardiner, Hist. of England Hist. of the Great Civil War and Commonwealth;
- Clarendon's History State Papers and Cal. of State Papers, John Langton Sanford's Studies of the Great Rebellion. His life is written by Noble in the House of Cromwell,
10 Annotations
First Reading
Cameron McEwen • Link
He was the member of Parliament for Leicester and Cromwell's commander in Newcastle. After the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 he was given charge of the prisoners. "Haselrigge forced the 5,000 Scottish POWs to march 120 miles in eight days with little food from Dunbar through Berwick, Morpeth, and Newcastle, to Durham. Any who tried to escape, any who fell behind, any who became sick were shot. In his article Derek Bell called this the "Durham Death March," and likened it to Bataan. Some 1500 Scots died on the march.
In Durham the survivors were confined in the abandoned cathedral where they were kept in unsanitary conditions with little food and no medical attention. The prisoners were reduced to robbing the old crypts for bits of interred jewelry to bribe their English guards for better food. In two months by the end of October out of the original 5,000 only 1,400 Scottish prisoners survived. In 1946 while installing new heating pipes, workmen unearthed a long forgotten ditch extending from the cathedral's north door straight for several hundred feet. It contained thousands of skeletons, piled like cord wood, presumably the remains of the Durham Death March." (from: http://www.tarasthistle.org/dunba… )
mcewen • Link
http://www.open.org/~glennab/aber… : "The English Council of War in London discussed what to do with the prisoners of war [apparently from the Battle of Worcester in 1651], and decided to continue the policy of sending prisoners to the Colonies. The top Scottish officers were either executed or imprisoned, as was Lord Leslie, but the minor officers were given the choice of prison in England or servitude in the Colonies. Robert Abernethy chose the latter, and was shipped with a group of 1610 men to Charles City in Virginia in early 1652, by an order of the Council to Sir Arthur Haselrigge, in charge of prisoners, to deliver them to Samuel Clarke, for transportation to Virginia. This order included 900 Scotsmen for Virginia, and 150 more to be sent to New England."
Second Reading
Bill • Link
Sir Arthur Haselrigge, Bart, of Nosely, co. Leicester, and M.P. for that county. He brought forward the Bill in the House of Commons for the attainder of the Earl of Strafford, and he was one of the five members charged with high treason by Charles I. in 1642. Colonel of a regiment in the Parliament army, and much esteemed by Cromwell. In March, 1659-60, he was committed to the Tower by Monk, where he died, January, 1660-61. Although one of the King's judges, he did not sign the death-warrant.
---Wheatley, 1896.
Bill • Link
HESILRIGE or HASELRIG, Sir ARTHUR, second baronet (d. 1661), parliamentarian; as M.P. for Leicestershire opposed Laud's religious policy; introduced bill of attainder against Strafford; promoted 'Root-and-Branch Bill' and (1641) proposed Militia Bill; one of the five members impeached by Charles I, 1642; raised a troop of horse and fought at Edgehill, 1642; as Waller's second in command distinguished himself at Lansdowne, 1643: wounded at Lansdowne and Roundway Down, 1643; present at Cheriton, 1644; a leader of the independents after the self-denying ordinance; while governor of Newcastle recaptured Tynemouth, 1648: refused nomination as one of the king's judges; accompanied Cromwell to Scotland, 1648, and supported him with a reserve army, 1650; Lilburne's charges against him declared false by the House of Commons, 1652; purchased confiscated lands of see of Durham; member of every council of state during the Commonwealth; opposed Cromwell's government after dissolution of Long parliament, 1653; M.P., Leicester, 1654, 1656, and 1659; refused to pay taxes and to enter or recognise the new upper chamber, 1657; opposed in Commons recognition of Richard Cromwell, and intrigued with army leaders against him; became recognised leader of parliament; obtained cashiering of Lambert and others, 1659; gained over Portsmouth and raised troops against Lambert, 1659; was outwitted by Monck; arrested at the Restoration, but Monck interposed to save his life; died in the Tower.
---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.
Bill • Link
There is an encyclopedia entry for Mrs. Haselrigge: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Arthur Hesilrige was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hesilrige MP (also spelt "Haselrig", "Hazelrig", Haselrigge", &c.), bart., of Noseley, Leics. His mother was Frances, daughter of William Gorges of Alderton, Northants.
He attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1623.
When his father died in 1630, Hesilrige inherited his baronetcy and extensive estates in the Midlands.
Hesilrige held radical political and religious views and was an outspoken critic of King Charles' Personal Rule. He was brought before the court of High Commission several times for non-payment of fees and taxes and was briefly imprisoned in the Tower.
After his first wife died, Hesilrige married Dorothy Greville, the sister of Lord Brooke, in 1634. Through Brooke, he came into contact with the network of Puritan critics of the King headed by Lord Saye-and-Sele.
