Francis Lascelles
Encyclopedia
Francis Lascelles was a member of the landed gentry
from an old Yorkshire
family whose residence was at Stank Hall near Northallerton
. During the English Civil War
he fought for the Parliamentarians. He sat as a Commissioner in the High Court of Justice for the trial
of King Charles I
but did not sign the death warrant.
He was the eldest son of William Lascelles of Stank Hall, North Yorkshire and was educated at Gray's Inn.
At the start of the Civil War Lascelles joined the Parliament army, and became a colonel. In September 1648, he and Colonel Bethel were sent to Scarborough because three hundred Walloons had been sent there by the Prince of Wales
. Lascelles and Bethel laid siege to the town and castle
, which soon fell with their garrison taken prisoner. During the late 1640s Lascelles, along with some of his relations, built up business interests in Ireland, which in his case centred on Belfast.
He was one of a number of reliable middle ranking offices from the New Model Army who were procured by the Grandees to join the Commission to try King Charles I. Lascelles sat in the Painted Chamber
on January the 8th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th, and in Westminster Hall the 20th and 22nd; but he did not attend on the day when sentence was passed, nor did he sign the King's death warrant.
In 1645 he was elected to Parliament as MP for Thirsk, Yorkshire
During the Interregnum he was returned to the Barebones Parliament
(1653), the First Protectorate Parliament
(1654) and the Second Protectorate Parliament
(1656) for the Yorkshire constituency of North Riding. In 1659, as it became evident that political fortune favoured a return of the Stuarts, Lascelles negotiated with General George Monck a re-inclusion to the Rump Parliament
of those members of the Long Parliament
excluded by Pride's Purge
in 1648. His reward at the English Restoration
was to be returned as the member for Northallerton
to the Convention Parliament. Unlike most of the Regicide
s, he was not excluded from the general pardon under the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
although he was ordered to pay one years rent on his Estate to Charles II and along with John Hutchinson
forbidden to hold any public office.
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
from an old Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
family whose residence was at Stank Hall near Northallerton
Northallerton
Northallerton is an affluent market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...
. During 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 fought for the Parliamentarians. He sat as a Commissioner in the High Court of Justice for the trial
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...
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...
but did not sign the death warrant.
He was the eldest son of William Lascelles of Stank Hall, North Yorkshire and was educated at Gray's Inn.
At the start of the Civil War Lascelles joined the Parliament army, and became a colonel. In September 1648, he and Colonel Bethel were sent to Scarborough because three hundred Walloons had been sent there by the Prince of Wales
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Lascelles and Bethel laid siege to the town and castle
Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England...
, which soon fell with their garrison taken prisoner. During the late 1640s Lascelles, along with some of his relations, built up business interests in Ireland, which in his case centred on Belfast.
He was one of a number of reliable middle ranking offices from the New Model Army who were procured by the Grandees to join the Commission to try King Charles I. Lascelles sat in the Painted Chamber
Painted Chamber
The Painted Chamber was part of the original Palace of Westminster. It was destroyed by fire in 1834.Because it was originally a royal residence, the Palace did not include any purpose-built chambers for the two Houses. Important state ceremonies, including the State Opening of Parliament, were...
on January the 8th, 10th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th, and in Westminster Hall the 20th and 22nd; but he did not attend on the day when sentence was passed, nor did he sign the King's death warrant.
In 1645 he was elected to Parliament as MP for Thirsk, Yorkshire
Thirsk (UK Parliament constituency)
Thirsk was a parliamentary borough in Yorkshire, represented in the English and later British House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1547. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832, and by one member from 1832 to 1885, when the constituency was abolished and absorbed into the new...
During the Interregnum he was returned to the Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...
(1653), the First Protectorate Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
(1654) and the Second Protectorate Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
(1656) for the Yorkshire constituency of North Riding. In 1659, as it became evident that political fortune favoured a return of the Stuarts, Lascelles negotiated with General George Monck a re-inclusion to 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....
of those members of 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...
excluded by Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
in 1648. His reward at the English 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...
was to be returned as the member for Northallerton
Northallerton (UK Parliament constituency)
Northallerton was a parliamentary borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire, represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons briefly in the 13th century and again from 1640 to 1832, and by one member from 1832 until 1885....
to the Convention Parliament. Unlike most of the 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...
s, he was not excluded from the general pardon under 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"....
although he was ordered to pay one years rent on his Estate to Charles II and along with John Hutchinson
John Hutchinson (Colonel)
Colonel John Hutchinson was one of the Puritan leaders, and a prominent Roundhead in the English Civil War to the extent of being the 13th of 39 Commissioners to sign the death-warrant of King Charles I.-Biography:...
forbidden to hold any public office.
Further reading
- Hopper, Andrew. The Farnley Wood Plot and the memory of the Civil Wars in Yorkshire, The Historical Journal (2002), 45: 281-303 Cambridge University Press