Thomas Pride was born near
Glastonbury in about 1610. He worked as a drayman in London
and on the outbreak of the Civil War
joined the Parliamentary forces. He was a good soldier and eventually
became a colonel in the New Model Army.
Pride, who fought at Naseby, was given
command of a brigade in Scotland.
In December 1648 Pride's
troops expelled from the House of Commons
that MPs who favoured a negotiated settlement with Charles
I. After what
became known as Pride's Purge, the
remaining MPs formed the Rump Parliament, which remained in session
until 1653.
Pride was knighted and
Oliver Cromwell nominated him to sit
in Parliament. He was also given large estates and he purchased Nonsuch,
a palace previously owned by Henry VIII.
Sir Thomas Pride died in 1658.
After the Restoration
Pride, Oliver Cromwell, Henry
Ireton and John Bradshaw were all
posthumously tried for high treason. They were found guilty and in
January 1661 their corpses were exhumed and hung in chains at Tyburn.
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