John Russell (royalist)
Encyclopedia
John Russell was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1641 to 1644. He fought in the Royalist army in the English Civil War
.
Russell was the third son of Francis Russell, fourth Earl of Bedford
, known as the "wise earl", and his wife Catherine Brydges, daughter of Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chandos
. He was a wealthy man with estates at Shingay
, Cambridgeshire
.
In 1641, Russell was elected Member of Parliament
for Tavistock
in the Long Parliament
after his brother William Lord Russell
inherited the peerage. Russell served in the King's army and was a member of the Sealed Knot
. The family had divided loyalties in the Civil War. His father had been a champion of the parliamentary cause and his brother changed sides twice. He had many aristocratic equally vacillating connections among his brothers-in-law: the Parliamentarians, Lord Brooke and Lord Grey of Wark, the turncoat Earl of Carlisle and the Royalists Lord Bristol and Lord Newport of High Ercall. Russell commanded Prince Rupert
's blue coated regiment of foot, and was disabled from sitting in parliament in 1644. He was prominent at the storming of Leicester in May 1645, was wounded at Naseby
and was in the Oxford garrison before its surrender.
After the Restoration Russell was a colonel commanding John Russell's Regiment of Guards
which became incorporated into the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, or later the Grenadier Guards
. He enjoyed dress, dance, and music although his taste belonged to the fashion of an earlier generation.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
from 1641 to 1644. He fought in the Royalist army in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Russell was the third son of Francis Russell, fourth Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford PC was an English politician. About 1631 he built the square of Covent Garden, with the piazza and church of St. Paul's, employing Inigo Jones as his architect...
, known as the "wise earl", and his wife Catherine Brydges, daughter of Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chandos
Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chandos
Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chandos of Sudeley was an English courtier in the reign of Elizabeth I.He was born at Sudeley Manor, Gloucestershire, the son of Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos and his wife Dorothy Bray...
. He was a wealthy man with estates at Shingay
Shingay cum Wendy
Shingay cum Wendy is a civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire, around 5 miles north west of Royston.Forming part of the district of South Cambridgeshire's Bassingbourn Ward the parish's main settlements are Shingay and Wendy....
, 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...
.
In 1641, Russell was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
after his brother William Lord Russell
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG PC was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage and sat in the House of Lords...
inherited the peerage. Russell served in the King's army and was a member of the Sealed Knot
Sealed Knot
The Sealed Knot was a secret Royalist association which plotted for the Restoration of the Monarchy during the English Interregnum.Its original founder members were:* John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse...
. The family had divided loyalties in the Civil War. His father had been a champion of the parliamentary cause and his brother changed sides twice. He had many aristocratic equally vacillating connections among his brothers-in-law: the Parliamentarians, Lord Brooke and Lord Grey of Wark, the turncoat Earl of Carlisle and the Royalists Lord Bristol and Lord Newport of High Ercall. Russell commanded Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
's blue coated regiment of foot, and was disabled from sitting in parliament in 1644. He was prominent at the storming of Leicester in May 1645, was wounded at Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
and was in the Oxford garrison before its surrender.
After the Restoration Russell was a colonel commanding John Russell's Regiment of Guards
John Russell's Regiment of Guards
John Russell's Regiment of Guards was an English infantry regiment formed following the Restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660....
which became incorporated into the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, or later the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
. He enjoyed dress, dance, and music although his taste belonged to the fashion of an earlier generation.