Pride's Purge

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Pride’s Purge
Part of Second English Civil War
PridesPurge.jpg
Colonel Pride refusing admission to the secluded members of the Long Parliament.
Planned byElements within the New Model Army
ObjectiveRemove from the Long Parliament those considered opponents of the New Model Army
Date6 December 1648 (1648-12-06)
OutcomeEstablishment of the Rump Parliament
CasualtiesNone

Pride's Purge is the name commonly used for an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented MPs considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons.

Despite his defeat in the First English Civil War, Charles I retained significant political power. This allowed him to create an alliance with Scots Covenanters and Parliamentarian moderates to restore him to the English throne. The result was the 1648 Second English Civil War, in which he was defeated once again.

Convinced only his removal could end the conflict, senior commanders of the New Model Army took control of London on 5 December. Next day, a detachment commanded by Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly excluded from the Long Parliament any MPs viewed as their opponents.

The Purge led to the execution of Charles in January 1649, and the establishment of the Protectorate; some consider it to be the only recorded military coup d'état in English history.[1]

Background[edit]

Charles I; by 1648, a significant element felt only his death could end the conflict

When the First English Civil War began in 1642, the vast majority on both sides believed a 'well-ordered' monarchy was divinely mandated. They disagreed on what 'well-ordered' meant, and who held ultimate authority in clerical affairs. Royalists generally supported a Church of England governed by bishops, appointed by, and answerable to, the king; Puritans believed he was answerable to the leaders of the church, appointed by their congregations.[2]

However, 'Puritan' was a term for anyone who wanted to reform, or 'purify', the Church of England, and contained many different perspectives. Presbyterians were the most prominent in the Long Parliament; in general, they wanted to convert the Church of England into a Presbyterian body, similar to the Church of Scotland. Independents were those members of the Westminster Assembly who opposed any state church; they included Oliver Cromwell, much of the New Model Army, and radicals like the Levellers. Once again, this is a generalisation; 'Independent' covered a wide range of political views, rather than a unified ideology.[3]

The Covenanters had achieved their political objectives in the Bishops Wars, and viewed the 1643 Solemn League and Covenant as a way to preserve it, by ensuring against a Royalist victory in England. As the war progressed, they and their English co-religionists came to see the Independents as a greater threat to the established order than the Royalists.[4]

In 1646, many Parliamentarians assumed military defeat would force Charles I to agree terms, but this was a fundamental misunderstanding of his character. Charles believed 'God will not suffer rebels and traitors to prosper'; this deeply-held conviction meant he refused to agree any substantial concessions, frustrating allies and opponents alike.[5]

His negotiations with the Scots and English Presbyterians led to the February to September 1648 Second English Civil War. Although quickly suppressed, it created a political grouping led by Cromwell who believed only his removal could end the conflict, and the ability to enforce it in the New Model Army. Parliament continued negotiations with Charles, the so-called Treaty of Newport, but by the beginning of November, the Army had lost patience.[6]

On 10 November, Henry Ireton presented the draft Remonstrance to the Army General Council, setting out the basis of a state without Charles, including an elective monarch. Fairfax and other moderates were initially opposed, then approved when it seemed Parliament was about to restore Charles unconditionally, after he made a series of apparent concessions. Their conviction he could not be trusted increased after intercepting a message he sent to an advisor, stating any concessions should be ignored, and were made only to facilitate his escape.[7]

Pride's Purge[edit]

Sir Thomas Fairfax, commander of the New Model Army

On 1 December, Fairfax ordered Charles to be taken from Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, and moved to Hurst Castle on the mainland. The next day, the New Model occupied key positions in London, to prevent interference from Presbyterian elements of the London Trained Bands; Fairfax established his headquarters in Whitehall, near the Houses of Parliament.[8]

Parliament held an all-day meeting on 5 December, at the end of which they voted by 129 to 83 to continue negotiations on the treaty with the king. Next morning, acting under orders from Ireton,[a] a detachment under Colonel Thomas Pride and Sir Hardress Waller ordered the Trained Bands who normally guarded the House to withdraw. They then took up position on the stairs leading into the chamber, supported by cavalry from Nathaniel Rich's Regiment of Horse.[10]

As the MPs arrived, Pride checked their names against a list of those considered enemies of the Army, assisted by Lord Grey of Groby, who helped identify them.[11] The exact number is unclear, but around 180 of the 470 eligible members were 'secluded', including all 129 who voted in favour of the treaty the day before. Some prominent opponents, such as Denzil Holles, learned of the arrests, and fled the city.[12]

In all 140 members were refused entry, 45 of whom were arrested, and held in a basement within the Palace of Westminster, nicknamed "Hell". They were later moved to two inns in the Strand, where many later complained of rough treatment from their guards, who blamed them for their arrears of pay. Most were released in late December, but former Parliamentarian generals William Waller, and Richard Browne were held for nearly three years.[13]

