View source for Michael Livesey

{{short description|17th-century English Puritan activist and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| name             = Michael Livesey
| honorific-suffix = [[Justice of the Peace|JP]]
| image            = Sir Michael Livesey, 1614-1665? RMG BHC2843.tiff
| image_size       = 150px
| alt              = 
| caption          = Sir Michael Livesey 
| office     = [[High Sheriff of Kent]]
| term_start  =  1655
| term_end    =  1657
| constituency_MP2 = [[Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Queenborough]]
| term_start2      = September 1645
| term_end2        = April 1653
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = 1614
| birth_place      = [[Eastchurch]], [[Kent]]
| death_place      = [[Rotterdam]], [[Dutch Republic]]
| restingplace     = 
| death_date       = 1665  
| nationality      = English
| party            = 
| spouse           = Elizabeth (?-1665) 
| children         = Anne; Deborah (1634-?)
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = Landowner, soldier, and [[Puritan]] activist 
| profession       = 
<!--Military service-->
| allegiance    = 
| branch        = 
| serviceyears  = 
| rank          = [[Colonel]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = 
| battles          = {{tree list}}
*[[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]]
**[[Siege of Chichester]]
**[[Battle of Bramber Bridge|Bramber Bridge]]
**[[Battle of Cheriton|Cheriton]]
**[[Battle of Cropredy Bridge|Copredy Bridge]]
**Skirmish at [[Surbiton]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}
'''Sir Michael Livesey, 1st Baronet''' (1614 - circa 1665), also spelt '''Livesay''', was a [[Puritan]] activist and [[Member of Parliament]] who served in the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] army during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]]. He was one of the [[regicide]]s who approved the [[Execution of Charles I]] in January 1649.

At the outbreak of the [[First English Civil War]] in August 1642, Livesey played a prominent role in securing [[Kent]] for Parliament, raising a regiment of cavalry and serving on the local administration. He resigned his commission in early 1645 and was appointed [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Queenborough]] in September. During the [[Second English Civil War]] in 1648, he once again displayed energy and commitment in suppressing Royalist risings in [[South East England]].

Known as a [[Republicanism in the United Kingdom|Republican]] who opposed further negotiations with [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]], Livesey was one of the MPs retained after [[Pride's Purge]] in December 1648, and appointed a [[High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I|judge at Charles' trial]]. A strong believer in the sovereignty of [[Parliament of England|Parliament]], he became disillusioned after the establishment of [[the Protectorate]] in 1654, although he served as [[High Sheriff of Kent]] in 1655 and 1656.

Following the [[Stuart Restoration]] in 1660, he was condemned as a regicide and escaped to the [[Low Countries]]. Claims he was assassinated by Royalist agents shortly afterwards are incorrect; he appears to have died in [[Rotterdam]] around June 1665, although some biographies give an earlier date.

==Personal details==
Michael Livesey was the only surviving son of Gabriel Livesey (1567–1622) and his second wife Anne, daughter of Sir [[Michael Sondes]], [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Queenborough]] and [[High Sheriff of Kent]].{{sfn|M.R.P.|1981}} His paternal grandfather Robert was [[High Sheriff of Surrey|Sheriff of Sussex and Surrey]] in 1602 and 1603, who purchased estates in [[Kent]] at [[Hollingbourne]] and [[Eastchurch]] in 1571.{{sfn|Scott Robertson|1882|p=379}} These were transferred to Gabriel, who was Sheriff of Kent in 1618, making the family a leading part of the county [[gentry]].{{sfn|Hasted|1798|pp=245–258}}

After Gabriel's death in 1622, Anne married her cousin [[John Hayward (MP for Bridgnorth and Saltash)|Sir John Hayward]] (1591–1636), who sold his property in [[Shropshire]] and bought Hollingbourne. Hayward also served as Sheriff of Kent in 1623, an unusual move since such offices were normally held by an established member of the local community. He and his step-son do not appear to have been close; in 1632, Livesey unsuccessfully tried to recover Hollingbourne 'through a trick of law', rather than paying for it, and Sir John's will left it to a distant relative.{{sfn|Hunneyball|2010}}

Livesey's marriage to Elizabeth Clinton-Fiennes (died 1666) produced two daughters, Deborah and Anne (1634–?), who later married Sir Robert Sprignell (1622–1688). His baronetcy was confiscated in 1660.{{sfn|Burke|Burke|1844|p=500}}

