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{{Short description|Welsh Puritan, soldier and politician (c. 1597 – 1656)}}
{{For|the earlier MP|Thomas Mytton (died ?1563)}}
{{For|the earlier MP|Thomas Mytton (died 1563?)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2021}}
'''Thomas Mytton''' (c.1597-1656) was a parliamentarian general of the [[English Civil War]].
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Thomas Mytton
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Thomas Mytton Harding.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Thomas Mytton, 1796 engraving of original portrait
| constituency_MP = [[Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Shropshire]]
| term_start = September 1654
| term_end = January 1655
| office2 = [[List of vice-admirals of North Wales|Vice-admiral, North Wales]]
| term_start2 = 1647
| term_end2 = 1649
| office3 = [[High Sheriff of Shropshire]]
| term_start3 = 1644
| term_end3 = 1645
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1597
| birth_place = [[Halston Hall|Halston]], [[Shropshire]]
| death_place = [[London]]
| restingplace = Old [[St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury]] {{efn|The original collapsed in 1788 and was entirely rebuilt; only the crypt and churchyard remain {{sfn|St Chads}}}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1656|11|29|1597|01|1|df=y}}
| nationality =
| party = [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]]
| otherparty = <!--For additional political affiliations-->
| spouse = (1) Magdalen Napier (1629-1648) <br> (2) Barbara Leonard (1649-his death)
| children = Margaret (1626-1647), Richard (1637-1670), Mary (?) and Sarah (1638-1698)
| residence =
| alma_mater = [[Balliol College, Oxford]]
| occupation = Lawyer, soldier and administrator
| profession =
| portfolio =
| signature =
<!--Military service-->
| allegiance = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of England}}
| branch =
| serviceyears = 1642 to 1648
| rank = [[Major General]]
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = '''[[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]]''' <br> [[Battle of Oswestry|Oswestry]]; [[Montgomery Castle]]; [[Battle of Denbigh Green|Denbigh Green]]; [[North Wales]] campaign 1646; Battle of Red Hill 1648}}


[[Major General]] '''Thomas Mytton''', also spelt '''Mitton''', (1597-November 1656), was a lawyer from [[Oswestry]] who served in the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] army during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] and as [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Shropshire]] in the [[First Protectorate Parliament]].
==Life==


Part of a long-established local family, Mytton was one of the few members of the mostly [[Cavalier|Royalist]] [[Shropshire]] gentry to support [[Parliament of England|Parliament]]. Despite his lack of military experience, he proved a determined and competent officer, eventually rising to command operations in [[North Wales]]. In December 1647 he was also appointed [[List of vice-admirals of North Wales|Vice-admiral, North Wales]].
Born about 1597, son of Richard Mytton of [[Halston]], [[Shropshire]], by Margaret, daughter of Thomas Owen of [[Condover]], he matriculated at [[Balliol College]], Oxford, on 11 May 1615, aged 18. He became a student of [[Lincoln's Inn]] in 1616. In 1629 Mytton married Magdalen, daughter of Sir Robert Napier of [[Luton]], [[Bedfordshire]], and sister of the second wife of [[Thomas Myddelton (younger)|Sir Thomas Myddelton]] of [[Chirk]], a connection to the parliamentary party in the heavily royalist county of Shropshire.


After helping to suppress a rising in North Wales during the 1648 [[Second English Civil War]], he resigned his military posts and was appointed MP in 1654. He died in [[London]] and was buried in the churchyard of Old [[St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury]] on 29 November 1656.
On 10 April 1643 the parliament associated Shropshire with [[Warwickshire]] and [[Staffordshire]] under the command of [[Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh]], Mytton being named as one of the committee for Shropshire. On 11 September 1643 Myddelton and Mytton together seized [[Wem]], and established there the first parliamentary garrison in Shropshire. Mytton was made governor, and in October defeated Lord Capel's attempt to recapture the town. On 12 January 1644 he surprised the cavaliers at [[Ellesmere]], capturing [[Sir Nicholas Byron]], [[Sir Richard Willis]], and a convoy of ammunition. On 23 June 1644 Mytton, in conjunction with Lord Denbigh, captured [[Oswestry]], and succeeded in holding it against a royalist attempt at recapture. He was appointed governor of Oswestry, and the newspapers were full of praise. He took part in the capture of [[Shrewsbury]] (22 February 1645), though the credit was disputed between Mytton and Lieutenant-colonel Reinking.


