John Rosworm
Encyclopedia
John Rosworm or Rosworme (fl. 1630 - 1660) was a Dutch
or German
soldier
and military engineer
who served the Parliamentarian
cause during the English Civil War
.
After serving throughout Europe
, Rosworm settled in Manchester
in 1642 where the town engaged him on a GBP30, six-month contract
to lead their defence against the Royalist
Lord Strange. Despite an approach from Strange to defect to the Royalists, Rosworm completed the town's makeshift fortification
s on September 23, 1642. The siege
began the following day and the town was defended until Strange's withdrawal on October 1.
Rosworm marshalled a counter-attack against the Royalists, capturing Leigh as a base for Parliamentarian forces in Lancashire
. Now made Lieutenant Colonel
in Ralph Ashton's regiment
, he organised the fortification of Preston, following its capture on February 9, 1643.
His original contract with Manchester having ended, he was retained on an annual salary of GBP 60, forgoing his commission
from Ashton and committing himself to the garrison
in Manchester, improving its fortification.
During service in the capture of Wigan
, Rosworm claimed that Colonel Richard Holland
had endangered his safety but Holland escaped censure owing to his strong political influence. A bitter enmity lingered between the two men.
Rosworm was in action in the assault on Warrington
and in the fortification of Liverpool
before returning to Manchester, then under threat of attack by the William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
. Rosworm's strategy included defenses as far afield as Blackstone Edge
and Blackgate in the Pennines
above Manchester. Newcastle thought better of his plan.
Rosworm subsequently fought with Sir Thomas Fairfax
at Nantwich
and Sir John Meldrum
at Liverpool as director of the siege to regain the town. Liverpool was won by Parliament on November 1, 1644. The years 1644 and 1645 saw renewed approaches from the Royalist faction, friction with Holland and increasing pay arrears. The Manchester townspeople petitioned parliament to help Rosworm' financial situation but to no avail.
By 1648 Rosworm was in financially straitened circumstances and he visited London
to press his cause. Over the next decade he enjoyed sporadic and reluctant reward from the people of Manchester though he had firmly established his family there. In reply to his repeated petitions of parliament, in 1651, he was rewarded with a post in Yarmouth
to oversee preparations for defence against feared enemy landings. He was subsequently appointed engineer-general for England.
After being appointed engineer-general of the army on July 19, 1659, there is no further record of him. It is thought that he died in exile following the Restoration
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
or German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and military engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who served the Parliamentarian
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
cause 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...
.
After serving throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Rosworm settled in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1642 where the town engaged him on a GBP30, six-month contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
to lead their defence against the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
Lord Strange. Despite an approach from Strange to defect to the Royalists, Rosworm completed the town's makeshift fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s on September 23, 1642. The siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
began the following day and the town was defended until Strange's withdrawal on October 1.
Rosworm marshalled a counter-attack against the Royalists, capturing Leigh as a base for Parliamentarian forces in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Now made Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in Ralph Ashton's regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, he organised the fortification of Preston, following its capture on February 9, 1643.
His original contract with Manchester having ended, he was retained on an annual salary of GBP 60, forgoing his commission
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
from Ashton and committing himself to the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
in Manchester, improving its fortification.
During service in the capture of Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, Rosworm claimed that Colonel Richard Holland
Richard Holland
Richard Holland or Richard de Holande , Scottish writer, author of the Buke of the Howlat, was secretary or chaplain to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray and rector of Halkirk, near Thurso....
had endangered his safety but Holland escaped censure owing to his strong political influence. A bitter enmity lingered between the two men.
Rosworm was in action in the assault on Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and in the fortification of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
before returning to Manchester, then under threat of attack by the William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne KG KB PC was an English polymath and aristocrat, having been a poet, equestrian, playwright, swordsman, politician, architect, diplomat and soldier...
. Rosworm's strategy included defenses as far afield as Blackstone Edge
Blackstone Edge
Blackstone Edge is a gritstone escarpment at 1,549 feet above sea level in an area of moorland on the Greater Manchester–West Yorkshire county boundary, England....
and Blackgate in the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
above Manchester. Newcastle thought better of his plan.
Rosworm subsequently fought with Sir Thomas Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
at Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
and Sir John Meldrum
John Meldrum
Sir John Meldrum was a soldier of Scottish origin who spent 36 years in the service of the Stuart kings of Scotland and England, James VI and I and Charles I. In 1636, Meldrum was granted by letters-patent from the king licence to continue and renew the lighthouses erected by Charles I on the...
at Liverpool as director of the siege to regain the town. Liverpool was won by Parliament on November 1, 1644. The years 1644 and 1645 saw renewed approaches from the Royalist faction, friction with Holland and increasing pay arrears. The Manchester townspeople petitioned parliament to help Rosworm' financial situation but to no avail.
By 1648 Rosworm was in financially straitened circumstances and he visited London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to press his cause. Over the next decade he enjoyed sporadic and reluctant reward from the people of Manchester though he had firmly established his family there. In reply to his repeated petitions of parliament, in 1651, he was rewarded with a post in Yarmouth
Yarmouth
-In Canada:*Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia**Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia *New Yarmouth, Nova Scotia-In the United Kingdom:*Yarmouth, Isle of Wight...
to oversee preparations for defence against feared enemy landings. He was subsequently appointed engineer-general for England.
After being appointed engineer-general of the army on July 19, 1659, there is no further record of him. It is thought that he died in exile following the 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...
.