Tolhurst and the New Model Army
Jeremiah Tolhurst a man of some importance during the 1600s. He’d held seats in the British House of Commons, cut his teeth as a sailor, and made a name for himself a businessman. He also fought in the English Civil War for the New Model Army, a controversial policing unit during the Parliamentary Civil War.
Tolhurst was born in 1615, and his father died by the time he was eight years old. By then, the boy was on his way to apprenticing as a tailor.
In his thirties, England erupted into Civil War. The War boiled down to a conflict between loyalists to the crown, and those who served Parliament. Tolhurst chose Parliament and became a a fairly adept soldier, rising to lieutenant of foot, and then captain in 1644. He joined up with the so called “New Model Army,” a group of highly trained religious zealots, who were responsible for series of police actions during the English Civil War. Tolhurst, being an officer, was not likely to have held such radical viewpoints. Instead, he was made a major and placed in charge of motivated men. During his time there, he became distinguished and either met or gained favor from Oliver Cromwell. After his time serving, he relocated to the north and acquired interests in coal and salt. He used those interests to supply Cromwell throughout the Scottish campaign. The New Model Army would splinter after Cromwell’s death, causing tension that threatened to boil over into conflict. But the army was disbanded when Charles II was coroneted.
For his service, Tolhurst took a seat in Parliament. However, Cromwell’s death led to the restoration of the monarchy and he fled to Jamaica to spend his elder years. He died just two years after serving his last position in the government.
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