==Personal details==
On the passing of the [[self-denying ordinance]] Sir Thomas Myddelton was obliged to lay down his commission, and Mytton succeeded to his post as commander-in-chief of the forces of the six counties of North Wales, 12 May 1645. He was also appointed [[High Sheriff of Shropshire]], 30 September 1645. From this point he is frequently described as Major-general Mytton. He took part in the defeat of [[William Vaughan (royalist)|Sir William Vaughan]] near [[Denbigh]] on 1 November 1645, frustrating the royalist attempts to relieve [[Chester]]. Once Chester had fallen, Mytton went on to besiege the rest of the royalist garrisons in North Wales: [[Ruthin]] (12 April 1646), [[Caernarfon|Carnarvon]] (5 June 1646), [[Beaumaris]] (14 June 1646), [[Conwy]] town and castle (9 August, 18 November 1646), Denbigh (26 October 1646), [[Holt Castle]] (13 January 1647), and [[Harlech Castle]] (15 March 1647) surrendered in turn to Mytton's forces. Parliament maintained Mytton as commander-in-chief in North Wales when the army was disbanded (8 April 1647), and appointed him vice-admiral of North Wales in place of Glyn (30 December 1647). He was also granted £5,000 out of the estates of royalist delinquents.
Thomas Mytton was born in 1597, only surviving son of Richard Mytton of [[Halston Hall|Halston]] in [[Shropshire]], and Margaret Owen, daughter of [[Thomas Owen (died 1598)|Thomas Owen]] (ca 1542–1598), a judge who owned [[Condover Hall]]. His uncle [[Roger Owen (MP)|Roger]] (1573-1617), was [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]] from 1601 to 1614 and [[High Sheriff of Shropshire]] in 1604.{{sfn|Ibbetsen|2004}} His sister Sarah (1598-1677) married [[Sir Edward Acton, 1st Baronet|Sir Edward Acton]] (1610-1659), who was MP for [[Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgnorth]].{{sfn|Helms|1983}}


In 1629, Mytton married Magdalen Napier (1610-1648), daughter of [[Sir Robert Napier, 1st Baronet, of Luton Hoo|Sir Robert Napier]] (1560–1637), and [[sister-in-law]] of [[Thomas Myddelton (younger)|Sir Thomas Myddelton]]. They had at least seven children who survived into adulthood, including Margaret (1626-1647), Mary (1626-?), Edward (1633-1660), Magdalen (1636-?), Richard (1637-1670), Sarah (1638-1698) and Christian (1638-?). In 1649 he married again, this time to Barbara Lennard, daughter of the current [[Baron Dacre]]; they had no children.{{sfn|Williams}}
In the [[Second English Civil War]] Mytton was again active on the parliamentary side, and recovered [[Anglesey]] from the royalists. The king's execution did not shake his adherence to the parliament, and in September 1651 he agreed to act as a member of the court-martial which sentenced [[James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby]] to death. He represented [[Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Shropshire]] in the first Protectorate parliament convened by [[Oliver Cromwell]] in 1654.


==Early career and First Civil War==
Mytton died in London in 1656, aged about fifty-nine, and was interred on 29 November in St. Chad's Church, Shrewsbury.
After attending [[Shrewsbury School]], Mytton graduated from [[Balliol College, Oxford]] in 1615, then joined [[Lincoln's Inn]] in 1616 where he completed his legal training. There are few details available on his pre-war career but he supported [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], despite most of the Shropshire gentry being [[Cavalier|Royalist]], including his sister's husband. Both his mother and wife's families were [[Puritan]] sympathisers who opposed the policies of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], although Mytton himself seemed less committed to 'Godly reforms".{{sfn|Roberts|2004}}


