William Eyre (leveller)
Encyclopedia
William Eyre was an English Parliamentary army officer in the English Civil War
and a Leveller.
, but started as a sergeant, he may have come from a rural middling sort–one of Cromwell's "plain, russet-coated captain[s] ...". In The Serious Representation (which he wrote in 1649 while a prisoner in Oxford), he states that in the middle of the 1630s he was forced to leave England for New-England because he opposed the Service Book.
. Just over three weeks later he was with the regiment when it was destroyed by a detachment of the Royalist army under the command of Prince Rupert at Battle of Brentford
. Eyre joined the Eastern Association
and was commissioned by Oliver Cromwell
a quartermaster in his own troop. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to captain of the sixth troop in Cromwell's regiment of horse (the famous Ironside
). He fought under Cromwell in the Lincolnshire campaign of 1643. When the Parliamentary army left Sleaford
on January 13, 1644, Eyre's troop along with two others were left to secure the country around the town. But later that month his troop and two others were captured after a being surprised by Royalists while they slept. His relationship with Cromwell deteriorated as their political views diverged and Eyre resigned his commission that summer.
he was arrested for inciting mutiny. He, and fellow levellers arrested at the same time, were hailed as martyrs by their supporters. The ordinary soldiers were tried and sentenced at a court martial on 3 December. Eyre's trial along with other officers was postponed. Eyre was never tried because he agreed to submit to military discipline and on the 23 December he was allowed to return to his regiment which was cantoned
in Worcestershire.
where 80 officers of five regiments to discuss their men's grievances foremost of which is back pay. It is possible that the officers discussed plans for a mutiny and to pre-empt this, or for other reasons, in February Eyre's regiment was disband.
(Eyre's farm was adjacent to Marten's estate), a member of the Berkshire county committee to raise a regiment of cavalry. The regiment was unauthorised by Parliament, but as the country was in the midst of the Second Civil War, Marten and Eyre ignored summons from Parliament and refused to appear in Westminster in person to explain themselves. The regiment was reported in the Mercurius Pragmaticus (a knowledgeable contemporary newspaper) said that the regiment claimed to be "for the people's freedom against all tyrants whatsoever" and were 1,500 strong, made up of serving Leveller troopers encouraged to leave (desert) their regiments for this unofficial one, and local yeomen farmers. They equipped themselves in various ways including they said requisitioning arms, ammunition and mounts from known delinquents such as Lord Craven. One of the victims of this unauthorised requisitioning was Sir Humphrey Foster. He named Eyre as one of the Offices involved in the requisitioning of this property, for which he had three men arrayed before the Assizes in Wiltshire. This move came to nothing when the men brandishing their swords refused to recognised the legitimacy of the arrayment.
Over the next few months the regiment was active in supporting the New Model Army and with his Presbetryan enemies purged by Pride
the members of the Rump Parliament commissioned Marten's regiment into the New Model Army.
. He joined with the Salisbury mutineers and was captured at an inn in Burford on the night that Cromwell captured the Banbury mutineers at Burford Church. Eyre justified his actions in front of Fairfax and Cromwell by saying "if ... but ten men appeared for [the cause]
, I would make eleven" Three days later Eyre was taken to Oxford and placed in its prison.
. While imprisoned there Eyre wrote to the Council of State recognising that he had made mistakes and been mislead, and requested that he might be given permission to join his family in Ireland. After spending about a year in Warwick Eyre was released from prison on 1 August 1650. From there Eyre travelled to Ireland, and with the help of Henry Ireton
, the Lord Deputy of Ireland
, he gained possession of Shillelagh.
. On returning to Ireland he was arrested and justified his plotting by referring to the principles in the Solemn Engagement
of 1647 agreed to by himself, Ireton (the probable author of the engagement), and Cromwell. He said that although he loved and honoured the Lord Protector Cromwell even he could be corrupted by power. After several months when it became clear that the authorities were going to hold him indefinably without trial he applied to join Robert Venables
's expedition, then at Hispaniola. But his application was turned down and he remain in incarcerated until the end of the protectorate. While he was in prison a number of civil suits were entered against his claim to the Shillelagh and Carnew Castle estates.
of Charles II
. While being held in Dublin Castle
he was accused of trying to foment a mutiny among the Irish foot guards, and while there was not enough evidence to try him for treason, the new regimen decided that he was too dangerous to release and was held in various prisons for the next nine years.
, J. Crew, Sir Philip Percival, the Countess of Carlisle, Leycester of Cheshire, J. Carpenter, H. Wentworth, Col. Jos. Temple, and others or illegally obtaining the estates comprise upwards of 60000 acres (242.8 km²), while he was in prison. The second was titled A Particular Deduction of the Case of William Eyre.. described what Eyre's considered his right to the Half Barony of Shelah and Castle of Carnow, in the County of Wicklow, that was in possession of 2nd Earl of Strafford
. The Earl of Strafford claimed that The Case of William Eyres, Esq. had libelled both himself and his father and presented it as evidence to the House of Lords' Privileges Committee in May 1675. This is the last historical record of Eyre's life, there is no known record of what action if any the Privileges Committee took and the rest of Eyre's life and death.