This left around 156 members present in London, with another 40 or so absent elsewhere, which became known as the Rump Parliament.[b][14] While assumed to be supportive of the Army, this was not necessarily the case; many, including Fairfax, were horrified by Pride's actions, and more than 80 refused to attend. As a result, only 83 MPs were present at the vote to annul that taken on 5 December approving the Treaty of Newport.[13]

Aftermath[edit]

The Execution of Charles I; the Purge made this possible

The Purge eliminated from Parliament those who backed a negotiated settlement with Charles, which included moderate Independents, as well as Presbyterians. However, even those who were convinced he had to be removed did not necessarily support his execution. These included Fairfax, who later refused to take part in his trial, and initially Cromwell, who returned to London from the siege of Pontefract Castle in early December. In return for sparing his life, he hoped Charles would order the Duke of Ormond to end negotiations with the Irish Confederacy, and prevent the need for a new war in Ireland.[15]

Once it became clear Charles had no intention of doing so, Cromwell became convinced he had to die, stating 'we will cut off his head with the crown still on it.' On 1 January 1649, the Commons passed an Ordinance to try the king for treason, which was rejected by the House of Lords; on 4th, the Commons passed another 'Act' declaring themselves the supreme power in the state, and proceeded with the trial. [16]

He was supported by Republicans like Edmund Ludlow, who argued Charles must die to 'appease the wrath of God for the blood shed during the wars', and the Purge the only way to prevent its obstruction.[17] However, continuing opposition to the trial was demonstrated when only 52 of the 135 those appointed as judges turned up. Anxious to avoid sole responsibility, Charles' demand he be tried by Parliament was blocked by Ireton and Cromwell, as even the Rump was likely to vote against the death sentence.[18]

Charles was executed on 30 January, but the circumstances of his death and the military coup that proceeded it arguably tainted the Protectorate from its inception. Intended to remove the Army's opponents from Parliament, the Purge succeeded only in deepening divisions within it, which continued until it was dissolved in 1653. Opposition now moved outside Parliament; in February 1649, Thomas Caxton, Presbyterian minister at St Bartholomew's, preached a sermon to an audience including the Lord Mayor, in which he offered prayers for Charles II.[19]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Other sources claim the decision was taken by a sub-committee of six, including Ireton, Pride, and Grey[9]
  2. ^ "The indispensable work on the Purge and the number of members affected by it is Underdown, Pride's Purge. Equally essential on the Rump and its membership is Blair Worden, The Rump Parliament (Cambridge, 1974), esp. Appendix A, pp. 387–91; on pp. 391–2 he convincingly revises Underdown's estimate of the number of members physically excluded by the army [14]."

References[edit]

  1. ^ Macaulay 1891, p. 68.
  2. ^ Macloed 2009, pp. 5–19 passim.
  3. ^ Scott & The Independents and the Long Parliament, 1644-48.
  4. ^ Rees 2016, pp. 103-105.
  5. ^ Royle 2004, pp. 354-355.
  6. ^ Royle 2004, pp. 475-478.
  7. ^ Ackroyd 2014, p. 303.
  8. ^ Royle 2004, p. 483.
  9. ^ Gentles 2004.
  10. ^ Firth 1898, p. 349.
  11. ^ Bradley 1890, p. 206.
  12. ^ BCW & Pride's Purge.
  13. ^ a b Royle 2004, p. 484.
  14. ^ a b Woolrych 2004, p. 428.
  15. ^ Ackroyd 2014, p. 305.
  16. ^ Royle 2004, pp. 487-489.
  17. ^ Ludlow 1978, p. 143.
  18. ^ Ackroyd 2014, pp. 308-309.
  19. ^ Carlson 1942, pp. 87-88.

Sources[edit]

  • Ackroyd, Peter (2014). Civil War: The History of England Volume III. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0230706415.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Bradley, Emily Tennyson (1890). "Grey, Thomas (1623?-1657)" . In Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney (eds.). Dictionary of National Biography. 23. London: Smith, Elder & Co.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Carlson, Leland (1942). "A History of the Presbyterian Party from Pride's Purge to the Dissolution of the Long Parliament". Church History. 11 (2). JSTOR 3160290.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Firth, Charles Harding (1898). Thomas Pride in Oxford DNB, Volume 56. Smith, Edler & Co.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gentles, Ian (2004). "Pride, Thomas, appointed Lord Pride under the protectorate". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22781.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Ludlow, Edmund; Worden (editor), AP (1978). A Voyce from the Watch Tower. Royal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0901050434.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Macloed, Donald (Autumn 2009). "The influence of Calvinism on politics". Theology in Scotland. XVI (2).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Macaulay, James (1891). Cromwell Anecdotes. Hodder.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Pride's Purge". BCW Project. Retrieved 7 May 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Rees, John (2016). The Leveller Revolution. Verso. ISBN 978-1784783907.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Royle, Trevor (2004). Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 (2006 ed.). Abacus. ISBN 978-0-349-11564-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Scott, David. "The Independents and the Long Parliament, 1644-48". History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Woolrych, Austin (2002). Britain In Revolution. OUP. ISBN 9780198200819.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Bibliography[edit]

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