John Poyer (died 25 April 1649) was a Welsh soldier in the Parliamentary army during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

in South

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He later turned against the parliamentary cause and was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

Background

Poyer was a merchant and the mayor of Pembroke town in 1642, when he asked the local MP, Sir Hugh Owen of Orielton, for help in the defence of the county. He became Governor of

Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle ( cy, Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restorati ...

and raised a force on behalf of Parliament, defending the castle against the Royalist commander, Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery.

Rebellion

In March 1644 Poyer led a force that captured

Carew Castle Carew Castle ( cy, Castell Caeriw) is a castle in the civil parish of Carew in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The Carew family take their name from this site and have owned the castle for more than 900 years. It is leased to the Pembrokeshire Coast Nati ...

from the Royalists. When, in 1647, he was commanded to disband his army and surrender Pembroke Castle, he refused to do so on the grounds that he was owed money. In April 1648 he was contacted by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

and, with the support of other local Parliamentary commanders,

Rowland Laugharne Major General Rowland Laugharne (1607 – 1675) was a member of the Welsh gentry, and a prominent soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, in which he fought on both sides. Laugharne began his career as a page to Robert Devereux, 3rd ...

and Rice Powell, he joined a Royalist rebellion, culminating in the Battle of St Fagans. The remaining forces, besieged by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

himself at Pembroke, surrendered on 11 July 1648, and Poyer, Laugharne and Powell were condemned to death. It was agreed that only one would face the firing squad, and the three men drew lots. The lots would be drawn by a child, and Poyer was the loser. The child is said to have asked him "Did I do well?" Poyer to have responded "Yes, you have done very well". He was executed at Covent Garden, London. Following Poyer's capture, his widow, Elizabeth, was given assistance by Madam Langhorne, the wife of a former opponent. Following the Restoration of the monarchy, his widow was paid a pension of £300 a year by King Charles II of England.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poyer, John 1649 deaths People from Pembroke, Pembrokeshire Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War Executed Welsh people Year of birth unknown Mayors of places in Wales Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War People executed under the Interregnum (England) for treason against England People executed under the Interregnum (England) by firing squad