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and a Leveller.
Early life
Eyre's origins are unknown, but Paul Hardacre writing in the ODNB suggests that as he held a captains rank in the Parliamentary cavalry in the First English Civil WarFirst English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
, but started as a sergeant, he may have come from a rural middling sort–one of Cromwell's "plain, russet-coated captain[s] ...". In The Serious Representation (which he wrote in 1649 while a prisoner in Oxford), he states that in the middle of the 1630s he was forced to leave England for New-England because he opposed the Service Book.
First Civil War
In 1642 Eyre was a sergeant in Denzil Holles's regiment, and fought at Battle of EdgehillBattle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....
. Just over three weeks later he was with the regiment when it was destroyed by a detachment of the Royalist army under the command of Prince Rupert at Battle of Brentford
Battle of Brentford (1642)
The Battle of Brentford was a small pitched battle which took place on 12 November 1642, between a detachment of the Royalist army, under the command of Prince Rupert and two infantry regiments of Parliamentarians with some horse in support...
. Eyre joined the Eastern Association
Eastern Association
The Eastern Association of counties was a Parliamentarian or 'Roundhead' army during the English Civil War. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell...
and was commissioned by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
a quartermaster in his own troop. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to captain of the sixth troop in Cromwell's regiment of horse (the famous Ironside
Ironside (cavalry)
The Ironsides were troopers in the Parliamentarian cavalry formed by English political leader Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century, during the English Civil War. The name came from "Old Ironsides", one of Cromwell's nicknames...
). He fought under Cromwell in the Lincolnshire campaign of 1643. When the Parliamentary army left Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
on January 13, 1644, Eyre's troop along with two others were left to secure the country around the town. But later that month his troop and two others were captured after a being surprised by Royalists while they slept. His relationship with Cromwell deteriorated as their political views diverged and Eyre resigned his commission that summer.
Marriage and property in Ireland, 1647
In 1647 Eyre married Mary, née Leycester, who had outlived two previous husbands, Calcott Chambre (or Culvert Chambers) and of Job Ward. Chambre's father had bought the half-barony of Shillelagh and Carnew Castle in county Wicklow, Ireland, so through his marriage to Chambre's widow, Eyre now acquired a right to this property. He now had a interest in property in Ireland and Sir Thomas Fairfax nominated Eyre to be a colonel of a regiment of foot in the Parliamentary expeditionary force to be sent to Ireland.Corkbush Field rendezvous, 1647
On 17 November 1647, although his regiment was not part of the New Model Army, Eyre attended the Corkbush Field rendezvous in Hampshire and when he incited the troops to accept the Leveller's Agreement of the PeopleAgreement of the People
An Agreement of the People was a series of manifestos, published between 1647 and 1649, for constitutional changes to the English state. Several versions of the Agreement were published, each adapted to address not only broad concerns but also specific issues during the fast changing...
he was arrested for inciting mutiny. He, and fellow levellers arrested at the same time, were hailed as martyrs by their supporters. The ordinary soldiers were tried and sentenced at a court martial on 3 December. Eyre's trial along with other officers was postponed. Eyre was never tried because he agreed to submit to military discipline and on the 23 December he was allowed to return to his regiment which was cantoned
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
in Worcestershire.
Broadway meeting, 1648
In January 1648 Eyre attended the Broadway meetingBroadway meeting
An unauthorised meeting was held at Broadway in Worcestershire in January 1648, by about 80 officers from four or five Parliamentary regiments. They met to discuss grievances, principally the issue of back pay....
where 80 officers of five regiments to discuss their men's grievances foremost of which is back pay. It is possible that the officers discussed plans for a mutiny and to pre-empt this, or for other reasons, in February Eyre's regiment was disband.
Henry Marten's Regiment in Berkshire, 1648
After the disbanding of his regiment, Eyre moved to Berkshire and aided Henry MartenHenry Marten (regicide)
Sir Henry Marten was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1640 and 1653...
(Eyre's farm was adjacent to Marten's estate), a member of the Berkshire county committee to raise a regiment of cavalry. The regiment was unauthorised by Parliament, but as the country was in the midst of the Second Civil War, Marten and Eyre ignored summons from Parliament and refused to appear in Westminster in person to explain themselves. The regiment was reported in the Mercurius Pragmaticus (a knowledgeable contemporary newspaper) said that the regiment claimed to be "for the people's freedom against all tyrants whatsoever" and were 1,500 strong, made up of serving Leveller troopers encouraged to leave (desert) their regiments for this unofficial one, and local yeomen farmers. They equipped themselves in various ways including they said requisitioning arms, ammunition and mounts from known delinquents such as Lord Craven. One of the victims of this unauthorised requisitioning was Sir Humphrey Foster. He named Eyre as one of the Offices involved in the requisitioning of this property, for which he had three men arrayed before the Assizes in Wiltshire. This move came to nothing when the men brandishing their swords refused to recognised the legitimacy of the arrayment.
