Francis Willoughby (1605-1666) was a British baron - the 5th Lord Willoughby of Parham. He was an early supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War but later became a Royalist. He twice served as Governor of English colonies in the Caribbean. Events April 13 - Tsar Boris Godunow dies - Feodor II accedes to the throne May 16 - Paul V becomes Pope June 1 - Russian troops in Moscow imprison Feodor II and his mother. ... Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... The title Baron Willoughby of Parham is a barony by writ(?) in the Peerage of England. ... A parliamentarian is a specialist in parliamentary procedure. ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ... Cavalier has multiple meanings: Cavalier is a male ballet dancer. ... ...

Background

Francis Willoughby was born in 1605 to William Willoughby, 3rd Baron Willoughby of Parham and Frances Manners of Nottingham at Parham in Suffolk. His father died in 1617, and the baronetcy was held by his older brother Henry for one year until he too died, at which point Francis took the family title. Events April 13 - Tsar Boris Godunow dies - Feodor II accedes to the throne May 16 - Paul V becomes Pope June 1 - Russian troops in Moscow imprison Feodor II and his mother. ... Nottingham is a city located in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England. ... Suffolk (pronounced suffuk) is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed I (1603-1617) to Mustafa I (1617-1623). ...

In 1629, Willoughby married Elizabeth Cecil (1606-1661), the daughter of the naval hero Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon and Dorothy Neville. Events March 4 - Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill pretender Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... Events January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. ...

As tensions between the king and Parliament grew in the 1630s, he found himself opposed to Charles I over the levying of ship money. His loyalty was further strained by the Bishops' Wars, in which he was reluctant to fight the Scots. Events and Trends Thirty Years War in full swing in Europe September 8, 1636 - A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes Harvard College as the first college founded in the Americas. ... Charles I (19 November 1600–30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. ... Ship money was a tax, the levy of which by Charles I of England without the consent of Parliament was one of the causes of the English Civil War. ... The Bishops Wars, a series of armed encounters and defiances between England and Scotland in 1639 and 1640, were part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Scottish Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ...

Parliamentary Commander

When the king in 1642 issued his Commission of Array to form a loyal army, Willoughby rejected his summons and instead took command of a horse regiment under the Parliamentary commander, the Earl of Essex. By January of 1643 he was made commander-in-chief of Lincolnshire. Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... A commission given by royalty to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants, or see them in a condition for war. ... Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, (January 11 1591 – 14 September 1646), was the son and heir of the unfortunate Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and succeeded to his fathers title in 1604, three years after the previous earl had been executed for treason. ... // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England. ...

In July of the same year, he led his soldiers in a surprise attack on Gainsborough where he seized the town. Facing a counterattack, Willoughby's soldiers fought along with those under Oliver Cromwell to hold off an advancing Royalist force of superior strength. The main body of the Parliamentary army withdrew to Boston with only two dead. Location within the British Isles Gainsborough is a town in Lincolnshire, England. ... Unfinished portrait miniature of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, 1657. ... For other uses, see Boston (disambiguation). ...

That September, Willoughby was a subordinate commander under the Earl of Manchester and Cromwell. He fought at the Battle of Winceby and accepted the surrender of Bolingbroke Castle in November. Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester (1602 - May 5, 1671), eldest son of the 1st earl by his first wife, Catherine Spencer, granddaughter of Sir John Spencer of Althorpe, was born in 1602, and was educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. ... The Battle of Winceby took place in 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 6 km east of Horncastle Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, leading the Parlimentary Forces, defeated the Royalists led by Sir John Henderson. ... Bolingbroke Castle, at Bolingbroke (or Old Bolingbroke) in Lincolnshire was founded by Ranulf, Earl of Chester, during the early 13th century, and in 1311 passed to the House of Lancaster; its most famous owner was John of Gaunt. ...

Willoughby's relations with the Parliamentarians began to fray in 1644. In March he joined with Sir John Meldrum in the assault on Newark, the failure of which has been partially attributed to Willoughby's supposed unwillingness to take orders from Meldrum. Willoughby quarrelled with Manchester and was forced to make an apology to the House of Lords as a result. Furthermore, Cromwell himself saw fit to complain about the conduct of Willoughby's soldiers. // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... Newark (also Newark-on-Trent) is a town in Nottinghamshire, located on the River Trent. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

In the next few years, Willoughby became the leader of the Presbyterian force within Parliament, opposed the formation of the New Model Army and was elected as speaker of the House of Lords in July, 1647. However, when the Parliamentary army took London in September, Willoughby was imprisoned along with six other peers and held for four months at which point he was released without charge, fleeing to the Netherlands to join the Royalists. Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... The New Model Army became the best known of the various Parliamentarian armies in the English Civil War. ... // Events March 14 - Thirty Years War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm. ... St. ...

Royalist Supporter

Now espousing the Royalist cause, Willoughby was promoted to Vice Admiral under the Duke of York, an appointment that may have been designed to engender sympathy among Scots and Presbyterians. He was also assigned a command in the 1648 invasion of England under the Prince of Wales. He later surrendered his naval command to Prince Rupert. When Parliament confiscated his estates, he travelled to the Caribbean. Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... King James VII and II ( 14 October 1633–16 September 1701 ) became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 6 February 1685. ... // Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... for the city in British Columbia, see Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-1682), soldier and inventor, was a younger son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart, and the nephew of King Charles I of England. ...

He was appointed Governor of Barbados by Charles II in May of 1650 and attempted to negotiate the strained politics of that island, which also experienced a division between Royalists and Parliamentarians. During this time he also sent a small colonizing party to Suriname, which established Fort Willoughby in honor of the governor. // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ... Colonial style houses, Waterkant, Paramaribo. ...

