Lawrence Crawford (1611 – August, 1645) was a Scottish soldier who fought in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

or other armies on the continent of Europe. However, his motives were not mercenary, as he fought only for

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

principles or causes.

Biography

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the son of Hugh Crawford of Kilbirnie and from a fairly early age served in the armies of

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mon ...

, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine. Having travelled to England in the suite of Charles Louis, in 1641 Crawford was appointed

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 ...

of a regiment of foot which was to serve in

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 ...

in the army of the Earl of Ormonde to put down the Irish Rebellion of 1641. From 1641 to 1643, Crawford remained in Ireland, although the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

had broken out in England. In 1643, Ormonde agreed to a "cessation", or a truce with the rebel

Irish 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 ...

, and to send troops to England to support the

Royalists 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 ...

fighting for King Charles I. Crawford refused to serve with these troops, against the Presbyterian Covenanters. Ormonde had him arrested, but he escaped and made his way to England. He was appointed by Parliament to be Sergeant Major General of Foot in the Parliamentarian Army of the

Eastern Association The Eastern Association of counties was an administrative organisation set up by Parliament in the early years of the First English Civil War. Its main function was to finance and support an army which became a mainstay of the Parliamentarian mi ...

, raised in the eastern counties of England. He almost immediately clashed with the army's Lieutenant General,

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 ...

, over the appointment of

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

s as officers. Parliament's agreement with the Scottish Covenanters, by which Presbyterianism was to be made the established religion of both countries meant that Crawford was legally in the right, but neither General would give way. The army's commander, the

Earl of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named af ...

supported Crawford and the official position. In 1644, Manchester's army took part in the

Siege of York The siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York during the First English Civil War, between the Scottish Covenanter army and the Parliamentarian armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association, and the Royalist A ...

. Crawford exploded a mine beneath a tower forming part of the city walls, but had insufficient troops on hand to storm the city through the breach. His men were driven back with heavy casualties. Crawford attracted some censure for this. It is possible that he believed that the mine was about to be flooded by the defenders, and decided to fire it rather than lose it ignominiously. On 2 July, after York was relieved by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639 – 1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters und ...

was fought. Crawford's foot regiments provided invaluable support to Cromwell's cavalry, who largely won the battle. Some of Cromwell's opponents in Parliament alleged that Crawford had commanded Cromwell's troopers while Cromwell was having a wound attended to, or in a state of panic. There was never any evidence for this apart from malicious second-hand gossip. The victory brought no peace between the two generals. Cromwell demanded that Crawford be dismissed, but withdrew the demand on the grounds of military necessity. When Cromwell demanded an inquiry into the conduct of Manchester after the

Second Battle of Newbury The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War fought on 27 October 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in l ...

, Crawford supported Manchester before the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. When Parliament created the New Model Army, Crawford was offered command of one of its regiments of foot, but refused to serve in what he regarded as an army of Independents. Instead, he served in the smaller army of the "Western Association" under

Edward Massey Sir Edward Massey () was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1646 and 1674. He fought for the Parliamentary cause for the first and second English Civil Wars before changing allegiance and ...

. He was killed in August 1645, at the Siege of Hereford by a Royalist sniper.

External links

Biography of Lawrence Crawford
British Civil Wars website {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Lawrence 1611 births 1645 deaths Military personnel from Glasgow Scottish soldiers Scottish Presbyterians Roundheads Scottish pre-union military personnel killed in action People killed in the English Civil War Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War