Over the next few months the regiment was active in supporting the New Model Army and with his Presbetryan enemies purged by Pride
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...
the members of the Rump Parliament commissioned Marten's regiment into the New Model Army.
Commonwealth
Henry Marten had made some political moves that protected him against charges ordering the billeting of men with out authorisation, however Eyre failed to persuade Fairfax, the Lord General of the New Model Army, that he had Cromwell's permission to do the same. In February 1649 after Fairfax turned down Eyre offer to take his three troops of horse to Ireland, he ordered the disbanding of the troops and Eyre's decommissioning.Burford mutiny, 1649
In May 1649 Eyre, was now a civilian, took part in the Leveller-influenced Burford mutinyBanbury mutiny
The Banbury mutiny was a mutiny by soldiers in the English New Model Army. The mutineers did not achieve all of their aims and some of the leaders were executed shortly afterwards on 17 May 1649.The mutiny was over pay and political demands...
. He joined with the Salisbury mutineers and was captured at an inn in Burford on the night that Cromwell captured the Banbury mutineers at Burford Church. Eyre justified his actions in front of Fairfax and Cromwell by saying "if ... but ten men appeared for [the cause]
Good Old Cause
The Good Old Cause was the retrospective name given by the soldiers of the New Model Army for the complex of reasons for which they fought, on behalf of the Parliament of England....
, I would make eleven" Three days later Eyre was taken to Oxford and placed in its prison.
Imprisonment in Oxford and Warwick, and residency in Ireland
In July of 1649, Council of State, was aware of unrest that would lead to the Oxford Mutiny, and not wishing to have a known mutineer in the area, ordered Eyre's transfer to Warwick CastleWarwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
. While imprisoned there Eyre wrote to the Council of State recognising that he had made mistakes and been mislead, and requested that he might be given permission to join his family in Ireland. After spending about a year in Warwick Eyre was released from prison on 1 August 1650. From there Eyre travelled to Ireland, and with the help of Henry Ireton
Henry Ireton
Henry Ireton was an English general in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War. He was the son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell.-Early life:...
, the Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...
, he gained possession of Shillelagh.
Protectorate
By 1654 Eyre had left Ireland for London and was conspiring with his old Leveller companions against the ProtectorateThe Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
. On returning to Ireland he was arrested and justified his plotting by referring to the principles in the Solemn Engagement
Solemn Engagement
The Solemn Engagement was a declaration to the English House of Commons adopted unanimously by the General Council of the Army commanded by Thomas Fairfax at Newmarket on May 29, 1647...
of 1647 agreed to by himself, Ireton (the probable author of the engagement), and Cromwell. He said that although he loved and honoured the Lord Protector Cromwell even he could be corrupted by power. After several months when it became clear that the authorities were going to hold him indefinably without trial he applied to join Robert Venables
Robert Venables
Robert Venables , was a soldier during the English Civil War and noted angler.Venables was lieutenant-colonel in the parliamentary army. He was wounded at Chester in 1645. He was appointed governor of Liverpool in 1648. He served with success in Ireland from 1649 until 1654...
's expedition, then at Hispaniola. But his application was turned down and he remain in incarcerated until the end of the protectorate. While he was in prison a number of civil suits were entered against his claim to the Shillelagh and Carnew Castle estates.
Nine years in prison
Eyre was briefly at liberty during the period of the restored Commonwealth of 1659. But was rearrested in May 1660 as a threat to the restored monarchyRestoration (Ireland)
The Restoration of the monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of Charles II
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...
. While being held in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
he was accused of trying to foment a mutiny among the Irish foot guards, and while there was not enough evidence to try him for treason, the new regimen decided that he was too dangerous to release and was held in various prisons for the next nine years.
Appeals for recovery of his Irish estates
Eyre was released in December 1669 and with his daughter travelled to London to present his claim to the Shillelagh and Carnew Castle estates to parliament and King Charles. He published two appeals the first was The Case of William Eyres, Esq. in which he accused the Earl of Strafford, C. Chambre, J. and Nathaniel FiennesNathaniel Fiennes
Nathaniel Fiennes was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1659...
, J. Crew, Sir Philip Percival, the Countess of Carlisle, Leycester of Cheshire, J. Carpenter, H. Wentworth, Col. Jos. Temple, and others or illegally obtaining the estates comprise upwards of 60000 acres (242.8 km²), while he was in prison. The second was titled A Particular Deduction of the Case of William Eyre.. described what Eyre's considered his right to the Half Barony of Shelah and Castle of Carnow, in the County of Wicklow, that was in possession of 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford was a member of England's House of Lords.He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several years. In 1652 he was...
. The Earl of Strafford claimed that The Case of William Eyres, Esq. had libelled both himself and his father and presented it as evidence to the House of Lords' Privileges Committee in May 1675. This is the last historical record of Eyre's life, there is no known record of what action if any the Privileges Committee took and the rest of Eyre's life and death.