Isaac Ewer (died c.1650) was an English soldier and one of the

Regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

s of King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

Biography

He was likely born in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

; in his last will and testament, he describes himself as of

Hatfield Broad Oak Hatfield Broad Oak (also known as Hatfield Regis) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The village is approximately south-east of Bishop's Stortford. Near the church of St Mary the Virgin is former Benedi ...

and before the Civil War was "but a serving-man". He joined the parliamentary army in 1642 and ultimately rose to be a colonel of foot. He besieged and took

Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle () at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Normans, Norman Lord William ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

on 25 May 1648. During the

Second English Civil War The Second English Civil War took place between February and August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639–1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 164 ...

he was also present at the siege of Colchester during the same year, and formed one of the council of war passing summary sentence on Sir Charles Lucas and

Sir George Lisle Sir George Lisle (baptised 10 July 1615 – 28 August 1648) was a professional soldier from London who briefly served in the later stages of the Eighty and Thirty Years War, then fought for the Royalists during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. C ...

. It was Ewer who presented to the House of Commons, on 20 November 1648, the declaration of the army in which they insisted on Charles I being speedily brought to justice. Ten days later Ewer was given the custody of the king at

Hurst Castle Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, between 1541 and 1544. It formed part of the king's Device Forts coastal protection programme against invasion from France and the Holy Roma ...

, of which he was made governor. Ewer was chosen as one of the

judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

the trial ''The Trial'' () is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, wi ...

of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. He was present every day during the trial, and signed the warrant. In April 1649 his regiment was ordered to Ireland. He took part in the storming of

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, 10 September, where most of his officers were severely wounded, was at Clonmel 9 May 1650, and during June and August of the same year assisted Ireton in the reduction of

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. He died suddenly of the plague after the surrender of Waterford (10 August), and was buried there. As a regicide his estate was confiscated by the government after the Restoration under the provisions of the

Indemnity and Oblivion Act The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 ( 12 Cha. 2. c. 11) was an act of the Parliament of England, the long title of which is "An Act of Free and Generall Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion". This act was a general pardon for everyone who had com ...

Family

Ewer married Joan Thurloe, sister of

John Thurloe John Thurloe (June 1616 – 21 February 1668) was an English politician who served as secretary to the council of state in The Protectorate, Protectorate England and spymaster for Oliver Cromwell and held the position of Postmaster General betw ...

, in 1633. She died before him.

Notes

References

* ;Attribution * ** Bate's Lives of Actors of Murder of Charles I (1661) pp. 136–7; ** True Characters of the Judges of Charles I (1661); ** Wood's Athenae Oxon. (Bliss), iii. 290; ** Wood's Fasti Oxon. (Bliss), ii. 142; ** Whitelocke's Memorials, pp. 308. 448; ** Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1649–50, pp. 27, 32, 576; ** Thurloe's State Papers, v. 46–7; **

Mark Noble Mark James Noble (born 8 May 1987) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the sporting director of Premier League club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United. A fan of the c ...

, ''Lives of the Regicides'', i. 303–6. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewer, Isaac 1650 deaths English army officers Regicides of Charles I Roundheads 17th-century deaths from plague (disease) Year of birth unknown