Francis Lascelles (1612-1667), also spelt Lassels, was an English politician, soldier and businessman who fought for
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
in the 1639-1652
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 England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...
and was a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
between 1645 and 1660.
One of the MPs who retained their seat after
Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England.
Despite defeat in the ...
in December 1648, he was named as a member of the Commission appointed for the trial 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 ...
in 1649. However, he did not sign the death warrant and largely escaped punishment after the 1660
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
, although he was fined and barred from holding public office.
In December 1662, he was accused of involvement in the so-called 'Lascelles Plot,' a conspiracy centred on
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a 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 had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...
, which proved to be a fabrication by government informers. He died at home in November 1667.
Biography
The Lascelles were a well established
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
family, and part of a network of mercantile interests in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
and
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
. There were various branches in Yorkshire, including
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a 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 had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...
,
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
,
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
,
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
,
Harewood House
Harewood House ( , ) is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation ...
and
Terrington
Terrington is a large village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Howardian Hills, west of Malton.
History
The village is mentioned four times in the ''Domesday Book'' as ''Teurintone'' ...
. Francis Lascelles was born in August 1612 at Stank Hall, near Northallerton, eldest son of William Lascelles (died before 1624) and Elizabeth Wadeson (died 1647). He had three brothers, Robert (1617, died before 1640), Peregrine (1619-1658) and
Thomas (1624-1697).
He married Frances St Quentin (1613-1658) in 1626; they had 16 children, only two of whom outlived their parents, Elizabeth (1640-1694) and his youngest son,
Daniel (1655-1734). He died at home in November 1667 and was buried in the local church of St Lawrence.
Career
![Scarborough Castle 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Scarborough_Castle_3.jpg)
Like many of his friends and relations, Francis supported
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
during the 1639-1652
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 England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...
; with his brothers Thomas and Peregrine, he is named in the Ordinances of Parliament as one of those responsible for raising money and men in Yorkshire, and signed the 1643
Solemn League and Covenant.
At the beginning of 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 ...
in 1642, many on both sides were related to their opponents and thus reluctant to initiate hostilities. In October,
Thomas Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...
, later commander of
Parliamentarian forces in the North, signed a pact of neutrality with 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 governm ...
delegation led by his cousin
Sir John Belasyse. This was denounced in writing by other supporters of Parliament, including Francis, who replaced Belasyse as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Thirsk
Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby.
History
Archeological ...
in 1645.
When the
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†...
broke out in 1648, Francis was a colonel and played a significant role in the campaign that ended with the defeat of the Royalist army at
Preston in August. He then joined the force besieging
Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The site of the castle, encompassing the Iron Age settlement, Roman signal station, an A ...
, a key supply port in the north of England that changed hands seven times between 1642 and 1648. The Parliamentarian garrison defected after not being paid and they also received substantial Royalist reinforcements, including 300
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
mercenaries. When the castle surrendered in late December, a number of these were 'mistaken for Irish' and executed.
![Court-charles-I-sm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Court-charles-I-sm.jpg)
Between 1642 and 1648, England suffered an estimated 185,000 deaths from combat or disease, over 3.0% of the population; this compares with 2.6% in
1914-1918, while death rates in Scotland and Ireland were considerably higher. After 1648, Parliamentarian leaders like
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
and many members of the
New Model Army believed Charles could not be trusted and only his death would end the conflict. Lascelles was nominated to the
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...
set up for the trial, as one of the relatively conservative group of property-owning senior military officers known as 'Grandees'.
Of the 135 members nominated, only 68 attended, one being Lascelles; however, he was absent when sentence was passed and did not sign the death warrant, which later proved extremely important. Charles was executed on 30 January 1649 and Francis then participated in the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The March 1642
Adventurers Act
The Adventurers' Act is an Act of the Parliament of England which specified its aim as "the speedy and effectual reducing of the rebels in His Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland".
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 had broken out five months earlier, a ...
raised loans for an army to suppress the
Irish Rebellion of 1641, which were repaid by confiscating lands held by the Irish rebels; enforcing it was one of the primary objectives of Cromwell's invasion.
There were a number of different tranches between 1642 and 1647 and although Lascelles is not listed as a subscriber, many of the individuals represented syndicates of investors, while there was an active resale market. Lands were only allocated in 1652 with the
Act of Settlement
The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...
but many subscribers sold their interests prior to that. It seems likely Francis was involved, since he and his brother Thomas had business interests in
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
and a branch of the family was established in
Killough, County Down.
Lascelles retained his seat as MP for Thirsk after
Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England.
Despite defeat in the ...
in December 1648; when the
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament was the English Parliament after Colonel Thomas Pride commanded soldiers to purge the Long Parliament, on 6 December 1648, of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.
"Rump" ...
was dissolved in April 1653, he was one of the 140 members nominated by the Army Council to the
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 ins ...
, which was in place from July to December 1653. After elections were restored in 1654, he was returned as MP for
Yorkshire & North Riding in the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
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. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in ...
s.
When Cromwell died in 1659, it soon became clear his son and successor Richard could not govern and Lascelles was one of those who negotiated with General
George Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cruc ...
to restore the monarchy. The
Commonwealth ended in 1660 with the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
of
Charles II to the throne; in April, Francis and his brother Thomas were elected to the
Convention Parliament as MPs for
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a 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 had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...
.
![Hendrick de Meijer 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Hendrick_de_Meijer_001.jpg)
However, in July he and Thomas resigned their seats and went into exile in 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 ...
, since Francis was technically considered a
Regicide
Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...
and thus excluded from the
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 was an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Cha. II c. 11), the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion". This act was a general pardon for everyone who had committe ...
. Many were condemned to be
Hanged, drawn and quartered, while the corpses of
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...
,
Bradshaw and
Henry Ireton were dug up and dragged to
Tyburn gallows.
Francis avoided this fate because he was absent during sentencing, but also because ministers grew concerned by public reaction to the deaths. Even
Samuel Pepys, who was an enthusiast for the new regime, recorded his admiration for the conduct of
Thomas Harrison at his execution in October 1660.
The Lascelles were indemnified and allowed to return home, although Francis was fined and perpetually barred from holding public office. In December 1662, he was accused of being involved in the so-called 'Lascelles Plot,' a conspiracy of former New Model Army soldiers and radicals centred on Northallerton; this proved to be a fabrication by government informers, while the actual Rising in October 1663 quickly collapsed. He died at Stank Hall in November 1667.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lascelles, Francis
1612 births
1667 deaths
Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War
Regicides of Charles I
Francis
English MPs 1640–1648
English MPs 1653 (Barebones)
English MPs 1654–1655
English MPs 1656–1658
English MPs 1660
Military personnel from Yorkshire