{{Location map many|Wales|caption = Shropshire and North Wales, key locations, 1642 to 1648|relief=yes|border = black| width = 300| float = left
==Family==
|label =Oswestry|pos=left|coordinates={{coord|52.8598|-3.0538}}
Mytton left a son, Richard, who was sheriff of Shropshire in 1686, and a daughter, Mary, married to the royalist Sir Thomas Harris of Boreatton. Another daughter married Colonel Roger Pope, a parliamentarian. Mytton's only sister Sarah married the Royalist Colonel and MP [[Sir Edward Acton, 1st Baronet]].
|label2 = Wem|pos2=bottom|coordinates2={{coord|52.8536|-2.7267}}
|label3 = Shrewsbury|pos3=left|coordinates3={{coord|52.708|-2.754}}
|label4 = Conwy|pos4= top|coordinates4={{coord|53.28|-3.83}}
|label5 = Denbigh|pos5=left|coordinates5={{coord|53.1854|-3.4178}}
|label6 = Montgomery|pos6=left|coordinates6={{coord|52.56253|-3.15061}}
|label7 = Halston|pos7=top|coordinates7={{coord|52.878267|-2.983226}}
|label8 = Beaumaris|pos8=left|coordinates8={{coord|53.267|-4.093}}
|label9 = Harlech|pos9=left|coordinates9={{coord|52.89|-4.109}}
|label14 = Chester|pos14=top|coordinates14={{coord|53|11|N|2|53|W}}
|label18 = Ruthin|pos18=right|coordinates18={{coord|53.115|-3.312}}
}}

When the [[First English Civil War]] began in August 1642, the regional centre of Shrewsbury was used to assemble recruits and supplies from Royalist areas in Wales and the [[North West England|North West]], making the area important to both sides in June 1643, Parliament appointed the [[Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh|Earl of Denbigh]] military commander of Shropshire, [[Warwickshire]], [[Worcestershire]] and [[Staffordshire]], Sir Thomas Myddelton filling the same role in [[North Wales]].{{sfn|Hutton|2003|pp=64-65}}

Mytton raised an infantry regiment in [[Cheshire]] and joined Myddelton to take [[Wem]] in September 1643, becoming Governor of the first [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] garrison in Shropshire (see Map).{{sfn|BCW}} For the next twelve months, he used the town as a base for operations in support of [[Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet|Sir William Brereton]]'s campaign against [[Chester]] and other Royalist positions in the region. Tensions developed with local Parliamentarians whom he accused of refusing to follow orders, a dispute that influenced subsequent events.{{sfn|Roberts|2004}}

In June 1644, he and Denbigh took [[Battle of Oswestry|Oswestry]], isolating Shrewsbury from Chester and providing a route for Parliamentarian offensives into Wales.{{sfn|Hutton|2003|p=147}} A joint offensive with Myddleton led to the capture of [[Montgomery Castle]] in early September, while a Royalist attempt to retake it was repulsed on 18th in the biggest battle of the war in Wales and a major victory for [[Parliament of England|Parliament]].{{sfn|Plant}} The new Parliamentarian governor was [[Sir John Pryce, 1st Baronet|Sir John Pryce]], a Royalist defector who switched sides again in May 1645.{{sfn|Hutton|2003|pp=174-175}}

His capture of Shrewsbury on 22 February 1645 forced the evacuation of remaining Royalist garrisons in central Shropshire, but local opposition to the appointment meant he did not become Governor.{{sfn|Hutton|2003|pp=150-151}} The war had become increasingly bitter on both sides, illustrated when Mytton hung twelve Irish [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] prisoners taken at Shrewsbury, in accordance with the October 1644 Parliamentarian "[[Ordinance of no quarter to the Irish]]". [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]] promptly responded by hanging the same number of English Protestants, which did little to improve his reputation for brutality but effectively ended the practice.{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=277}}

When Myddelton and Denbigh resigned their military offices in April 1645 under the [[self-denying ordinance]], Mytton was promoted to [[Major General]], made commander in North Wales and appointed [[High Sheriff of Shropshire]]. By late 1645, the Royalists were close to collapse and at [[Battle of Denbigh Green|Denbigh Green]] on 1 November, he defeated an attempt to relieve Chester, which [[Siege of Chester|capitulated]] in February 1646. Next he was ordered to reduce Royalist strongpoints in North Wales, which provided a potential bridgehead for supporters in [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]]; on 10 June, Charles instructed his remaining garrisons in England and Wales to yield, although most ignored this.{{sfn|Hutton|2003|p=197}} By the end of August, Mytton had taken [[Ruthin]], [[Caernarfon]] and [[Beaumaris]] on [[Anglesey]]. [[Denbigh Castle and town walls|Denbigh Castle]] surrendered in October only after Charles sent its commander a personal note, [[Conwy Castle|Conwy]] held out until November, with [[Harlech Castle|Harlech]] the last to fall in March 1647.{{sfn|Hutton|2003|pp=198-200}}

==Second Civil War and Interregnum==
[[File:Beaumaris aerial.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|[[Beaumaris Castle]]; captured by Mytton in June 1646 and October 1648]]

