Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet
Sir Alexander Carew, 30 August 1609 to 23 December 1644, was an English landowner, soldier and politician from Antony, Cornwall. Elected Member of Parliament for Cornwall in November 1640, he voted for the execution of the Earl of Strafford in May 1641, and supported the removal of bishops from the Church of England.
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 | December 23, 1644 (aged 35) Tower Hill |
| Cause of death | Executed for treason |
| Resting place | St Augustine's, Hackney |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Rolle (1606–1679) |
| Relations | John Carew; James Chudleigh; |
| Children | Sir John Carew; Richard (1641-1691); Joan (?-1716); Mary; Bridget |
| Parents | Bridget Chudleigh (ca 1584–1612); Sir Richard Carew (1580–1643) |
| Occupation | Landowner, soldier and politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  |
| Battles/wars | First English Civil War |
When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, he was one of the relatively few members of the Cornish gentry who backed Parliament. In March 1643, he was appointed commander of St Nicholas' Island, a key defensive position for Plymouth. He was arrested in August, after attempting to switch sides, and taken to London.
In a demonstration of Parliament's commitment to winning the war, he was executed for treason in December 1644, followed in January by Sir John Hotham, his son John Hotham the younger, and Archbishop Laud. His half-brother, John Carew, was executed as a regicide in October 1660.
Biography
Alexander Carew was the eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Carew, 1st Baronet (c. 1580–1643), and his first wife, Bridget Chudleigh (ca 1584–1612). In 1621, Sir Richard remarried, this time to Grace Rolle (1606–1655); their four sons included John Carew, who signed the death warrant for Charles I, and was executed for treason, in October 1660.[1]
In 1631, Alexander married Jane Rolle (1606–1679); they had five children who lived to adulthood, Bridget, Mary, Joan, John, and Richard.[2]
Career
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Alexander attended the Middle Temple in 1628, although there is no record of which university he went to. Although a Puritan, his father was generally viewed as a moderate, more interested in education, inventions, and breeding cats; in August 1641, he purchased a baronetcy, a method used by Charles I to raise money for an army.[1]
Like his father and grandfather, Carew was elected Member of Parliament for Cornwall in 1640. He supported the removal of bishops from the Church of England, and voted for the execution of the Earl of Strafford in May 1641. He reportedly claimed "If I were sure to be the next man, that should suffer upon the same scaffold, with the same axe, I would give my consent."[3]
When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, as one of the relatively few members of the Cornish gentry who declared for Parliament, he was appointed to numerous Parliamentary committees. After succeeding his father in March 1643, he was made a member of the Cornish Sequestration Committee, and commander of St Nicholas' Island, a key defensive position for Plymouth. The summer of 1643 was the highpoint of Royalist success; by August, they controlled the entire West Country, with the exception of Plymouth and Exeter.[3]
At this point, Carew began negotiations to switch sides; many others did the same, including his cousin James Chudleigh, captured at Stratton in May. Suggestions he was betrayed by a "disloyal servant" appear incorrect; in August, as a Parliamentary warship was entering harbour, Carew ordered his men to open fire. They refused, and he allegedly only escaped lynching when the ship's captain intervened; he was accused of treason, and held in the Tower of London.[4]
Many went to war in 1642 expecting a single, decisive battle; by 1643, it was clear this was incorrect, and Parliamentarians like Carew whose estates lay in occupied territory faced financial ruin. A series of Royalist victories caused a wave of defections; in September, he was one of five MPs expelled from Parliament, while Denzil Holles was among those accused of seeking a negotiated settlement.[5]
As the war grew more bitter, both sides began using martial law to prosecute senior officers who 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 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, Hackney.[8] 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.[9] Bridget's husband was John Pendarves of Roscrow; their son Alexander was an MP from 1689 to 1725.[10]
References
- Holford-Strevens 2004.
- Cruikshank 2002.
- Wright 2008.
- Hopper 2012, p. 97.
- Hopper 2012, p. 48.
- Hopper 2012, p. 184.
- Wedgwood 1958, pp. 376–378.
- "Sir Alexander Carew". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- Cruikshank 1983.
- Hayton 2002, p. 128.
Sources
- Holford-Strevens, LA (2004). "Carew, Sir Richard, first baronet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4636.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Hopper, Andrew (2012). Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides during the English Civil Wars. OUP. ISBN 978-0199575855.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Hayton, David (2002). PENDARVES, Alexander (1662-1725), of Roskrow, Gluvias, Cornw in the House of Commons, 1690-1715. Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Cruikshank, Evelyn (1983). KENDALL, Walter (1626-96), of Pelyn, nr. Lostwithiel, Cornw (Online ed.). Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wedgwood, CV (1958). The King's War, 1641–1647 (2001 ed.). Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0141390727.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wright, Richard (2008). "Carew, Sir Alexander, second baronet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4622.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
External links
- "Sir Alexander Carew". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Godolphin Richard Buller |
Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1640–1643 With: Sir Bevil Grenville 1640–1642 |
Succeeded by Seats vacant Next Members Hugh Boscawen Nicholas Trefusis |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by Richard Carew |
Baronet (of Antony) 1643–1644 |
Succeeded by John Carew |