Sir Nicholas Slanning, 1 September 1606 to August 1643, was a soldier and landowner from
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 ...
who sat in 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 ...
from 1640 to 1642. He served in 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 ...
army during 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 ...
and was mortally wounded
at Bristol on 26 July 1643.
A member of a wealthy family with extensive estates in
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 ...
and
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, Slanning gained military experience in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
and was appointed
Vice Admiral of South Cornwall and
Governor of Pendennis Castle
The Governor of Pendennis Castle was a military officer who commanded the fortifications at Pendennis Castle, part of the defences of the River Fal and Carrick Roads, on the south coast of Cornwall near Falmouth. Originally fortified under Henry ...
in 1635. He served in the 1639 and 1640
Bishops' Wars and was elected
MP for
Penryn in 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 ...
, where he consistently supported
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 ...
.
Following the outbreak of the Civil War in August 1642, he raised a regiment of infantry from his estates in Cornwall and played a prominent role in the 1643 Western campaign, which ensured Royalist control of
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
. Badly wounded in assaulting
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
on 26 July, he died three weeks later.
Personal details
Nicholas Slanning was born 1 September 1606 in
Hele, Devon
Hele is a village in Devon, England, lying about SSW of Bradninch and NNE of Exeter.
The village is home to a paper mill once belonging to the company Wiggins Teape, now part of the multinational company Purico Group. The Devon Valley Mill ...
, only son of Gamaliel Slanning (1589–1612) and Margaret Marler, his second cousin; they also had an elder daughter, Elizabeth. His father's early death meant at the age of six he inherited substantial estates around
Plymouth and
Falmouth, including
Maristow
Maristow House in the parish of Bickleigh (formerly Tamerton Foliot), Devon, England, is a large country house set in landscaped parkland, on the River Tavy to the north of Plymouth. It was built in about 1560, rebuilt in the mid-18th century an ...
,
Bickleigh
Bickleigh may refer to the following places in Devon, England:
* Bickleigh, Mid Devon, a village near Tiverton
** Bickleigh Castle
* Bickleigh, South Hams
Bickleigh is a small village on the southern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. It h ...
,
Walkhampton
Walkhampton is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. The village lies on the Black Brook, a tributary of the River Walkham, about south-east of Tavistock, near the villages of Horrabridge, ...
and
Roborough.
He married Gertrude Bagge (1614–1691) in 1625 and they had three children, Elizabeth (1630–1734), Margaret (died 1682) and
Nicholas (1643–1691). Two years after his death, Gertrude married
Richard Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Trerice, who served with Slanning during 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 ...
.
Career
Slanning attended
Exeter College, Oxford
(Let Exeter Flourish)
, old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall''
, named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter
, established =
, sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, rector = Sir Richard Trainor
...
before entering the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
in 1628 to acquire the legal training considered essential for members of the
gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest c ...
at the time. He spent the next three years serving in the
Dutch States Army
The Dutch States Army ( nl, Staatse leger) was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic. This mercenary arm ...
, then considered the best place to learn the 'art of war' due to its success in the
Eighty Years' War against
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Many officers on both sides 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 England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...
did the same, including Sir
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
![Pendennis Castle keep](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Pendennis_Castle_keep.jpg)
After returning to England, Slanning was knighted on 24 August 1632 at
Nonsuch Palace
Nonsuch Palace was a Tudor royal palace, built by Henry VIII in Surrey, England; it stood from 1538 to 1682–83. Its site lies in what is now Nonsuch Park on the boundaries of the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and the London Boro ...
.
Knights of England
/ref> He was appointed to the Commission for Piracy in 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 ...
and Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, Vice-Admiral of Cornwall and Governor of Pendennis Castle
The Governor of Pendennis Castle was a military officer who commanded the fortifications at Pendennis Castle, part of the defences of the River Fal and Carrick Roads, on the south coast of Cornwall near Falmouth. Originally fortified under Henry ...
, a relatively modern fortification constructed by Henry VIII that guarded the entrance to Falmouth harbour. These were important positions, since the port was commonly used by foreign merchant ships seeking shelter, while Barbary pirates operated in the waters off Land's End
Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
.
Shortly before the first of the Bishops' Wars in February 1639, Slanning was ordered to take men and artillery from Pendennis and garrison Carlisle Castle. This was intended to support 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 ...
landing from 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 ...
which failed to take place and instead, Slanning joined the main force in Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
. According to Sir Bevil Grenville
Sir Bevil Grenville (23 March 1596 - 5 July 1643) was an English landowner and soldier who sat as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1620 to 1642, although during those years there were few parliamentary sessions. When t ...
, he was given command of a company of infantry which served as a bodyguard to 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 ...
.
Having failed to defeat the Scots, Charles recalled 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 ...
for the first time since 1629, in order to raise money for another attempt. In April 1640, Slanning was elected to the Short Parliament as MP for Plympton Erle
Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Pl ...
