John Hewson (regicide)
Encyclopedia
Colonel John Hewson (died 1662) was a soldier in the New Model Army
and signed the death warrant of King Charles I
, making him a regicide
.
was his apprentice in the 1630s, he introduced Lilburne to the Puritan physician John Bastwick
, an active pamphleteer who was persecuted by Archbishop William Laud
.
He was second in command of John Pickering's
Regiment of Foot, one of the original twelve foot regiments of the New Model Army
. When John Pickering died on November 24, 1645 he took command of the regiment; and, as was then the custom then, the Regiment became known as John Hewson Regiment of Foot.
In 1647 Parliament passed an act against religious festivals, regarding them as "vain and superstitious observances" when the Mayor of Canterbury
tried to enforce this act and stop Christmas there was a riot and John Hewson Regiment of Foot were sent to restore order which they did quickly. In 1648 Hewson played a key role in Pride's Purge
and the Army's occupation of London.
In January 1649 he signed the death warrant for Charles I marking him as a regicide. Later that year his regiment refused to fight in Ireland until the Leveller reform programme was implemented; as a result 300 men were cashiered out of the army without arrears of pay. While in Ireland he was involved in the Siege of Drogheda
and commanded an English force during the siege and battle of Tecroghan
. He lost an eye at the siege of Kilkenny and was made Governor of Dublin.
He represented Ireland in the Nominated Assembly (or Barebones Parliament
) of 1653 and Dublin in the First Protectorate Parliament
of 1654. He the returned to England to represent Guildford
in the Second Protectorate Parliament
before being summoned in 1658 to the Other House (an Upper House equivalent to the House of Lords) as Lord Hewson.
On the restoration of the monarchy he fled to Amsterdam
where he died in 1662.
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...
and signed the death warrant of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, making him a regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
.
Life
When John LilburneJohn Lilburne
John Lilburne , also known as Freeborn John, was an English political Leveller before, during and after English Civil Wars 1642-1650. He coined the term "freeborn rights", defining them as rights with which every human being is born, as opposed to rights bestowed by government or human law...
was his apprentice in the 1630s, he introduced Lilburne to the Puritan physician John Bastwick
John Bastwick
John Bastwick was an English Puritan physician and controversial writer.-Life:He was born at Writtle, Essex. He entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on 19 May 1614, but remained there only a very short time, and left the university without a degree. He travelled and served for a time as a soldier,...
, an active pamphleteer who was persecuted by Archbishop William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
.
He was second in command of John Pickering's
John Pickering (soldier)
John Pickering , parliamentarian: brother of Sir Gilbert Pickering; of Gray's Inn, 1634; commanded a regiment in the Earl of Manchester's army and in the New Model Army.-References:Attribition...
Regiment of Foot, one of the original twelve foot regiments of 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...
. When John Pickering died on November 24, 1645 he took command of the regiment; and, as was then the custom then, the Regiment became known as John Hewson Regiment of Foot.
In 1647 Parliament passed an act against religious festivals, regarding them as "vain and superstitious observances" when the Mayor of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
tried to enforce this act and stop Christmas there was a riot and John Hewson Regiment of Foot were sent to restore order which they did quickly. In 1648 Hewson played a key role in Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
and the Army's occupation of London.
In January 1649 he signed the death warrant for Charles I marking him as a regicide. Later that year his regiment refused to fight in Ireland until the Leveller reform programme was implemented; as a result 300 men were cashiered out of the army without arrears of pay. While in Ireland he was involved in the Siege of Drogheda
Siege of Drogheda
The siege of Drogheda at the outset of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town of Drogheda in eastern Ireland was held by a combined English Royalist and Irish Catholic garrison when it was besieged and stormed by English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell...
and commanded an English force during the siege and battle of Tecroghan
Battle of Tecroghan
The Battle of Tecroghan took place near Trim, in west Leinster, Ireland in June 1650. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An English force under Hewson and Reynolds had surrounded the formidable castle of Tecroghan...
. He lost an eye at the siege of Kilkenny and was made Governor of Dublin.
He represented Ireland in the Nominated Assembly (or Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...
) of 1653 and Dublin in the First Protectorate Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
of 1654. He the returned to England to represent Guildford
Guildford (UK Parliament constituency)
Guildford is a county constituency in Surrey which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system....
in the Second Protectorate Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
before being summoned in 1658 to the Other House (an Upper House equivalent to the House of Lords) as Lord Hewson.
On the restoration of the monarchy he fled to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
where he died in 1662.