Hesilrige was elected one of the knights of the shire for Leicestershire in both the Short and Long Parliaments where he was associated with John Pym and the opponents of the King's government.
He played a leading role in the impeachment of Lord Strafford and proposed the bill of attainder by which Strafford was condemned to death. Hesilrige was also active in instigating the Root and Branch Bill, aimed at the abolition of bishops, and the Militia Bill, which tried to wrest control of the armed forces from the King.
Regarded as one of the King's leading opponents, Hesilrige was among the Five Members whom the King attempted to arrest in Jan. 1642.
When the First Civil War broke out, Hesilrige raised a troop of horse and fought at Edgehill.
In late 1642, Hesilrige served as second-in-command to Sir William Waller in the southern England campaign, during which he was an enthusiastic participant in the desecration of Winchester and Chichester cathedrals.
In 1643, Hesilrige campaigned with Waller on the Welsh border but his cavalry troop suffered severe losses at Ripple Field.
He returned to London where he raised a new regiment of horse which, unusually for the civil wars, he equipped as armoured cuirassiers. His regiment became known as the "Lobsters" and formed the heavy cavalry in Waller's army.
He rejoined Waller in time to take part in the battle of Lansdown in July 1643, but the Lobsters were routed at Roundway Down 8 days later. Hesilrige was wounded in both battles and almost died from the injuries he sustained at Roundway Down.
He continued to serve with Waller, and in March 1644, commanded the left wing of horse in the Parliamentarian victory at the battle of Cheriton.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Arthur Hesilrige was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hesilrige MP (also spelt "Haselrig", "Hazelrig", Haselrigge", &c.), bart., of Noseley, Leics. His mother was Frances, daughter of William Gorges of Alderton, Northants.
He attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1623.
When his father died in 1630, Hesilrige inherited his baronetcy and extensive estates in the Midlands.
Hesilrige held radical political and religious views and was an outspoken critic of King Charles' Personal Rule. He was brought before the court of High Commission several times for non-payment of fees and taxes and was briefly imprisoned in the Tower.
After his first wife died, Hesilrige married Dorothy Greville, the sister of Lord Brooke, in 1634. Through Brooke, he came into contact with the network of Puritan critics of the King headed by Lord Saye-and-Sele.
Hesilrige was elected one of the knights of the shire for Leicestershire in both the Short and Long Parliaments where he was associated with John Pym and the opponents of the King's government.
He played a leading role in the impeachment of Lord Strafford and proposed the bill of attainder by which Strafford was condemned to death. Hesilrige was also active in instigating the Root and Branch Bill, aimed at the abolition of bishops, and the Militia Bill, which tried to wrest control of the armed forces from the King.
Regarded as one of the King's leading opponents, Hesilrige was among the Five Members whom the King attempted to arrest in Jan. 1642.
When the First Civil War broke out, Hesilrige raised a troop of horse and fought at Edgehill.
In late 1642, Hesilrige served as second-in-command to Sir William Waller in the southern England campaign, during which he was an enthusiastic participant in the desecration of Winchester and Chichester cathedrals.
In 1643, Hesilrige campaigned with Waller on the Welsh border but his cavalry troop suffered severe losses at Ripple Field.
He returned to London where he raised a new regiment of horse which, unusually for the civil wars, he equipped as armoured cuirassiers. His regiment became known as the "Lobsters" and formed the heavy cavalry in Waller's army.
He rejoined Waller in time to take part in the battle of Lansdown in July 1643, but the Lobsters were routed at Roundway Down 8 days later. Hesilrige was wounded in both battles and almost died from the injuries he sustained at Roundway Down.
He continued to serve with Waller, and in March 1644, commanded the left wing of horse in the Parliamentarian victory at the battle of Cheriton.
San Diego Sarah • Link
PART 2
After participating in the second battle of Newbury in Oct. 1644, Hesilrige supported Cromwell's criticism of the Earl of Manchester's generalship.
When Parliament adopted the Self-Denying Ordinance, Hesilrige resigned his commission in the army and became a political leader of the Independent faction in the House of Commons.
Hesilrige returned to military duties in Dec, 1647 when he was appointed governor of the strategic city of Newcastle amid rumors that a Scottish army was being raised for the invasion of England.
He controlled Newcastle throughout the Second Civil War.
In Aug. 1648, Hesilrige recaptured Tynemouth Castle from Henry Lilburne, who had defected to the Royalists.
Despite his republican sympathies, Hesilrige disapproved of Pride's Purge in Dec. 1648 and declined to sit as a judge at the King's trial.
He stayed away from London until after the King's execution then resumed his seat in Parliament in Feb, 1649.
Hesilrige became a leading figure in the Commonwealth and a member of the Council of State.
He remained a powerful figure in Northumberland and Durham and amassed a fortune by dealing in sequestered Royalist estates and former church lands.