. Charles dissolved it after less than a month and Slanning served in the second Bishops' War, which again ended in defeat. The financial penalties imposed by the Treaty of Ripon
The Treaty of Ripon was an agreement signed by Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Scottish Covenanters on 28 October 1640, in the aftermath of the Second Bishops' War.
The Bishops' Wars were fought by the Covenanters to ...
could only be paid for by new taxes approved by Parliament, forcing Charles to call new elections.
In November, Slanning was elected for both Plympton Erle and Penryn to 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 ...
but chose to sit for Penryn. He consistently supported the Crown and in May 1641 was one of the fifty-nine MPs named as "betrayers of their country" for voting against the Bill of Attainder
A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of people, guilty of some crime, and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attai ...
for Strafford. Other MPs who voted against the Bill included Sidney Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin is the name of:
* Sidney Godolphin (colonel) (1652–1732), Member of Parliament for fifty years
* Sidney Godolphin (poet) (1610–1643), English poet
* Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (c. 1640–1712), leading British poli ...
, John Trevanion and John Arundel, all of whom would later be killed fighting for the Royalists. He was given permission in June to return to Pendennis Castle but in January 1642 was summoned to attend Parliament for allegedly authorising the arrest 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 ...
", should they try to embark from a Cornish port, a charge he denied. The majority of Royalist MPs withdrew from Parliament in April and he was certainly in Cornwall on 9 August when he was barred from the Commons as a "delinquent
Delinquent or delinquents may refer to:
* A person who commits a felony
* A juvenile delinquent, often shortened as delinquent is a young person (under 18) who fails to do that which is required by law; see juvenile delinquency
* A person who fa ...
".
First English Civil War
As tensions mounted, Slanning used his position in Falmouth to import military supplies for the Royalist cause. 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 ...
broke out in August 1642, he began raising troops in Cornwall. He, Grenville, William Godolphin, Trevanion and Warwick Mohun recruited five regiments collectively known as "the Tinners", since many came from local tin mines controlled by Slanning and Godolphin.
Although regarded as some of the best infantry available to the Royalists, the rank and file often had little choice in deciding whether to "volunteer"; Grenville, generally regarded as a benevolent landlord, threatened his tenants and employees with sanctions if they refused to sign up. In addition, while militia on both sides often refused to serve outside their own counties, the Cornish were particularly noted for their reluctance to serve outside Cornwall or under non-Cornish officers, factors which later limited their usefulness.
In October, Slanning relinquished his position as Governor of Pendennis and joined the field army assembled by Sir Ralph Hopton
Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, (159628 September 1652), was an English politician, soldier and landowner. During the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, he served as Royalist commander in the West Country, and was made Baron Hopton of Stra ...
for an unsuccessful attack on Exeter. After victory at Braddock Down in January 1643, Hopton moved against Plymouth but many of the Cornish troops refused to cross the River Tamar
The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities.
T ...
into Devon. The Royalists were very short of basic supplies like gunpowder and ammunition and on 21 February were routed by Parliamentarian troops at 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 ...
; Slanning's regiment suffered over 350 killed, wounded or captured.
The two sides agreed a local truce, an agreement greeted with incredulity by William Waller
Sir William Waller JP (c. 159719 September 1668) was an English soldier and politician, who commanded Parliamentarian armies during the First English Civil War, before relinquishing his commission under the 1645 Self-denying Ordinance.
...
, Parliamentarian commander in the West. Hopton used the opportunity to reorganise his army, while Slanning brought his unit back up to full strength and they resumed the offensive after the truce ended in April. Although repulsed at Sourton Down on 25 April, the Royalists won a resounding victory at Stratton on 16 May, Slanning and Trevanion commanding the left flank of their attack. Having linked up with 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 ...
, they advanced into 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_ ...
and defeated Waller first at Landsdowne on 5 July, then Roundway Down eight days later. These victories ensured Royalist control of South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
but the Cornish foot suffered heavy casualties, including Grenville who was killed at Lansdowne.
Recognising an opportunity to capture Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, then the second-largest port in England, Prince Rupert left 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 ...
and on 23 July met up with Prince Maurice and the Western Army outside the city. Early on the morning of 26 July, simultaneous attacks were made by Prince Rupert's men in the north while Prince Maurice assaulted the stronger southern defences. Although the northern attack was successful, the Cornish were repulsed three times and lost over 200 combatants, including many senior officers. Trevanion died of his wounds the same night, Slanning "had his thigh broken with a case shot, whereof he dyed three weeks later".
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slanning, Nicholas
1606 births
1643 deaths
People killed in the English Civil War
Military personnel from Devon
Members of the Inner Temple
Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall
English MPs 1640 (April)
English MPs 1640–1648
Members of the Parliament of England for Plympton Erle
Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War
People from Mid Devon District