Arguments over the settlement with Charles led to conflict between moderate MPs, who held a majority in Parliament, and a radical minority, who were supported by the [[New Model Army]]. The economic cost of the war, a poor 1646 harvest, and recurrence of the plague meant by March 1647 the troops in Wales had not been paid for eighteen months, while the New Model was owed over £3 million, an enormous sum at the time. Parliament ordered it to Ireland, stating only those who agreed would be paid; when their [[Agitators|representatives]] demanded full payment for all in advance, the army was disbanded on 8 April 1647.{{sfn|Rees|2016|pp=173-174}}

Since his troops were not part of the New Model, Mytton retained his position. In December, he was appointed [[List of vice-admirals of North Wales|Vice-admiral of North Wales]] in place of [[Thomas Glynn]] and granted £5,000 of confiscated Royalist estates.{{sfn|Roberts|2004}} The [[Second English Civil War]] began in April 1648 when unpaid Parliamentarian garrisons in [[South Wales]] defected but Mytton remained loyal. The revolt in the south was quickly suppressed, that in the north collapsed after he and Myddelton defeated a Royalist force at Red Hill on 1 October and recaptured [[Beaumaris Castle]].{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=440}}

This ended his military career and he played a relatively minor role under the [[Interregnum]]. He was part of the [[court-martial]] which sentenced the [[James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby|Earl of Derby]] to death for his part in the 1651 [[Third English Civil War]] and represented [[Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Shropshire]] in the [[First Protectorate Parliament]]. He died in [[London]] in November 1656 and was buried on 29 November in the original [[St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury]].{{sfn|Roberts|2004}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{DNB|wstitle=Mytton, Thomas}}

==Sources==
* {{cite web |last1=BCW |title=Colonel Thomas Mytton’s Regiment of Foot |url=http://wiki.bcw-project.org/parliamentarian/foot-regiments/thomas-mytton |website=BCW Project |access-date=24 March 2021}}
* {{cite book |last1=Helms|first1=MW |title=ACTON, Sir Walter, 2nd Bt. (c.1621-65), of Aldenham Hall, Salop in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690 |date=1983 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |url=http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1660-1690/member/acton-sir-walter-1621-65|access-date=25 March 2021}}
* {{cite book |last=Hutton |first=Ronald |date=2003 |title=The Royalist War Effort 1642–1646 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-30540-2}}
* {{cite odnb|last=Ibbetsen|first=David|id=21032|title=Owen, Thomas (died 1598)|year=2004}}
* {{cite web |last1=Plant |title=Battle of Montgomery |url=http://bcw-project.org/military/english-civil-war/wales-marches/battle-of-montgomery |website=BCW Project |access-date=25 March 2021}}
* {{cite book |last=Rees |first=John |date=2016 |title=The Leveller Revolution |publisher=Verso |isbn=978-1-78478-390-7}}
* {{cite odnb|last=Roberts|first=Stephen|id=19714|title=Mytton, Thomas|year=2004}}
* {{cite book |last=Royle |first=Trevor |year=2004 |edition=2006 |title=Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 |publisher=Abacus |isbn=978-0-349-11564-1}}
* {{cite web |last1=St Chads |title=History of St Chad’s with St Mary’s, Shrewsbury |url=https://stchadschurchshrewsbury.com/heritage/history/ |website=St Chads Church |access-date=25 March 2021}}
* {{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Richard |title=Mytton of Halston |url=https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/mytton/9/ |access-date=23 March 2021}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Mytton, Thomas
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = English politician and general
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1597
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1656
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mytton, Thomas}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mytton, Thomas}}
[[Category:1597 births]]
[[Category:1597 births]]
[[Category:1656 deaths]]
[[Category:1656 deaths]]
[[Category:English generals]]
[[Category:New Model Army generals]]
[[Category:Roundheads]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Shropshire]]
[[Category:High Sheriffs of Shropshire]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Shropshire]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707)]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Shropshire]]
[[Category:English MPs 1654–1655]]
[[Category:Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War]]
[[Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Members of Lincoln's Inn]]
[[Category:People educated at Shrewsbury School]]
[[Category:Politicians from Shropshire]]

Latest revision as of 19:38, 11 December 2024

For the earlier MP, see Thomas Mytton (died 1563?).

