Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet
Sir Alexander Carew | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sir Alexander Carew | |
| Governor of St Nicholas' Island, Plymouth | |
| In office 1642 – August 1643 | |
| Member of Parliament for Cornwall | |
| In office November 1640 – September 1643 (suspended) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 August 1609 Antony, Cornwall |
| Died | 23 December 1644 (aged 35) Tower Hill |
| Cause of death | Executed for treason |
| Resting place | St Augustine's, Hackney |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | Jane Rolle (1606–1679) |
| Relations | John Carew; James Chudleigh; |
| Children | Sir John Carew; Richard (1641-1691) Joan (?-1716); Mary; Bridget |
| Parent(s) | Bridget Chudleigh (ca 1584–1612); Sir Richard Carew (1580–1643) |
| Occupation | Landowner, soldier and politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  England |
| Battles/wars | First English Civil War |
Sir Alexander Carew (30 August 1608 – 23 December 1644) was an English landowner, soldier and politician from
When the
In a demonstration of Parliament's commitment to winning the war, he was executed for treason in December 1644, followed in January by
Personal details
Alexander Carew was born on 30 August 1608,
In 1631, Alexander married Jane Rolle (1606–1679); they had five children who lived to adulthood, Bridget, Mary, Joan, John, and Richard.[3]
Career
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Although there is no record of which university he attended, in 1628 Carew entered the
When the
The summer of 1643 was the highpoint of Royalist success, and by August they controlled the entire West Country with the exception of Plymouth and Exeter. Carew's cousin James Chudleigh, leader of Parliamentarian forces in Devon, switched sides after being captured at Stratton in May, and he himself now opened negotiations to do the same. In August, he ordered his men to open fire on a Parliamentarian warship entering harbour; they refused, and he allegedly escaped lynching only after the ship's captain intervened on his behalf.[4]
Accused of treason, Carew was held in the Tower of London, and expelled from Parliament.[5] As the war grew more bitter, both sides began using martial law to prosecute senior officers who had defected. In August 1644, Parliament established a military tribunal to try those suspected of treachery; in November, Carew was sentenced to death, along with the former commander of Hull, Sir John Hotham, and his son. These sentences were supported by those like Oliver Cromwell, who felt the war risked being lost due to lack of commitment.[6]
His wife petitioned Parliament, who dismissed her claim that he was "in a kind of distracted condition and unfit to die", but gave him a month to arrange his affairs. He was executed on Tower Hill in December 1644, followed in January by the Hothams, and Archbishop Laud; held since 1641, it was widely believed he was put to death to please the Scots Covenanters.[7] Carew was buried in the graveyard attached to St Augustine's Tower, Hackney.
His social standing seemed unaffected either by his execution, or that of his half-brother in 1660; John inherited title and estates, and he and Richard both served as MPs. Of their three sisters, Mary married John Sparke (1636-1680), MP for Plymouth, Joan married Walter Kendall, MP for Lostwithiel.[8] Bridget's husband was John Pendarves of Roscrow; their son Alexander was an MP from 1689 to 1725.[9]
References
- ^ a b c Wright 2008.
- ^ a b Holford-Strevens 2004.
- ^ Cruikshank 2002.
- ^ Hopper 2012, p. 97.
- ^ Hopper 2012, p. 48.
- ^ Hopper 2012, p. 184.
- ^ Wedgwood 1958, pp. 376–378.
- ^ Cruikshank 1983.
- ^ Hayton 2002, p. 128.
Sources
- Holford-Strevens, LA (2004). "Carew, Sir Richard, first baronet". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4636. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Hopper, Andrew (2012). Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides during the English Civil Wars. OUP. ISBN 978-0199575855.
- Cruikshank, Evelyn (2002). CAREW, Richard (1641-91), of Abertanat, Salop. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715 (Online ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Hayton, David (2002). PENDARVES, Alexander (1662-1725), of Roskrow, Gluvias, Cornw in the House of Commons, 1690-1715. Cambridge University Press.
- Cruikshank, Evelyn (1983). KENDALL, Walter (1626-96), of Pelyn, nr. Lostwithiel, Cornw (Online ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Wedgwood, CV (1958). The King's War, 1641–1647 (2001 ed.). Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0141390727.
- Wright, Richard (2008). "Carew, Sir Alexander, second baronet". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4622. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
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