Arthur
Haselrig was born in 1601. A Puritan,
he was elected to represent Leicester
in the House of Commons. Haselrig was a
strong opponent of Charles
I and
played an important role in having the
king's two senior advisers, William Laud
and Thomas Wentworth arrested and
sent to the Tower of London.
Charged with treason, Wentworth's
trial opened on 22nd March, 1641. The case could not be proved and
so his enemies in the House of Commons,
led by Haselrig, John Pym and Henry
Vane, resorted to a Bill of Attainder. Charles
I gave his consent
to the Bill of Attainder and Thomas
Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, was executed on 12th May 1641.
Parliament then passed
a law that gave members control over the king's ministers.
Charles I was
furious and decided it was time to retaliate. On 4 January 1642, Charles
sent his soldiers to arrest Haselrig, John Pym,
John Hampden, Denzil
Holles and William Strode.
The five men managed to escape before the soldiers arrived. Members
of Parliament no longer felt safe from Charles and decided to form
their own army. After failing to arrest the Five
Members, Charles fled from London.
Aware that Civil War
was inevitable, Charles
began to form an army.
In the war Haselrig served
under William Waller and fought at Roundway
Down (1643) and Cheriton (1644). Although opposed to the trial
and execution of Charles
I, Haselrig became
Councillor of State in the government of Oliver
Cromwell.
Sir Arthur
Haselrig died in
1661.
(1)
Richard Atkins, was a Captain in the Royalist army. On 13 July, 1643,
he took part in the Royalist victory at Roundway
Down. In this extract Atkins describes trying
to kill General Arthur
Haselrig, the leader of the parliamentary
army at Roundway Down.
It was
my fortune to charge Sir Arthur Heselrige... He discharged his carbine
first but at a distance not to hurt us... I then... discharged mine;
I'm sure I hit him, for he staggered and wheeled off from his party
and ran... I pursued him... and in six score yards I came up to him,
and discharged the other pistol at him, and I am sure I hit his head...
but he was too well armed all over for a pistol bullet to do him any
hurt, having a coat of mail over his arms and a headpiece that was
musket proof... I employed myself in killing his horse, and cut him
in several places... the horse began to faint with bleeding, and Sir
Arthur fell off. Then a group of troopers... charged and rescued him.
(2)
Edmund
Ludlow, Memoirs
of Edward Ludlow (c. 1680)
Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper,
also a great instrument in this horrid treachery, as he was most active
amongst those of the Parliament who were consulting for their restitution,
so notwithstanding the affronts he had formerly put upon me, the Lord
Arundel being pressed by the trustees and contractors at Drury House
for the paying in of thousands of pounds which he was in arrears for
some lands which they had sold of his to some of his friends, and
which Cromwell had discharged him of, they not allowing that to be
a sufficient discharge threaten him to sell the land again, according
to a command they had received from the Parliament to that purpose,
if he forthwith paid not the said arrears. It being apprehended that
my letter to them might be of service to him therein, he the same
Sir Anthony, coming to me with him to desire me to write on his behalf,
professed to be very affectionate to the interest of the Commonwealth,
which he did so to the life that I was much pleased therewith, having
always believed him to be otherwise inclined. But notwithstanding
his fair words, I was not so confident of him as to repose any great
trust in him, he having played fast and loose so often, declaring
sometimes for the king, then for the Parliament, then for Cromwell,
afterwards against him,
and now for the Commonwealth.
About this time I went
to Sir Arthur Haslerig, whom I knew to be of a most rigid and inflexible
spirit, and endeavoured as well as I could to persuade him of the
necessity incumbent on us all to lay aside our private animosities,
and to unite our whole strength to preserve the vessel of the Commonwealth
from sinking. I desired him to entertain a better opinion of Sir Henry
Vane, and some other persons than he seemed to have, assuring him
that it was impossible to prevent that ruin which threatened us.
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