Eastern Association
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Association of counties was a Parliamentarian or 'Roundhead
' army during the English Civil War
. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England
in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell
. It was initially led by Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
, one of Parliament's Major-Generals, after the dismissal of Lord Grey Of Warke.
, Hertfordshire
, Norfolk
, Suffolk
, Cambridgeshire
, Huntingdonshire
and Lincolnshire
. This was one of the richest agricultural parts of England; meaning that the Eastern Association was of the best financed and equipped armies on either side in the early part of the civil war - widely influencing the sophisticated detail and command of the later New Model Army
.
and in subsequent campaigns, it moved against Royalist controlled Yorkshire
. The Eastern Association fought in the Parliamentary victory at the battle of Marston Moor
in June 1644 and then at the drawn second battle of Newbury
, joining forces with the Earl of Essex and Sir William Waller's London and Southern Association armies in October of that year. This missed opportunity was an early factor toward some military commanders, including Cromwell, doubting the ability of Manchester as a commander. This was the last major battle the army was ever to take part in.
In early 1645, it was disbanded under the Self-Denying Ordinance
and incorporated, along with the Parliamentarian armies of the Earl of Essex and William Waller
, into the New Model Army
.
Infantry
Dragoons
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
' army during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. It was initially led by Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
, one of Parliament's Major-Generals, after the dismissal of Lord Grey Of Warke.
The foundations of "the best equipped army of the Civil War"
The army was composed of units raised in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. This was one of the richest agricultural parts of England; meaning that the Eastern Association was of the best financed and equipped armies on either side in the early part of the civil war - widely influencing the sophisticated detail and command of the later New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
.
The Eastern Association during the Civil War
Early in the war, in the winter of 1642-43, it established Parliamentary control over East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and in subsequent campaigns, it moved against Royalist controlled Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The Eastern Association fought in the Parliamentary victory at the battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
in June 1644 and then at the drawn second battle of Newbury
Second Battle of Newbury
The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27 October, 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.The combined armies of Parliament...
, joining forces with the Earl of Essex and Sir William Waller's London and Southern Association armies in October of that year. This missed opportunity was an early factor toward some military commanders, including Cromwell, doubting the ability of Manchester as a commander. This was the last major battle the army was ever to take part in.
In early 1645, it was disbanded under the Self-Denying Ordinance
Self-denying Ordinance
The first Self-denying Ordinance was a bill moved on 9 December 1644 to deprive members of the Parliament of England from holding command in the army or the navy during the English Civil War. It failed to pass the House of Lords. A second Self-denying Ordinance was agreed to on 3 April 1645,...
and incorporated, along with the Parliamentarian armies of the Earl of Essex and William Waller
William Waller
Sir William Waller was an English soldier during the English Civil War. He received his education at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and served in the Venetian army and in the Thirty Years' War...
, into the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
.
Military Personnel of the Eastern Association
- Major-General: Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
- Lieutenant-General of Horse: Oliver CromwellOliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
- Sergeant Major-General of Foot: Lawrence CrawfordLawrence CrawfordLawrence Crawford was a Scottish soldier who fought in English or other armies on the continent of Europe. However, his motives were not mercenary, as he fought only for Presbyterian principles or causes....
- Commissionary-General: Bartholomew Vermuyden
- Quartermaster-General: Henry IretonHenry IretonHenry Ireton was an English general in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War. He was the son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell.-Early life:...
- Lieutenant-Colonel of Dragoons: John Lilbourne
Regiments within the Army of the Eastern Association
Cavalry- The Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
's - CromwellOliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's IronsidesIronside (cavalry)The Ironsides were troopers in the Parliamentarian cavalry formed by English political leader Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century, during the English Civil War. The name came from "Old Ironsides", one of Cromwell's nicknames... - Bartholomew Vermuyden's
- Charles FleetwoodCharles FleetwoodCharles Fleetwood was an English Parliamentary soldier and politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1652–55, where he enforced the Cromwellian Settlement. At the Restoration he was included in the Act of Indemnity as among the twenty liable to penalties other than capital, and was finally...
's - Sir John Norwich's (temporarily for the Second Battle of NewburySecond Battle of NewburyThe Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27 October, 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.The combined armies of Parliament...
, while Fleetwood's stayed in the Eastern counties)
Infantry
- The Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
's - Lawrence CrawfordLawrence CrawfordLawrence Crawford was a Scottish soldier who fought in English or other armies on the continent of Europe. However, his motives were not mercenary, as he fought only for Presbyterian principles or causes....
's - Edward MontaguEdward Montagu, 1st Earl of SandwichEdward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House....
's - Sir Miles Robart's
- John Pickering's
- Francis Russell's
- Thomas RainsboroughThomas RainsboroughThomas Rainsborough , or Rainborough or Raineborough or Rainborowe or Rainbow or Rainborow, was a prominent figure in the English Civil War, and was the leading spokesman of the Levellers in the Putney Debates.-Life:He was the son of William Rainsborough, a captain and Vice-Admiral in the Royal...
's - John Lilbourne's
- Valentine WaltonValentine WaltonValentine Walton was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Walton was of very ancient, and knightly family of Great Staughton, in Huntingdonshire. Upon a vacancy he was returned a member of the Long Parliament for the county of Huntingdon...
Snr's
Dragoons
- The Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of ManchesterEdward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
's - John Lilbourne's
- Bartholomew Vermuyden's