Sir John Meldrum ( – died 1645) was a soldier of Scottish origin who spent 36 years in the service of the Stuart kings of Scotland, England and Ireland,

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...

and Charles I. He was granted lands in

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

as a result of his Irish service and was knighted by King James I in 1622. In 1627, he took part in the Duke of Buckingham's ill-fated expedition to La Rochelle then spent several years as a colonel in the Swedish army under

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

.The Penny Magazine. 19 September 1835. p. 365
/ref> In 1636, he benefited from a letters-patent (a controversial monopoly) on several lighthouses built by Charles I on the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and South Forelands that entitled him to levy a penny per ton of cargo carried by ships that passed them. In 1642, he found himself opposed to the policies of Charles' government and supported the Parliamentarian cause in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. He commanded a brigade of infantry at the Battle of Edge Hill. His most notable action was his defeat by

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

at the

relief of Newark The Relief of Newark (21 March 1644) was a Royalist victory during the First English Civil War. It was a personal victory for Prince Rupert and it resulted in the Royalists holding Newark-on-Trent until very near the end of the war. Bac ...

in early 1644. He also directed the successful construction of a firing platform in Gosport during the Siege of Portsmouth. On 20 August 1644, his forces defeated royalist cavalry force numbering about 2500 at the

Battle of Ormskirk The Battle of Ormskirk was fought on 20 August 1644 during the First English Civil War. It was a decisive victory for the Roundhead, Parliamentarian force commanded by Major-General Sir John Meldrum over the Cavalier, Royalist force command ...

. He was a commander at the Relief of Montgomery Castle on 18 September 1644. He was killed during the Great Siege of Scarborough Castle in May 1645.

References

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External links

Biography of John Meldrum
bcw-project.org (British Civil Wars and Commonwealth website). Accessed 1 February 2023. {{DEFAULTSORT:Meldrum, John 16th-century births 1645 deaths Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster People killed in the English Civil War Scottish soldiers Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War