He was often accused of corruption and of abusing his position for personal gain, notably by John Lilburne who claimed that Hesilrige was a worse tyrant than the Earl of Strafford had ever been.
During the early 1650s, Hesilrige's influence in Parliament grew. He became a leader of the opposition to the Council of Officers as tension mounted between Parliament and the Army over the political and religious settlement of the nation.
Hesilrige flaunted his personal wealth by acquiring a notoriously ornate coach and dressing his servants in velvet.
He further provoked the radicals by persuading Parliament to abandon a debate on poor relief in Feb. 1653 and by scornfully dismissing Cromwell's scheme to appoint an interim government of godly men to replace the discredited Rump Parliament.
It may have been Hesilrige's initiative to continue the parliamentary debate over the new representative that provoked Cromwell into forcibly expelling the Rump Parliament on 20 April 1653.
Hesilrige broke with Cromwell after the expulsion of the Rump.
He was not appointed to the Nominated Assembly and vehemently opposed Cromwell's elevation to the office of Lord Protector in Dec, 1653, refusing to pay taxes not sanctioned by Parliament.
In 1654, he was elected MP for Leicestershire in the First Protectorate Parliament during which he emerged as one of the severest critics of the Protectorate government.
He withdrew from Parliament after refusing to subscribe to the "Recognition" of the Protectorate insisted upon by Cromwell.
San Diego Sarah • Link
PART 3
In 1656, Hesilrige was elected to the Second Protectorate Parliament but he was one of the members excluded from sitting in the first session by the Council of Officers.
He refused Cromwell's offer of a seat in the new Upper House but was re-admitted to the Commons for the second session of parliament in Jan. 1658.
Hesilrige was involved in the drafting of a petition calling for the abandonment of the Protectorate and the restoration of the Commonwealth which led Cromwell to dissolve Parliament in Feb. 1658.
After Cromwell's death in Sept. 1658, Hesilrige refused to support his successor Richard Cromwell.
In the early sessions of the Third Protectorate Parliament, Hesilrige attempted to delay discussion of the Act of Recognition of the new Protector in the hope that Richard's authority would be compromised.
When Richard was forced to recall the Rump Parliament in May 1659, Hesilrige hoped finally to establish a civilian republican government.
His uncompromising efforts to bring the army under civilian control antagonised the military leaders and tended to alienate them from Parliament.
Hesilrige unwittingly set in motion the events which led to the Restoration by calling for the impeachment of Col. Lambert — with the result that Lambert threw an armed guard around the Palace of Westminster, ejected Parliament and dissolved the Council of State.
Hesilrige was one of 9 members of the Council who refused to accept the dissolution and appealed to Gen. Monck for support against Lambert and the military junta that had seized power.
While Monck prepared to march south in Dec. 1659, Hesilrige went to secure the naval base at Portsmouth for Parliament where he was greeted warmly by the republican governor, Nathaniel Whelan.
Forces sent by the junta to besiege Portsmouth were persuaded to join with the garrison and declare for Parliament.
Hesilrige returned to London at the end of December with 3 regiments to support the reinstatement of the Rump Parliament, which met again on 26 Dec. 1659.
During the brief final revival of the Commonwealth, Hesilrige was the unofficial leader of Parliament.
He was re-appointed to the Council of State and Army Commission and believed that he had finally achieved his goal of a civilian-led republican government in England.
Hesilrige realised too late that Monck intended to recall Charles Stuart and is said to have dropped his opposition to the Restoration when Monck promised his life would be spared.
Nevertheless, he was excepted from the Act of Indemnity and imprisoned in the Tower in May 1660.
He died there in Jan. 1661 before he could be brought to trial. He was succeeded by his son.
From http://bcw-project.org/biography/…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"There is an encyclopedia entry for Mrs. Haselrigge" -- sorry Bill, not Sir Arthur's wife:
Sir Arthur Hesilrige’s second wife's name was Lady Dorothy Greville Hesilrige, and she died in January, 1650 at Noseley, Harborough District, Leicestershire.
https://www.findagrave.com/memori…
They had 5 children:
Frances Hesilrige Humble unknown–1693
Katharine Hesilrige Babington 1635–1670
Arthur Hesilrige 1638–1649, died aged 11, so no wife.
Robert Hesilrige 1638–1713 -- he married Lady Bridget Rolle Hesilrige who died 26 July, 1697 at Noseley.
Dorothy Hesilrige Douset 1643–1705
And there was a half brother named Thomas Hesilrige (presumably by Sir Arthur's first wife) 1625-1680. He married Lady Elizabeth Fenwick Hesilrige who died 30 May 1673, also at Noseley.
So Pepys’ story about a Mrs. Haselrigge may have referred to a daughter, daughter-in-law, niece or other unfortunate female relative -- or an unrelated someone named or posing as a Hesilrige.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…