Thomas Mytton
Thomas Mytton, 1796 engraving of original portrait
Member of Parliament
for Shropshire
In office
September 1654 – January 1655
Vice-admiral, North Wales
In office
1647–1649
High Sheriff of Shropshire
In office
1644–1645
Personal details
Born1597
Halston, Shropshire
Died29 November 1656(1656-11-29) (aged 59)
London
Resting placeOld St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury [a]
Political partyParliamentarian
Spouse(s)(1) Magdalen Napier (1629-1648)
(2) Barbara Leonard (1649-his death)
ChildrenMargaret (1626-1647), Richard (1637-1670), Mary (?) and Sarah (1638-1698)
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford
OccupationLawyer, soldier and administrator
Military service
Allegiance England
Years of service1642 to 1648
RankMajor General
Battles/warsWars of the Three Kingdoms
Oswestry; Montgomery Castle; Denbigh Green; North Wales campaign 1646; Battle of Red Hill 1648

Major General Thomas Mytton, also spelt Mitton, (1597-November 1656), was a lawyer from Oswestry who served in the Parliamentarian army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and as MP for Shropshire in the First Protectorate Parliament.

Part of a long-established local family, Mytton was one of the few members of the mostly Royalist Shropshire gentry to support Parliament. Despite his lack of military experience, he proved a determined and competent officer, eventually rising to command operations in North Wales. In December 1647 he was also appointed Vice-admiral, North Wales.

After helping to suppress a rising in North Wales during the 1648 Second English Civil War, he resigned his military posts and was appointed MP in 1654. He died in London and was buried in the churchyard of Old St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury on 29 November 1656.

Personal details

[edit]

Thomas Mytton was born in 1597, only surviving son of Richard Mytton of Halston in Shropshire, and Margaret Owen, daughter of Thomas Owen (ca 1542–1598), a judge who owned Condover Hall. His uncle Roger (1573-1617), was MP for Shrewsbury from 1601 to 1614 and High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1604.[2] His sister Sarah (1598-1677) married Sir Edward Acton (1610-1659), who was MP for Bridgnorth.[3]

In 1629, Mytton married Magdalen Napier (1610-1648), daughter of Sir Robert Napier (1560–1637), and sister-in-law of Sir Thomas Myddelton. They had at least seven children who survived into adulthood, including Margaret (1626-1647), Mary (1626-?), Edward (1633-1660), Magdalen (1636-?), Richard (1637-1670), Sarah (1638-1698) and Christian (1638-?). In 1649 he married again, this time to Barbara Lennard, daughter of the current Baron Dacre; they had no children.[4]

Early career and First Civil War

[edit]

After attending Shrewsbury School, Mytton graduated from Balliol College, Oxford in 1615, then joined Lincoln's Inn in 1616 where he completed his legal training. There are few details available on his pre-war career but he supported Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, despite most of the Shropshire gentry being Royalist, including his sister's husband. Both his mother and wife's families were Puritan sympathisers who opposed the policies of Charles I, although Mytton himself seemed less committed to 'Godly reforms".[5]

Thomas Mytton is located in Wales
Oswestry
Oswestry
Wem
Wem
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Conwy
Conwy
Denbigh
Denbigh
Montgomery
Montgomery
Halston
Halston
Beaumaris
Beaumaris
Harlech
Harlech
Chester
Chester
Ruthin
Ruthin
class=notpageimage|
Shropshire and North Wales, key locations, 1642 to 1648

When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, the regional centre of Shrewsbury was used to assemble recruits and supplies from Royalist areas in Wales and the North West, making the area important to both sides in June 1643, Parliament appointed the Earl of Denbigh military commander of Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, Sir Thomas Myddelton filling the same role in North Wales.[6]

Mytton raised an infantry regiment in Cheshire and joined Myddelton to take Wem in September 1643, becoming Governor of the first Parliamentarian garrison in Shropshire (see Map).[7] For the next twelve months, he used the town as a base for operations in support of Sir William Brereton's campaign against Chester and other Royalist positions in the region. Tensions developed with local Parliamentarians whom he accused of refusing to follow orders, a dispute that influenced subsequent events.[5]

In June 1644, he and Denbigh took Oswestry, isolating Shrewsbury from Chester and providing a route for Parliamentarian offensives into Wales.[8] A joint offensive with Myddleton led to the capture of Montgomery Castle in early September, while a Royalist attempt to retake it was repulsed on 18th in the biggest battle of the war in Wales and a major victory for Parliament.[9] The new Parliamentarian governor was Sir John Pryce, a Royalist defector who switched sides again in May 1645.[10]

