Colonel James Chudleigh (c. 1618 – 6 December 1643) was an English military officer, who served in 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 ...
. Initially appointed to command the
Parliamentarian garrison at
Barnstaple, he showed considerable ability, and was quickly promoted.
Wounded and captured after the
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 ...
victory at the
Battle of Stratton in May 1643, he changed sides, possibly as a result of being accused of responsibility for the defeat. His father,
Sir George Chudleigh was also a Parliamentarian commander and switched sides at the same time.
On 30 September 1643, Chudleigh was wounded in a Royalist attack on
Dartmouth, where he died on 6 October.
Personal details
James Chudleigh was the fourth of nine sons of
Sir George Chudleigh, and his wife Mary Strode (1586–1645). The family were members of the
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
gentry; his father 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 ...
, and purchased a
baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
in 1622. James was born in 1618 at
Ashton Manor, a family possession from 1320 until 1735.
It is possible his brothers avoided direct participation in the Civil War; although later claimed George and Christopher 'fought for Parliament', there is no record of this. Thomas served in Ireland until October 1643, when his regiment returned to England to reinforce the Western Royalist army. He does not appear on its muster rolls after April 1643, and is next recorded as a surgeon in Exeter in 1648.
As with many others, Chudleigh's family ties show the complexity of relationships in the period. His maternal uncle,
William Strode
William Strode (1598 – 9 September 1645) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1645. He was one of the Five Members whose impeachment and attempted unconstitutional arrest by King Charles I in ...
(1594-1645) was imprisoned from 1629 to 1640 for his opposition to
Personal Rule
The Personal Rule (also known as the Eleven Years' Tyranny) was the period from 1629 to 1640, when King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland ruled without recourse to Parliament. The King claimed that he was entitled to do this under the Roya ...
and one of the
Five Members
The Five Members were Members of Parliament whom King Charles I attempted to arrest on 4 January 1642. King Charles I entered the English House of Commons, accompanied by armed soldiers, during a sitting of the Long Parliament, although the Fi ...
whose attempted arrest in January 1642 was a key stage on the road to war. His cousin
Sir Alexander Carew was executed by Parliament in 1644 for plotting to betray
Plymouth to the Royalists.
John Carew
John Alieu Carew (born 5 September 1979) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was capped 91 times, scoring 24 goals for the Norway national team.
As of 2023, he has been hired until the end of 2024 at Norw ...
, another cousin, signed Charles' death warrant in 1649 and was subjected to
hanging, drawing, and quartering in October 1660 as 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'' ...
.
Career
Details of Chudleigh's early life are limited prior to 1640, when he was Captain in the
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
’s regiment, part of the army raised for the
Bishops Wars
The 1639 and 1640 Bishops' Wars () were the first of the conflicts known collectively as the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which took place in Scotland, England and Ireland. Others include the Irish Confederate Wars, the First and ...
. He became involved in the
1641 Army Plots, an alleged conspiracy to seize
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 ...
, release the
Earl of Strafford
Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history.
The first creation was in the Peerage of England in January 1640 for Thomas Wentworth, the close advisor of King Charles I. He had already succe ...
, and dissolve
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 ...
. Along with
Lord Goring, governor of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, and Northumberland's younger brother Henry, he was investigated by Parliament, but appears to have served as a courier, and was released without charge.
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, Chudleigh apparently tried to join the Royalists, but was rejected on the grounds his father and uncle were ‘notoriously disaffected to the King’. Instead, Parliament authorised him to raise "1,000 dragoons...in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall", which he used to garrison
Barnstaple in north Devon. During this period, he supervised construction of
Chudleigh Fort, near
Bideford
Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.
Toponymy
In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...
.
The
Earl of Stamford
Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, ...
, Parliamentary commander in 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, Glo ...