On October 25, 1651, a seven ship force under Commodore George Ayscue arrived off Barbados, demanding that the island submit "for the use of the Parliament of England". Willoughby's reply (tellingly addressed to "His Majesty's ship Rainbow") was unyielding, declaring that he knew "no supreme authority over Englishmen but the King". With some 400 horsemen and 6,000 militia, he was prepared to resist any attempt at coercion. October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... // Events January 1 - Charles II crowned King of Scotland in Scone. ... Admiral Sir George Ayscue by Sir Peter Lely, painted 1665–1666. ...

Over the next month Barbados was blockaded. In early December, with the Royalist cause defeated in England, Ayscue began a series of raids against fortifications on the island and was reinforced by a group of thirteen ships bound for Virginia. On December 17 a force of more than 1,000 Barbadian militia was defeated by one of Ayscue's detachments. Governor Willoughby attempted to stem the spread of Parliamentary sympathies by hanging two of the returning militia soldiers and prohibiting the reading of documents from the blockading fleet. The Royalists held out for several more weeks until one of Willoughby's own commanders declared himself for Parliament. A battle was averted by a week of rain, after which Willoughby, perhaps having seen the hopelessness of his cause, sought negotiations. He was replaced as governor but Barbados and the Royalists there were not punished. Additionally, Willoughby's properties in England were restored. He returned to them in August 1652. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events April 6 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. ...

Later Years

While he was twice imprisoned during The Protectorate for involvement in Royalist intrigues, Willoughby survived the Cromwell years and with the Restoration he was again appointed to a governorship in the Caribbean, administering the colonies at Saint Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, and Antigua. The Protectorate in English history refers specifically to the English government of 1653 to 1659 under the direct control of Oliver Cromwell, who assumed the title of Lord Protector of the newly declared Commonwealth of England (later the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) after the English Civil War. ... The English Restoration or simply Restoration was an episode in the history of Great Britain beginning in 1660 when the monarchy was restored under King Charles II after the English Civil War. ... Saint Kitts (also/previously known as Saint Christopher) is an island in the Caribbean. ... Nevis is an island in the Caribbean, whose name is derived from an original Spanish name given by Christopher Columbus. ...

In June 1664 he organized an expedition from Barbados against the small French garrison at Saint Lucia, expelling it under the pretext that a half-Carib native had effectively "sold" it to England and establishing a short-lived English colony there. Events March 12 - New Jersey becomes a colony of England. ... Carib or Island Carib is the name of a people of the Lesser Antilles islands, after whom the Caribbean Sea was named; their name for themselves was Kalinago for men and Kallipuna for women. ...

During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, Willoughby engaged in another expedition, sailing to the Dutch island of Tobago in July 1665. Finding a force under the English privateer Robert Searle already looting the settlement there, he put a stop to the destruction and installed a garrison of fifty men to maintain order. The Royal Prince and other vessels at the Four Days Fight, 11–14 June 1666 by Abraham Storck depicts a battle of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. ... Tobago (pronounced ta-BAY-go) is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, part of the nation of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Events March 4 - Start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War March 6 - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society begins publication March 16 - Bucharest allows Jews to settle in the city in exchange of annual tax of 16 guilders June 3 - The Duke of York defeats the Dutch Fleet off the...

His last act on behalf of the English crown came in July 1666 when, having learned of the recent French seizure of Saint Kitts, he formed a relief force of two Royal Navy frigates, twelve other large vessels (including commandeered merchant ships), a fire ship, and a ketch, bearing over 1,000 men. He planned to proceed north to Nevis, Montserrat, and Antigua to gather further reinforcements before descending on the French. Leaving Barbados on July 28, his force prowled off Martinique and then Guadeloupe, where he sent a frigate to assault the harbor and capture two merchant vessels on August 4. This success could not be exploited however as that night most of his force was destroyed by a strong hurricane, including the flagship Hope, from which Willoughby did not emerge. Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ... Saint Kitts (also/previously known as Saint Christopher) is an island in the Caribbean. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ... This article is not about the fireboats that fight fire Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588-08-08 by Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg, painted 1796, depicts Drakes fire ship attack on the Spanish Armada. ... Square Topsl Gaff Ketch Hawaiian Chieftain on San Francisco Bay A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: A main mast, and a mizzen mast abaft the main mast. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ...

Will and Familial Relations

Francis Willoughby had four children:

• Diana (1625-1648) (married Heneage Finch)
• Frances (1625-1659) (married William Brereton)
• Elizabeth (?-1695) (married Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh)
• William, 6th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1616-1673)

In his will, he left extensive holdings in Barbados, Antigua, and Suriname to his children and his nephew Henry Willoughby as well as smaller grants of currency or sugar to various associates and servants. Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... // Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... Events March 27 - Prince Charles Stuart becomes King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... // Events May 25 - Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... Events October 25 — Dirk Hartog makes the first recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil, at an island off the Western Australian coast Pocahontas arrives in England War between Venice and Austria Collegium Musicum founded in Prague Nicolaus Copernicus De revolutionibus is placed on the Index of Forbidden Books... Events The English Test Act was passed. ...

References and Links

• Portraits of Francis Willoughby at the National Portrait Gallery
• "Francis Willoughby" at Tudor Place
• "Francis, Lord Willoughby of Parham" at British Civil Wars
• "Gainsborough" at British Civil Wars
• Marley, David F. Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1998. ISBN 0-87436-837-5