| Name |
Francis Willoughby |
| Suffix |
5th Baron Willoughby of Parham |
| Born |
Abt 1605 |
England  |
| Gender |
Male |
| History |
1642 |
Lincolnshire, England |
| When King Charles I in 1642 issued his Commission of Array to form a loyal army, Francis Willoughby, 5rd Baron Willoughby of Parham rejected his summons and instead took command of a horse regiment under the Parliamentary commander, the Earl of Essex (Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex b.1591, the son and heir of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex courtier and soldier of Queen Elizaberth ! who was beheaded for treason, see Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter Francis's wifes grandfather). By January of 1643 he was made commander-in-chief of Lincolnshire. |
| History |
20 Jul 1643 |
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England |
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English Lord and an early supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War but later became a Royalist. He twice served as governor of English colonies in the Caribbean.
On 20 Jul 1643 he captured Gainsborough in Lincolnshire for the Parliament Roundheads from the Earl of Kingston in a night attack. The Earl was later killed by a cannon ball from his own men as he was being taken as prisoner down the river.
Gainsborough was important for communications with the south and so Lord Newcastle sent Sir Charles Cavendish to retake it. Parliament, also knowing of Gainsborough's strategic significance sent Sir John Meldrum to assist Cromwell in relieving and reinforcing the town.
The Royalists tried to retake the town on 28 July 1643 (The Battle of Gainsborough) from the south east and took their stand on Foxby Hill, but despite the hill being steep and sandy they were routed by the Parliamentary assault, with a disciplined charge from Cromwell's own "Ironsides". The Royalists were driven down into the flat marshy land of the river Trent, where Cavendish was killed among some 300 others.
Though it was a Parliamentary victory, by the 30th Newcastle's army had arrived at Grantham, defeated Parliament and retook the town. Parliament was driven back and out of Lincolnshire altogether |
| History |
Jul 1647 |
The Netherlands |
| In the next few years, Willoughby became the leader of the Presbyterian force within Parliament, opposed the formation of the New Model Army and was elected as speaker of the House of Lords in July, 1647. However, when the Parliamentary army took London in September, Willoughby was imprisoned along with six other peers and held for four months at which point he was released without charge, fleeing to the Netherlands to join the Royalists |
| Died |
1666 |
| Person ID |
I1749991379 |
Red1st |
| Last Modified |
30 Oct 2008 |
| Father |
William Willoughby, 3rd Baron Willoughby of Parham, b. 1585, Parham, Suffolk, England , d. 28 Aug 1617, Knaith, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England (Age 32 years) |
| Mother |
Frances Manners, b. 22 Oct 1588, Winkburn, Nottinghamshire, England , d. Abt 1643 (Age 54 years) |
| Married |
04 Feb 1603 |
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England |
| Family ID |
F672595302 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Abt 1605 - 1666 (~ 61 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
