Thomas Hammond (regicide)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hammond was an officer in the New Model Army
and a regicide
.
Hammond was the third son of the five children of Dr John Hammond (c. 1555–1617), physician to the royal household under James I.
In 1642, at the start of the English Civil War
he was commissioned as an artillery officer. As he was an experienced officer he must have seen military service in the continental wars that preceded the Civil War although there is no direct evidence of this. His motives for joining the Parliamentary side against King Charles I are not recorded but his radicalism was evident by 1644 when he testified against his own commander-in-chief, Edward Montagu
in favour of Oliver Cromwell
.
Between 1647 and 1649 he was active member of small committee that represented the interests of the Grandees in the New Model Army in their dealings with the Long Parliament
, the Agitators in the army with their and their Leveller allies
, and King Charles. Was named as a Commissioner at the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
and attending no fewer than fourteen of its sittings, but he did not sign the death warrant. His motives for not signing are not recorded.
Hammond did not take part in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
or in the initial invasion of Scotland, but he joined Cromwell at a later date. While in Scotland he fell seriously ill. His health appears never to have fully recovered and he resigned his commission in 1652.
After his retirement he was occupied with obtaining pay arrears due to himself and the other personnel of the artillery train that he had commanded. He was granted Irish lands for his part in the initial campaign of 1642, and along with his men lands confiscated from Royalists in Middlesex and Surrey. In 1657 with his health failing he made his will and he died the next year shortly before his old friend and former commander Oliver Cromwell. After the Restoration his name was exempted from the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
allowing the state to confiscated the property that had belonged to him.
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 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...
.
Hammond was the third son of the five children of Dr John Hammond (c. 1555–1617), physician to the royal household under James I.
In 1642, at the start of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
he was commissioned as an artillery officer. As he was an experienced officer he must have seen military service in the continental wars that preceded the Civil War although there is no direct evidence of this. His motives for joining the Parliamentary side against King Charles I are not recorded but his radicalism was evident by 1644 when he testified against his own commander-in-chief, Edward Montagu
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward 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....
in favour of 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....
.
Between 1647 and 1649 he was active member of small committee that represented the interests of the Grandees in the New Model Army in their dealings with 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...
, the Agitators in the army with their and their Leveller allies
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They came to prominence at the end of the First...
, and King Charles. Was named as a Commissioner at the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
The High Court of Justice is the name given to the court established by the Rump Parliament to try King Charles I of England. This was an ad hoc tribunal created specifically for the purpose of trying the king, although the same name was used again for subsequent courts.Neither the involvement of...
and attending no fewer than fourteen of its sittings, but he did not sign the death warrant. His motives for not signing are not recorded.
Hammond did not take part in the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
or in the initial invasion of Scotland, but he joined Cromwell at a later date. While in Scotland he fell seriously ill. His health appears never to have fully recovered and he resigned his commission in 1652.
After his retirement he was occupied with obtaining pay arrears due to himself and the other personnel of the artillery train that he had commanded. He was granted Irish lands for his part in the initial campaign of 1642, and along with his men lands confiscated from Royalists in Middlesex and Surrey. In 1657 with his health failing he made his will and he died the next year shortly before his old friend and former commander Oliver Cromwell. After the Restoration his name was exempted from the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
allowing the state to confiscated the property that had belonged to him.