Lancelot Errington, also ''Launcelot'' or ''Lancelott'', (1657–1745) was a master mariner noted for his capture of

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

during the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

Background

After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1688–89 resulted in the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Stuart king,

James II of England and VII of Scotland James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

, fleeing to exile in France, James' daughter and her husband,

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

, ascended the British throne as joint sovereigns, and were succeeded by the Protestant

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

. In 1715, James II's son

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs, was the son of King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his second wife, Mary of Modena. He was Prince of Wales from ...

, also known as the ''Old Pretender'', attempted to regain the throne by launching a

Jacobite rising , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

in Scotland. Lancelot Errington is known to have come from Denton in Newburn, an "ancient and respectable family in Northumberland."Magnússon, Magnús
''Lindisfarne, the cradle island'', Oriel Press, 1984. His parents were Major Gilbert Errington and Margaret Babington, and he married his cousin, Catherine Errington. Lancelot was one of a number of locals who supported the Jacobite cause, led by

Thomas Forster Thomas Forster (1683 – October 1738), of Adderstone Hall, Northumberland, was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1716. He served as a general of the Jacobite army in the 1715 Uprising ...

, Member of Parliament for the county of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. Their first objective was to gain a landing site in Northumberland, and Lindisfarne was selected.

The Capture

On 10 October 1715, Lancelot and his nephew Mark Errington visited the castle on Lindisfarne. Some sources say that Lancelot asked the

Master Gunner Master gunner is an appointment of the warrant officer rank in the British and United States armed forces. United Kingdom In the British Army's Royal Artillery master gunners are experts in the technical aspects of gunnery. They fill advisory ra ...

, who also served as the unit's

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

, for a shave. While inside it became clear that most of the garrison were away. Later that day he returned with Mark, and claimed that he had lost the key to his watch. They were allowed in, overpowered the three soldiers present, and claimed the castle for the Jacobites. Some sources say that he gave brandy to the soldiers in order to incapacitate them. Reinforcements did not arrive to support the Erringtons, so when a detachment of 100 men arrived from Berwick to retake the castle they were only able to hold out for one day. Fleeing, they were captured at the

tolbooth A tolbooth or town house was the main municipal building of a Scottish burgh, from medieval times until the 19th century. The tolbooth usually provided a council meeting chamber, a court house and a jail. The tolbooth was one of three essen ...

at Berwick and imprisoned.

Later life

Lancelot, along with his nephew, was able to tunnel out of their Berwick gaol and escape. A pardon was issued and he was able to live out the rest of his life as a publican in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. He lived until December 1745, long enough to witness the final

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

. His widow Catherine died at

Cramlington Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 6 miles (9 kilometres) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of its city centre. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons. T ...

in 1756.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Errington, Lancelot 1745 deaths 1657 births English Jacobites History of Northumberland People of the Jacobite rising of 1715