Michael Livesey
Encyclopedia
Sir Michael Livesey, 1st Baronet (born 1614) was one of the regicide
s of King Charles I
.
A Kentish baronet
of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey
, Livesey was a zealous Puritan
who sided with Parliament during the civil wars. He became active on the Kent county committee and was appointed Sheriff of Kent in 1643. Livesey commanded local forces in Kent, but in 1644, amid accusations of cowardice and threats of mutiny, he challenged the authority of Sir William Waller and detached his cavalry from Waller's command. A partial reconciliation was reached when their disagreement was brought before the Committee for Both Kingdoms in September 1644, and Livesey's troops rejoined Waller's army until the spring of 1645. Livesey refused to serve in the New Model Army
and his regiment was taken over by Henry Ireton
.
In September 1645, Livesey was elected recruiter MP
for Queenborough
, Kent, and emerged as a radical Independent and republican. When pro-Royalist riots broke out in Kent in December 1647, Livesey was sent to quell them. He remained in the south-east during 1648, harshly suppressing any suspected Royalist activity. During July, he pursued the Earl of Holland
's insurgents after they attempted to capture Reigate Castle
, and then defeated them at Kingston in Surrey, thus ending the threat of a Royalist uprising on the outskirts of London.
Appointed a commissioner on the High Court of Justice
, Livesey was a signatory of the King's death warrant. He was an active member of the Rump Parliament
, where he emerged as deeply hostile to Royalists and Papists. Like other republicans, he opposed the establishment of the Protectorate in 1653, but occupied himself with local duties. He served as High Sheriff of Kent
in 1655 and 1656.
Denounced as a regicide at the Restoration
, Livesey fled to the Netherland
s. It was rumoured that he was attacked and killed by Royalist
s in 1660, but there were also reports that he was at Hanau in 1662 and at Rotterdam in 1665.
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...
s 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...
.
A Kentish baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
, Livesey was a zealous Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
who sided with Parliament during the civil wars. He became active on the Kent county committee and was appointed Sheriff of Kent in 1643. Livesey commanded local forces in Kent, but in 1644, amid accusations of cowardice and threats of mutiny, he challenged the authority of Sir William Waller and detached his cavalry from Waller's command. A partial reconciliation was reached when their disagreement was brought before the Committee for Both Kingdoms in September 1644, and Livesey's troops rejoined Waller's army until the spring of 1645. Livesey refused to serve in 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...
and his regiment was taken over by Henry Ireton
Henry Ireton
Henry 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:...
.
In September 1645, Livesey was elected recruiter MP
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 Queenborough
Queenborough
Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.Queenborough is two miles south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to The Swale where it joins the River Medway...
, Kent, and emerged as a radical Independent and republican. When pro-Royalist riots broke out in Kent in December 1647, Livesey was sent to quell them. He remained in the south-east during 1648, harshly suppressing any suspected Royalist activity. During July, he pursued the Earl of Holland
Earl of Holland
Earl of Holland was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1624 for Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington. He was the younger son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick. and had already been created Baron Kensington in 1623, also in the Peerage of England. His eldest son, the second Earl,...
's insurgents after they attempted to capture Reigate Castle
Reigate Castle
Reigate castle is a ruined castle in the market town of Reigate in the county of Surrey, England.-Establishment:King William I granted the land around Reigate to one of his supporters, William de Warenne, who was created Earl of Surrey in 1088...
, and then defeated them at Kingston in Surrey, thus ending the threat of a Royalist uprising on the outskirts of London.
Appointed a commissioner on the High Court of Justice
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
, Livesey was a signatory of the King's death warrant. He was an active member of the Rump Parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
, where he emerged as deeply hostile to Royalists and Papists. Like other republicans, he opposed the establishment of the Protectorate in 1653, but occupied himself with local duties. He served as High Sheriff of Kent
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1655 and 1656.
Denounced as a regicide at the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, Livesey fled to the Netherland
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
s. It was rumoured that he was attacked and killed by Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
s in 1660, but there were also reports that he was at Hanau in 1662 and at Rotterdam in 1665.