Eusebius Andrews, December 1606 to 22 August 1650, was a
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
lawyer and
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...
, executed for his part in a 1650 plot to restore
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
. A prominent supporter of the Crown since the early 1630s, he was a determined conspirator who organised a number of Royalist risings in
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
between 1642 and 1650.
One of his co-conspirators in the 1650 plot was a
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
agent and Andrews was arrested as he tried to escape to the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
in March. Other participants included
Sir John Gell, sentenced to life imprisonment then released in 1653. Andrews was beheaded on
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher grou ...
on 22 August; after the 1660
Stuart Restoration, he was commemorated as a Royalist martyr.
Personal details
Eusebius Andrews was born in
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is a town in north London, England within the London Borough of Enfield, a local government district of Greater London. The northern part of the town is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, and the southern part as Upper Edmonto ...
and baptised on 20 December 1606 at
St Dunstan's, Stepney.
The only surviving child of Eusebius Andrew (1577-1628), and his first wife Joan Dudley, he also had a half-sister Katherine (1619-1691) from his father's second marriage. She later became the third wife of
John Lenthall (1625-1681), a senior civil servant under the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
, who apparently saw her connection to a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
martyr as a way to rehabilitate himself with the
post-1660 regime.
Andrews himself married some time prior to 1637; the name of his wife is unknown, although she probably died before 1650 since she does not appear in his will. They had two daughters, Katherine (born and died 1637) and Matilda ( 1640-after 1685).
Career
Andrews graduated from
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...
and followed his father into the legal profession, entering
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
in 1620 and qualifying as a
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
in 1627. A supporter of
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
and Archbishop
William Laud, in 1635 he helped prosecute Robert Mason,
Recorder of London and an opponent of
Personal Rule. This was a bold act since Mason was also part of the
governance council for Lincoln's Inn. Andrews was removed for prosecuting a fellow member "contrary to the antiente custom of this house" and relocated to
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
, near the
Isle of Ely, where he continued to practice as a lawyer.
He was in London during the period of political upheaval initiated when the
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...
assembled in November 1640; in May 1641, he brought charges of "treasonous words" against
John Lilburne, a
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
radical. When the
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...
began in August 1642, Andrews had returned to Cambridgeshire, where he was active with the
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...
in issuing royal proclamations. The county as a whole was strongly
Parliamentarian, and in 1643 he joined the Royalists in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
as did several of his relatives; another branch of the family were devout
Calvinists
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
who fought for
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. His rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
was probably an honorary commission, since he does not appear in lists of regimental commanders; details of his activities are unclear, although he may have been involved in a plot to seize Ely in 1644.
In the "Narrative" prepared for the court in 1650, Andrews stated he was personal secretary to
Lord Capel
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell (20 February 16089 March 1649), of Hadham Hall and Cassiobury House, Watford, both in Hertfordshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he was raised to the peerage ...
, who was related to his step-mother. He and Capel accompanied the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
when he was appointed ruler of the
West Country
The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
in January 1645, but did not accompany them into exile in March 1646. He was listed among the officers who surrendered in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
shortly before the war ended in July and returned to Ely. During the 1648
Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641†...
, Andrews and Capel were involved in an unsuccessful attempt to seize
Linton, Cambridgeshire
Linton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. The village is approximately southeast from the city and county town of Cambridge. The A1307 passes through the village.
The civil parish population at ...
; after its failure, Andrews escaped to
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
but Capel was captured and later executed in March 1649.
Following the
Execution of Charles I in January 1649, the
Scots declared Charles II king and began negotiations to restore him to his English throne. Seeking alternatives, Charles also supported an alliance between Irish Protestant Royalists under
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was a statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Following the failure ...
and the
Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...
. Now living in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, in September 1649 Andrews was approached by John Barnard, a "major formerly under his command" who urged him to back another rising in the Isle of Ely. Both Barnard and Pitt, also a witness against Andrews at his trial in 1650, appear in a 1644 list of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
Royalist gentry but had become government
double agents.
By December 1649, the
Irish Royalists were near defeat and in early 1650 Parliament ordered the arrest of those like Andrews who refused to swear allegiance to the Protectorate. Left with few options, he made arrangements to emigrate to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
before being persuaded to stay by Barnard, who apparently hoped to implicate more potential conspirators. One of these was
Sir John Gell, former Parliamentarian commander in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
who had been stripped of all his offices in February 1649. Gell managed to avoid committing himself, although a former retainer named Benson was less careful; realising the conspiracy was going nowhere, Andrews prepared to leave for Holland but was arrested at
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is t ...
on 24 March 1650.
On 30 March, Andrews was committed to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
charged with treason; when questioned, he pointed out the role played by Bernard as an
Agent provocateur or instigator of the plot. Although chief judge
Bradshaw admitted this, he argued the "Narrative" supplied by Andrews confirmed his subversive intentions, regardless of Barnard's actions. His arrest coincided with news of Charles II arriving in Scotland and on the recommendation of Sir
Henry Mildmay, his trial was delayed until 16 August in hopes he would provide information on other suspects.
At his trial, Andrews presented lengthy legal arguments objecting to the jurisdiction of the tribunal, which he claimed was in contravention of
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
and the 1628
Petition of Right. Bradshaw had rejected the same arguments when used by Charles I at his trial and the verdict was never in doubt; Andrews was condemned to death on 19 August, although Parliament altered the usual penalty of
hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered became a statutory penalty for men convicted of high treason in the Kingdom of England from 1352 under Edward III of England, King Edward III (1327–1377), although similar rituals are recorded during the rei ...
to beheading. Of the other conspirators, Benson was hanged in October, while Gell was found guilty of
failing to communicate details of the plot; sentenced to life imprisonment, he was released on grounds of ill health in 1653.
Executed on 22 August, Andrews was buried in
All Hallows-by-the-Tower
All Hallows-by-the-Tower, at one time dedicated jointly to All Hallows (All Saints) and the Virgin Mary and sometimes known as All Hallows Barking, is an ancient Anglican church on Byward Street in the City of London, overlooking the Tower of ...
, commonly used for those who died at
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher grou ...
, and asked that his body be placed near Archbishop Laud, executed in January 1645. Journalists of the period often recycled alleged speeches from the scaffold; the one attributed to Andrews was reproduced for
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, who was beheaded in October 1651. After the
Stuart Restoration in 1660, Andrews appeared in various publications commemorating Royalist martyrs.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Eusebius
1606 births
1650 deaths
People from Stepney
Cavaliers
English barristers
Members of Lincoln's Inn
Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
Executed English people
People executed under the Interregnum (England) for treason against England
17th-century executions by England
People executed under the Interregnum (England) by decapitation
Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War