MAJOR GENERAL OF THE WEST
by H. B. Disbrowe, 1971
During the years of crisis preceding the Civil War, there lived at Eltisley in Cambridgeshire, a farmer-lawyer named John Disbrowe. This man was destined to become one of England's most powerful and influential men in the years ahead.
He was born in 1608 and thus, when the struggle began, was thirty-four years old. He lived in the old Rectory at Eltisley which, with a substantial estate, he inherited from his father James Disbrowe. His mother was, before her marriage, Elizabeth Hatley of Over in the same county. The Disbrowe [1] family was of ancient origin and known to be descended from one John Disbrow of Hargrave in Northamptonshire, brother of Lord Disbrowe of Desborough.
John Disbrowe received a good education and probably attended Cambridge University. He was a qualified attorney but seems to have been more interested in the cultivation of his farm which is reputed to have brought him an income of between £60 and £70 per year [2]. Even in those days, when the purchasing power of the pound was many times what it is now, this could hardly be described as riches.
An event which was to change his life and influence his subsequent career, was his marriage to Jane Cromwell, the youngest daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Cromwell of Huntington. The marriage took place on June 23, 1636, in the parish church at Eltisley [3]. The bridegroom was twenty-eight years old and his bride was two years older, having been born in 1606.
The early years of Disbrowe's marriage coincided with the final stages of the reign of Charles I when he ruled without benefit of Parliament. There was great unrest in the country, particularly among the business community and small landowners. This was especially true in those parts of the country where Puritanism had gained a strong position. It can safely be assumed that, during this period, there were many occasions when Disbrowe discussed the political problems of the day with his brother-in-law, Oliver Cromwell. The latter had earlier represented Cambridge in Parliament where he had attacked the King's policies.
When the King fled to Nottingham in July 1642 and Parliament authorized the Earl of Essex to raise an army, England was divided into two armed camps. The division began in Parliament itself and extended throughout the nation.
Of the House of Commons, about 175 members were for the King and accompanied him to Nottingham. The remaining 300 members were loyal to Parliament and remained at Westminster. In the House of Lords, the majority were for the King but, surprisingly, there were thirty peers who declared for Parliament.
In general, the upper classes were for the King although there were many exceptions to this, particularly in those areas where the Puritans were in strength. The church, and consequently the cathedral cities, were also for the King but the centres of trade and commerce supported Parliament. In the rural areas the tenant farmers tended to follow the great land owners on the side of the King, but freeholders and yoemen were usually for Parliament.
As early as June 5, Cromwell had subscribed £500 to the fund for raising an army. He had also paid £100 for weapons to arm his supporters at Cambridge and had obtained permission for them to raise and train volunteers. Thus when the King attempted to move money and silverplate from the university Cromwell, with his brothers-in-law John Disbrowe and Valentine Walton, had the means to stop him and seize this treasure for Parliament.
After the Cambridge incident Cromwell, who had been commissioned a Colonel by Parliament, returned to Huntington for the purpose of raising a troop of horse. His men were volunteers and he chose for his officers either relatives or friends, men whom he knew he could trust. John Disbrowe was Quartermaster; other officers were Lieutenants Cuthbert and Baildon, and Cornet Waterhouse. Enlistment began in August and about sixty men were enrolled. It is of interest to record that in the accounts there has been found a record of payment dated September 7, 1642, for a month's pay for Colonel Cromwell's troop of sixty men. The receipt of £210 is signed by John Disbrowe [4].
About the middle of September, 1642, Cromwell's troop, though it had little or no training, joined the army of the Earl of Essex and was put into the commander's own regiment.
The King's army, hastily assembled and largely untrained, was commanded by the Earl of Lindsay [5]. The cavalry regiments were under command of the King's nephew, the dashing Prince Rupert. Leaving Nottingham they marched southward towards London and were intercepted by the army of Parliament at Edgehill on October 23, 1642. The Parliamentary force was even less trained and experienced than the King's. In numbers, the opposing forces were about equal.
The battle opened with a wild charge by Rupert's cavalry which scattered the Parliementary horse far and wide. Unfortunately for the King, Rupert's cavalry was also removed from the battle for they rode off in all directions to pursue and plunder. On the main battlefield the King's foot suffered badly at the hands of the Parliamentary infantry assisted by a small force of horse which had escaped from Rupert's men and returned to the battle.
The inexperienced soldiers on both sides were badly shaken by their losses and the battle ended in confusion. On the Royalist side the infantry had suffered severely and Linsey [sic] the commander-in-chief was badly wounded and taken prisoner. The King's infantry was saved from further attack by the fortunate arrival of some of Rupert's horse on the battlefield after their undisciplined pursuit of the Parliamentary cavalry. The battle ended when night came and both armies withdrew, each claiming to have won a victory.
Cromwell's troop of horse in which Quartermaster Disbrowe served, participated in the battle and was taught a painful lesson. While the record is obscure, it is fairly certain that the troop was among those driven from the field by Rupert's cavalry at the outset of the battle.
There is no further record of the troop until December 22, 1642, when another pay warrant [6] was issued by Essex. On the same day it moved to the east where Cromwell had recently been appointed a Commissioner of the Eastern Association of Counties. He was authorized by Parliament to expand his troop to regimental strength and, for this purpose, established his headquarters at Cambridge.
Notes for Chapter Two:
[1] - Disbrowe, p. 9. In most accounts the name is incorrectly given as Desborough or Desboro. This is a type of error with which present day members of the family are familiar. The subject of this biography always signed documents and correspondence with the signature, John Disbrowe.
[2] - D. N. B., also Morant, Vol. 2, p. 207
[3] - Noble, Vol. II, p. 89. Quotation from the register at Eltisley in Cambridgeshire: "John Disbrowe et Jane Cromwell connubio juncti fuerunt viseffimo tertio die Juny."
[4] - Firth (3), p. 19. (from Exchequer papers)
[5] - Lindsey was chosen commander by the King because of his experience in continental wars in his youth, but he was now sixty-nine years old, unwell, and obviously unfit for command.
[6] - Firth (3), p. 20.