, appointed Chudleigh his deputy, although he later claimed he had been ordered to do so. Chudleigh was one of the few who performed well in their defeat at
Braddock Down in January 1643. On 21 February, he led an attack that captured
Modbury
Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
, a village held by the Royalists for the
siege of Plymouth
The siege of Plymouth took place during the First English Civil War, when Royalist forces besieged Plymouth, in Devon, held by a Parliamentary garrison.
With the exception of a brief interlude in July 1644, the town was isolated for most of the ...
.
On 28 February, the two sides agreed a local truce, which ended on 22 April. In anticipation, Chudleigh assembled 1,700 troops at
Lifton, near
Launceston, where Hopton had concentrated over 3,600 men. He attacked the next day, but the Royalists quickly recovered; faced by superior numbers, the Parliamentary force withdrew to
Okehampton
Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town (east and west) ...
; supported by
John Merrick's "Greycoats", Chudleigh covered the retreat, reportedly taking personal control of saving the artillery.
[1643 – Civil War in the South-West]
/ref>
On 25 April, the Royalist leader Sir Ralph Hopton marched on Sourton Down, intending to stop there for the night, and attack Okehampton at dawn. At 9:00 pm, Chudleigh learned the enemy was only away, and also discovered his artillery transport had been taken to Crediton. Since retreat meant abandoning his guns, he ambushed the Royalists with only 100 cavalry; at night, and in the middle of a violent thunderstorm, they panicked and broke.
Although not present at Sourton Down, Stamford was given credit for the victory, a rare piece of good news for Parliament in the west. Using intelligence captured there, he marched into Cornwall with 5,400 men, first sending his cavalry under Sir George Chudleigh on a diversionary raid against Bodmin.
Despite being outnumbered, Hopton won a decisive victory at Stratton on 16 May, which ensured Royalist control of Devon. Defeat was a combination of factors, including the outstanding courage of the Cornish infantry, and absence of the Parliamentary cavalry. The last was an unwise counter-attack by Chudleigh; initially successful, it exposed the Parliamentary centre to a flanking attack. Efforts to stop the collapse failed; the Parliamentarians lost 300 casualties, and 1,700 prisoners, including Chudleigh.
Taken to the Royalist capital 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 ...
, Chudleigh switched sides; his reasons were set out in a Royalist propaganda pamphlet, published under his name. This reflected his importance to the Parliamentary cause in Devon; shortly before Stratton, he published a similar attack on the Royalists. In his 'History of the Rebellion', the Earl of Clarendon
Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776.
The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire.
First creation of the title
The title was created for the first time in the Peera ...
, then a senior Royalist advisor, claimed he fought bravely until captured, and changed sides as a matter of conscience.
Stamford escaped to Exeter, where Sir George was governor; the city surrendered in early September to Prince Maurice
Maurice, Prince Palatine of the Rhine KG (16 January 1621, in Küstrin Castle, Brandenburg – September 1652, near the Virgin Islands), was the fourth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Princess Elizabeth, only daughter of King James VI ...
, whose army now included 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 o ...
James Chudleigh. The garrison was given a pass to the nearest friendly territory, and Stamford returned to London. On arrival, he claimed his defeat was due to Chudleigh deserting during the battle, which varies from other reports he was captured only after being wounded. Stamford never held command again, suggesting he was held responsible.
Sir George resigned his commission, arguing that while he supported the protection of law and religion, "the destruction of a kingdom cannot be the way to save it". As Cornwall was occupied by the Royalists until the war ended in 1646, he 'garrisoned' Ashton Manor, but avoided active participation; in 1647, he was fined for being a Royalist, although it is possible he escaped payment.
In September 1643, James Chudleigh took part in a Royalist assault on Dartmouth; according to Clarendon, he was wounded on or around 30 September, and died a few days later. On 6 October, he was buried in St Saviours church, Dartmouth.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chudleigh, James
1618 births
1643 deaths
Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War
Roundheads
Military history of Cornwall
Military personnel from Devon
Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War
People from Ashton, Devon
English military personnel killed in action
People killed in the English Civil War
Year of birth uncertain