Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale of Holme

The Right Honourable The Lord Langdale
Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale of Holme
Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire
In office 1660–1661
Sheriff of Yorkshire
In office 1639–1640
Personal details
Born	1598 (baptised) Beverley, Yorkshire
Died	4 August 1661(1661-08-04)(aged 63) Holme Hall, Yorkshire
Resting place	All Saints church, Sancton
Nationality	English
Political party	Royalist
Spouse	Lenox Rodes (died 1639)
Children	4 sons, 3 daughters; four survived to adulthood
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Occupation	Landowner and soldier
Military service
Allegiance	England
Rank	Colonel
Unit	The Northern Horse
Battles/wars	Palatinate campaign Mannheim Wars of the Three Kingdoms Siege of Newcastle;Marston Moor;Relief ofPontefract Castle;Naseby;Rowton Heath;Preston; Siege of Candia

Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale(c. 1598– 5 August 1661) was an English landowner and soldier who fought with theRoyalistsduring theWars of the Three Kingdoms.

An only child who inherited large estates, he served in the 1620 to 1622Palatinate campaignbefore returning home; during the period ofPersonal RulebyCharles Ifrom 1629 to 1640, he opposed both the Forced Loan andShip Money.Nevertheless, when the civil war began in 1642 he joined the Royalist Northern Army, although with little enthusiasm.

He proved a talented commander of cavalry; after defeat atMarston Moorin 1644, he formed the survivors into the Northern Horse, which quickly gained a reputation for ill-discipline. After Royalist defeat in theSecond English Civil Warin 1648, he went into exile and served briefly in theVenetianarmy before forced to retire by sickness. In 1653, he converted toCatholicismand later resided inLamspringe Abbey,Westphalia.

CreatedBaron Langdalein 1658 byCharles II,afterThe Restorationin 1660 he returned home and was appointedLord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire.His health and finances had been destroyed by the war and he died at his home ofHolme Hallin August 1661.

Family

Marmaduke Langdale was born in 1598, only son of Peter Langdale (d.1617) and his wife Anne Wharton (1576–1646), who in 1606 purchased Pighill Hall, Molescroft, nearBeverleyin Yorkshire.The name 'Langdale' allegedly came from the manor of Langdale inYorkshire.

In 1626 Langdale married Lenox Rodes (d.1639), daughter of Sir John Rodes (1562–1639) ofBarlborough Hall,Derbyshire; before she died in childbirth in 1639, they had seven children. Four of these survived to adulthood; sons Marmaduke (1627–1703) and Philip (died 1672), and daughters Lenox (died 1658) and Mary (died 1678).

Career

Langdale attendedSt John's College, Cambridgein 1612 and inherited his father's estates in 1617. His sister-in-law Katherine was the first wife ofSir John Hotham (1589–1645);in 1620, the two went to Europe and briefly fought forElizabeth of Bohemia,sister ofCharles I.Sir John was appointedParliamentarianGovernor ofHull, Yorkshirein 1642 and executed for treason in 1645 along with his sonJohn,whomClarendondescribes as a close friend.

During the 1620s and 1630s, Langdale became an increasingly important local political figure and knighted in 1628; however, during the period ofPersonal Ruleby Charles from 1629 to 1640, he opposed the Forced Loan and payment ofShip money.In 1638, theEarl of Strafford,Charles' chief minister and President of theCouncil of the Northidentified Langdale as a person of "ill affections to the Provincial, if not to the Regal Power". He was punished by being appointedSheriff of Yorkshirein 1639, making him personally liable for any shortfalls in collecting the taxes. He eventually complied but was removed in July 1640 after organising a petition signed by leading members of the Yorkshire gentry listing their 'grievances'.

Battle of Marston Moor,July 1644; Langdale formed the Northern Horse from the survivors of this defeat

Langdale provides a good example of the complex motives driving individuals to choose a particular side during theWar of the Three Kingdoms.Despite his previous opposition and ill-health, when the war began in August 1642 he joined theRoyalistsand fought under theMarquess of Newcastle,Royalist commander in Northern England. During theSiege of Newcastlein February 1644, he scattered theCovenantercavalry atCorbridge,before theloss of Selbyforced the main Royalist army to retreat intoYork.At theBattle of Marston Moorin July 1644, he commanded part of the Royalist left wing and after their defeat formed the surviving cavalry into the "Northern Horse". A collection of the remnants of an estimated 30 regiments, it was later described as a "rabble of gentility" and quickly gained a reputation for poor discipline.

In March 1645, Langdale dispersed a Parliamentarian force underJohn LambertoutsideWentbridge,and relievedPontefract Castle,one of the last Royalist positions in the north.However, without infantry support, he was forced to retreat; the Northern Horse rejoined the main Royalist field army and formed the left wing at theBattle of Nasebyin June. Although they initially held their ground againstOliver Cromwell's more numerous and better disciplined troopers, they were later outflanked and driven from the field.

The survivors of Naseby, which included the Northern Horse, withdrew toRaglan Castlein South Wales, but on 10 July the last significant Royalist field army in England was destroyed at theBattle of Langport.Langdale and other Yorkshire Royalists wanted to go north to link up withMontrose,who won a series ofvictories in Scotland from 1644 to 1645.Charles agreed but first insisted on relievingChester,a port vital for communication with his Irish supporters; on 24 September the Royalists were defeated at theBattle of Rowton Heath.

Shortly after this, news came of Montrose's defeat at theBattle of Philiphaughon 13 September. Langdale andLord Digbyescaped from Chester with about 2,400 cavalry, but on 15 October a Parliamentarian army intercepted and dispersed their forces atSherburn-in-Elmet.Digby and Langdale escaped to France and theFirst English Civil Warcame to an end in June 1646. An alliance between Royalists, Parliamentarian moderates and the Scots led to theSecond English Civil Warin 1648; Langdale returned from exile to lead the Royalists inCumberlandand seized the border town ofBerwick-upon-Tweedto enable hisScottishallies to invade England. In August,John Lambert,Parliamentarian commander in the North, was reinforced by Cromwell and Fairfax who had defeated Royalist risings in Wales and Southern England. Although Langdale linked up with the Scottish army under theDuke of Hamilton,they were decisively defeated at theBattle of Preston,over a period of three days between 17 and 19 August.

All Saints Church,Sancton,where Langdale was buried in 1661

Along with much of the cavalry, Langdale and Hamilton evaded capture at Preston but were taken shortly afterwards and imprisoned inNottingham Castle.The Second Civil War convinced Parliamentarians, including Cromwell, that peace could only be assured by the death of prominent Royalists; Hamilton was executed, as was Charles himself in January 1649. As one of seven Royalists excluded by name from pardon, Langdale avoided a similar fate by escaping dressed as a milkmaid and made his way to France once again.

Under the1650 Treaty of Breda,theCovenantersagreed to restoreCharles IIto the English and Scots thrones but insisted on the exclusion of many who followed him into exile.As a result, Langdale did not participate in theThird English Civil War;he converted to Catholicism in 1652 and joined the army of theRepublic of Venicebut was forced to retire due to poor health. In 1655, poverty led him to take refuge at theEnglish Benedictine CongregationatLamspringe AbbeyinLower Saxony.

In 1658, Charles created himBaron Langdale;after the Restoration in 1660, he was appointedLord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshirebut claimed he was too poor to attend Charles' coronation.He died in August 1661 at Holme and was buried inAll Saints Church, Sancton,where his memorial survives, along with others belonging to the Langdale family.

Sources

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