John Poyer, the Civil Wars in Pembrokeshire and the British Revolutions

Lloyd Bowen

Description

This is the first book-length treatment of the ‘turncoat’ John Poyer, the man who initiated the Second Civil War through his rebellion in south Wales in 1648. The volume charts Poyer’s rise from a humble glover in Pembroke to become parliament’s most significant supporter in Wales during the First Civil War (1642–6), and argues that he was a more complex and significant individual than most commentators have realised. Poyer’s involvement in the poisonous factional politics of the post-war period (1646–8) is examined, and newly discovered material demonstrates how his career offers fresh insights into the relationship between national and local politics in the 1640s, the use of print and publicity by provincial interest groups, and the importance of local factionalism in understanding the course of the civil war in south Wales. The volume also offers a substantial analysis of Poyer’s posthumous reputation after his execution by firing squad in April 1649.

Maps
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter 1: The Setting: John Poyer and Early Stuart Pembrokeshire, c.1606–1640
Chapter 2: The Irish Crisis and the Coming of Civil War, 1640–42
Chapter 3: Allies and Enemies: Poyer and Pembroke during the First Civil War
Chapter 4: The Struggle for Supremacy: Poyer and Post-War Politics, 1646–47
Chapter 5: The Road to Rebellion, August 1647–March 1648
Chapter 6: Poyer, Powell and the Prince, March–April 1648
Chapter 7: The Siege of Pembroke, May–July 1648
Chapter 8: Revenge and Revolution: Poyer, Print and Parliamentary Justice, August 1648–April 1649
Chapter 9: Afterlives
Appendix: Timeline of the Civil Wars in Pembrokeshire

Sujets

• Histoire
• Great Britain
• History
• Wales
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786836557
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

T

JOHN POYER

JOHN POYER

JOHN POYER

the Civil Wars in Pembrokeshire and the British Revolutions

L L O Y D B O W E N

UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS 2020

© Lloyd Bowen, 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the University of Wales Press, University Registry, King EdwardVII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NS.

www.uwp.co.uk

British Library CataloguinginPublication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN eISBN

9781786836540 9781786836557

The right of Lloyd Bowen to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Typeset by Marie Doherty Printed by CPI Antony Rowe, Melksham

For Nicki, Tal and Osian, and in memory of my mother and father

‘I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying’. Woody Allen

Contents

Map Abbreviations Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Chapter 9

The Setting: John Poyer and Early Stuart Pembrokeshire,c.1606–1640 The Irish Crisis and the Coming of Civil War, 1640–1642 Allies and Enemies: Poyer and Pembroke during the First Civil War The Struggle for Supremacy: Poyer and PostWar Politics, 1646–1647 The Road to Rebellion, August 1647–March 1648 Poyer, Powell and the Prince, March–April 1648 The Siege of Pembroke, May–July 1648 Revenge and Revolution: Poyer, Print and Parliamentary Justice, August 1648–April 1649 Afterlives

Appendix: Timeline of the Civil Wars in Pembrokeshire Notes Bibliography Index

ix xi xiii

1

9

31

53

79

105 125 151 165

191

215 221 251 263

M

ap

Ramsey Island

Civil War Pembrokeshire

St Bride’s Bay

Skomer Island

0

N

kilometres

4

10

25 Feb. 1644

Milford

PEMBROKE 2 24 May 1648 30 Jan. 1644

Parliamentary Garrison, 1642–3

Parliamentary Garrison, 1642–6

Royal Garrison, 1643–4

County gentlemen who signed Royalist declarations, 1643–4

County gentlemen who supported Parliament and did not sign Royalist declarations, 1642–4

2

2

COLBY MOOR 1 Aug. 1645

3

23 Feb. 1644

2

3 Feb. 1644 11 July 1648

Skirmish

Battle

2

Caldey Island

Carmarthen Bay

TENBY 7–10 March 1644 14–31 May 1648

Route of Colonel Rowland Laugharne’s oensive against Royal Garrisons, Jan–Feb. 1644

Route of Colonel Thomas Horton and Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell, May 1648

Adapted with permission from D. W. Howell (ed.),An Historical Atlas of Pembrokeshire (Pembrokeshire County History, 5, 2019).