Isaac Ewer (died c.1650) was an English soldier and one of the
Regicides of King
Charles I of England.
Biography
He was likely born in
Essex; in his last will and testament, he describes himself as of
Hatfield Broad Oak 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,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
on 25 May 1648. During the
Second English Civil War 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
Sir Charles Lucas, 1613 to 28 August 1648, was a professional soldier from Essex, who served as a Cavalier, Royalist cavalry leader during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Taken prisoner at the end of the First English Civil War in March 1646, ...
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. Ca ...
.
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, of which he was made governor. Ewer was chosen as one of the
judges at
the trial of King
Charles I. 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. 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.
Family
Ewer married Joan Thurloe, sister of
John Thurloe, 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, ''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)
Infectious disease deaths in Ireland
Year of birth unknown