Valentine Walton
Encyclopedia
Valentine Walton was one of the regicide
s of King Charles I of England
.
Walton was of very ancient, and knightly family of Great Staughton
, in Huntingdonshire
. Upon a vacancy he was returned a member of the Long Parliament
for the county of Huntingdon. He was from the commencement of the English Civil War
a soldier in the army of Parliament, rose to be a colonel, and fell into the king's hands; but was released, and ever after sided with greater steadiness to the army interest. Having married Margaret, sister of Oliver Cromwell
, he followed Cromwell in all his designs, and in none with more willingness than in putting King Charles I
to death. Walton was one of the 59 Commissioners who sat in judgment at the trial of Charles I. He attended the trial on all the days except 12, 17, 18, 19, and 24 January 1649. He was present on 27 January when sentence was pronounced against Charles, and he signed and sealed that instrument, which commanded Charles to execution.
In the republic he was greatly employed, and confided in; he was of the Council of State
in the years 1650, 1651, and 1652, appointed governor of King's Lynn
and Croyland, with all the level of Ely, Holland, and Marshland.
Walton was one of those who were steady, real republicans, who wished to change the form of government entirely, and refused honours under his Cromwell's protectorate, who mistrusting him was obliged to have Walton watched to prevent his revolt.
At the return of the Long Parliament, in derision called the Rump, Walton rose again to greater power and authority than he had possessed before the Protectorate, and having seen the fate of a nation governed by an army, he took a decided part with Parliament, in preference to the military; and they trusted to him as one of those that were to counterpoise General George Monck; but he had no political capacity for such an enterprise, and seeing, what he most feared, that the monarchy would be restored
, he prudently retired to the continent, and settled at Hanau
, in Germany, of which he was elected a burgess; but knowing the extreme hatred the royal family, especially the queen dowager, had to him, he left that town, and hid himself in the garb of a gardener in Flanders, and did not reveal his whereabouts until just before his death in 1661. Occasioned, no doubt, from the many misfortunes which overwhelmed him, and the dread of still greater.
Parliament had absolutely excepted Walton out of the Act of Indemnity, and confiscated his estate; a great part of what he had acquired belonged to the queen, as part of her dower: had he been seized, his destruction would have been inevitable.
Walton's first wife dying, he married the daughter of Colonel Thomas Pride
, the well-known regicide, and one of Cromwell's lords, who partaking of the misfortunes of her husband, died in poverty and wretchedness at Oxford, 14 November 1662, and was buried in St. Mary's church in that city. By one or both these marriages he had children, who also were greatly affected by his reduced circumstances after the Restoration.
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
s of King Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
Walton was of very ancient, and knightly family of Great Staughton
Great Staughton
Great Staughton – in Huntingdonshire , England – is a village near Perry west of St Neots.The village has two pubs The White Hart and The Snooty Tavern, a post office and a butcher. The village is also home to the current holder of the newly founded annual Griffin Award.Great Staughton...
, in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
. Upon a vacancy he was returned a member of the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
for the county of Huntingdon. He was from the commencement of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
a soldier in the army of Parliament, rose to be a colonel, and fell into the king's hands; but was released, and ever after sided with greater steadiness to the army interest. Having married Margaret, sister of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, he followed Cromwell in all his designs, and in none with more willingness than in putting King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
to death. Walton was one of the 59 Commissioners who sat in judgment at the trial of Charles I. He attended the trial on all the days except 12, 17, 18, 19, and 24 January 1649. He was present on 27 January when sentence was pronounced against Charles, and he signed and sealed that instrument, which commanded Charles to execution.
In the republic he was greatly employed, and confided in; he was of the Council of State
Council of State
The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...
in the years 1650, 1651, and 1652, appointed governor of King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
and Croyland, with all the level of Ely, Holland, and Marshland.
Walton was one of those who were steady, real republicans, who wished to change the form of government entirely, and refused honours under his Cromwell's protectorate, who mistrusting him was obliged to have Walton watched to prevent his revolt.
At the return of the Long Parliament, in derision called the Rump, Walton rose again to greater power and authority than he had possessed before the Protectorate, and having seen the fate of a nation governed by an army, he took a decided part with Parliament, in preference to the military; and they trusted to him as one of those that were to counterpoise General George Monck; but he had no political capacity for such an enterprise, and seeing, what he most feared, that the monarchy would be restored
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, he prudently retired to the continent, and settled at Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
, in Germany, of which he was elected a burgess; but knowing the extreme hatred the royal family, especially the queen dowager, had to him, he left that town, and hid himself in the garb of a gardener in Flanders, and did not reveal his whereabouts until just before his death in 1661. Occasioned, no doubt, from the many misfortunes which overwhelmed him, and the dread of still greater.
Parliament had absolutely excepted Walton out of the Act of Indemnity, and confiscated his estate; a great part of what he had acquired belonged to the queen, as part of her dower: had he been seized, his destruction would have been inevitable.
Walton's first wife dying, he married the daughter of Colonel Thomas Pride
Thomas Pride
Thomas Pride was a parliamentarian general in the English Civil War, and best known as the instigator of "Pride's Purge".-Early Life and Starting Career:...
, the well-known regicide, and one of Cromwell's lords, who partaking of the misfortunes of her husband, died in poverty and wretchedness at Oxford, 14 November 1662, and was buried in St. Mary's church in that city. By one or both these marriages he had children, who also were greatly affected by his reduced circumstances after the Restoration.