His capture of Shrewsbury on 22 February 1645 forced the evacuation of remaining Royalist garrisons in central Shropshire, but local opposition to the appointment meant he did not become Governor.[11] The war had become increasingly bitter on both sides, illustrated when Mytton hung twelve Irish Catholic prisoners taken at Shrewsbury, in accordance with the October 1644 Parliamentarian "Ordinance of no quarter to the Irish". Prince Rupert of the Rhine promptly responded by hanging the same number of English Protestants, which did little to improve his reputation for brutality but effectively ended the practice.[12]

When Myddelton and Denbigh resigned their military offices in April 1645 under the self-denying ordinance, Mytton was promoted to Major General, made commander in North Wales and appointed High Sheriff of Shropshire. By late 1645, the Royalists were close to collapse and at Denbigh Green on 1 November, he defeated an attempt to relieve Chester, which capitulated in February 1646. Next he was ordered to reduce Royalist strongpoints in North Wales, which provided a potential bridgehead for supporters in Ireland; on 10 June, Charles instructed his remaining garrisons in England and Wales to yield, although most ignored this.[13] By the end of August, Mytton had taken Ruthin, Caernarfon and Beaumaris on Anglesey. Denbigh Castle surrendered in October only after Charles sent its commander a personal note, Conwy held out until November, with Harlech the last to fall in March 1647.[14]

Second Civil War and Interregnum

[edit]
Beaumaris Castle; captured by Mytton in June 1646 and October 1648

Arguments over the settlement with Charles led to conflict between moderate MPs, who held a majority in Parliament, and a radical minority, who were supported by the New Model Army. The economic cost of the war, a poor 1646 harvest, and recurrence of the plague meant by March 1647 the troops in Wales had not been paid for eighteen months, while the New Model was owed over £3 million, an enormous sum at the time. Parliament ordered it to Ireland, stating only those who agreed would be paid; when their representatives demanded full payment for all in advance, the army was disbanded on 8 April 1647.[15]

Since his troops were not part of the New Model, Mytton retained his position. In December, he was appointed Vice-admiral of North Wales in place of Thomas Glynn and granted £5,000 of confiscated Royalist estates.[5] The Second English Civil War began in April 1648 when unpaid Parliamentarian garrisons in South Wales defected but Mytton remained loyal. The revolt in the south was quickly suppressed, that in the north collapsed after he and Myddelton defeated a Royalist force at Red Hill on 1 October and recaptured Beaumaris Castle.[16]

This ended his military career and he played a relatively minor role under the Interregnum. He was part of the court-martial which sentenced the Earl of Derby to death for his part in the 1651 Third English Civil War and represented Shropshire in the First Protectorate Parliament. He died in London in November 1656 and was buried on 29 November in the original St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury.[5]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ The original collapsed in 1788 and was entirely rebuilt; only the crypt and churchyard remain [1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ St Chads.
  2. ^ Ibbetsen 2004.
  3. ^ Helms 1983.
  4. ^ Williams.
  5. ^ a b c d Roberts 2004.
  6. ^ Hutton 2003, pp. 64–65.
  7. ^ BCW.
  8. ^ Hutton 2003, p. 147.
  9. ^ Plant.
  10. ^ Hutton 2003, pp. 174–175.
  11. ^ Hutton 2003, pp. 150–151.
  12. ^ Royle 2004, p. 277.
  13. ^ Hutton 2003, p. 197.
  14. ^ Hutton 2003, pp. 198–200.
  15. ^ Rees 2016, pp. 173–174.
  16. ^ Royle 2004, p. 440.

Sources

[edit]
  • BCW. "Colonel Thomas Mytton's Regiment of Foot". BCW Project. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  • Helms, MW (1983). ACTON, Sir Walter, 2nd Bt. (c.1621-65), of Aldenham Hall, Salop in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690. Boydell & Brewer. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  • Hutton, Ronald (2003). The Royalist War Effort 1642–1646. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-30540-2.
  • Ibbetsen, David (2004). "Owen, Thomas (died 1598)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21032. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Plant. "Battle of Montgomery". BCW Project. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  • Rees, John (2016). The Leveller Revolution. Verso. ISBN 978-1-78478-390-7.
  • Roberts, Stephen (2004). "Mytton, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19714. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Royle, Trevor (2004). Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 (2006 ed.). Abacus. ISBN 978-0-349-11564-1.
  • St Chads. "History of St Chad's with St Mary's, Shrewsbury". St Chads Church. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  • Williams, Richard. "Mytton of Halston". Retrieved 23 March 2021.
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