Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading
The Lord Astley of Reading | |
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| Born | 1579 Melton Constable Hall |
| Died | February 1652 (aged c. 72) |
| Allegiance | Royalist |
| Rank | Major General of the Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Edgehill, Siege of Gloucester, First Battle of Newbury, Battle of Naseby, Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold |
Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading (1579 – February 1652) was a
Life
He came from an established
In 1622 Astley joined the household of
Returning to England with a well-deserved reputation, he was in the employment of
At the outbreak of the First English Civil War in 1642 he at once joined Charles, and was made Major-General of the Foot (infantry)—the cavalry was under the command of his former student Prince Rupert. His characteristic battle-prayer at the Battle of Edgehill has become famous: "O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not thou forget me"[5] which he followed promptly with the order "March on, boys!" Both sides' troops were poorly trained and both sides claimed the battle to be a victory, but the outcome was inconclusive and it would take a further three years of civil war before the Royalists lost to the Parliamentarians.[2]
Astley was loyal supporter of
He afterwards served in the west, and with 3,000 men fought stubbornly but vainly at the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold (March 1646), the last pitched battle of the First Civil War. He surrendered to the Parliamentarians with the words "Well, boys, you have done your work, now you may go and play—if you don't fall out among yourselves".[2]
His scrupulous sense of honour forbade him to take any part in the Second Civil War, as he had given his parole at Stow-on-the-Wold; but he had to undergo his share of the discomforts that were the lot of the vanquished royalists. He was imprisoned initially but able to retire to Maidstone. He died in February 1652. The barony became extinct in 1688.[2]
Notes
- ISBN 978-1-4094-7982-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911, p. 793.
- ^ John, Barratt (2004). Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War, 1642-46. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. p. 46. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Thoyts, pp. 26–35, 246, 253.
- ^ Warwick, Philip (1701). Memoires of the Reigne of King Charles I. London: R. Chiswell. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
References
- Anglian Annals 87: Jacob Astley, Peter Sargent Eastern Daily Press Saturday 31 December 2005.
- Emma Elizabeth Thoyts, History of the Royal Berkshire Militia (Now 3rd Battalion Royal Berks Regiment), Sulhamstead, Berks, 1897/Scholar Select, ISBN 978-1-37645405-5.
Attribution
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Astley, Jacob Astley". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 793.
External links
Quotations related to Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading at Wikiquote- Browne, Richard Charles (1885). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 2. pp. 205–206.
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