==Career==

Details on Livesey's life prior to 1640 are limited, other than the purchase of a [[Livesey baronets|baronetcy]] in 1627 and his appointment as [[Justice of the Peace]] in 1637.{{sfn|Peacey|2004}} Known as a devout [[Puritan]] {{efn|"Puritan" was a general term for those who wanted to "purify" the [[Church of England]] of alleged Catholic practices; it covered a wide range of religious and political views, including some who later became Royalists.{{sfn|Hardacre|1956|p=10}}}} his marriage connected him to [[Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln]] and [[William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele]], both leading opponents of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]].{{sfn|Herman|2011|p=189}} In February 1642, he organised and presented a petition to the [[Long Parliament]] on behalf of 'the Knights, Gentry and Commonalty of the County of Kent', which expressed support for the reforms carried out since November 1640.{{sfn|Peacey|2004}}

{{Location map many|Kent |caption = Kent; key locations|relief=yes|border = black| width = 300| float = left
|label =  Rochester|pos=left|coordinates={{coord|51.375|0.5}}
|label2 = Maidstone|pos2=left|coordinates2={{coord|51.272|0.529}}
|label3 = London |pos3= top|coordinates3={{coord|51|30|N|0|8|W}}
|label4 = Eastchurch|pos4= right|coordinates4={{coord|51.400002|0.866667}}
|label5 = Sandwich|pos5=top|coordinates5={{coord|51.27472|1.33888}}
|label7 = Hollingbourne|pos7=bottom|coordinates7={{coord|51.267|0.642}}
|label8 = Dover|pos8=bottom|coordinates8={{coord|51|8|N|1|19|E}}
|label9 = Canterbury|pos9=left|coordinates9={{coord|51.28|1.08}}
|label10 = Sandown|pos10=left|coordinates10={{coord|51.2384|1.4022}}
|label13 = Deal|pos13=bottom|coordinates13={{coord|51.2226|1.4006}}
}}

When the [[First English Civil War]] began in August 1642, most of Kent supported [[Roundhead|Parliament]] and Livesey raised a regiment of local cavalry.{{sfn|''BCW Project''}} His unit seized control of [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] and [[Canterbury]], although Livesey was forced to apologise for the damage they caused to the [[Canterbury Cathedral|Cathedral]]. As part of the Army of the Southern Association commanded by Sir [[William Waller]], he participated in the capture of [[Siege of Chichester|Chichester]] in December 1642. He was also a member of the Kent County Committee which administered civil affairs, although he fell out with the more moderate members, allegedly due to the extremity of his views.{{sfn|Peacey|2004}}

In late 1643, a Royalist army under [[Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton|Sir Ralph Hopton]] marched into [[Hampshire]] and [[Sussex]], whose [[Wealden iron industry|iron foundries]] were Parliament's main source of armaments.{{sfn|Wedgwood|1958|p=281}} In late November, Livesey and 120 cavalry linked up with Waller at [[Farnham]], where the Parliamentarian forces had concentrated to resist Hopton's advance.{{Sfn|Anonymous|1904|p=128}} He missed the [[Battle of Alton]] on 13 December preventing an attack on [[Battle of Bramber Bridge|Bramber]], which controlled the road into [[East Sussex]] and Kent, important for its wealth and access to ports in Northern Europe. The furthest point reached by the Royalists, by January 1644 they had been forced back into Hampshire.{{sfn|Lansberry|2001|pp=7,17}}

Livesey rejoined Waller and fought at [[Battle of Cheriton|Cheriton]] in March 1644 and [[Battle of Cropredy Bridge|Cropredy Bridge]] in June.{{sfn|''BCW Project''}} A recurring problem for both sides was the reluctance of regiments to serve outside their home areas and many of Waller's men now deserted, including some in Livesey's unit. This led to accusations of cowardice and mutiny from his subordinate, Major Anthony Weldon,{{efn|A younger son of Sir [[Anthony Weldon]], chairman of the Kent Committee, who also had a reputation for quarrelling with his colleagues {{sfn|Firth|1899}}}} who had made similar accusations against his superiors when serving in [[Lincolnshire]].{{sfn|''Journal of the House of Commons''|1802|pp=245, 508}} Livesey was absolved by the [[Committee for Both Kingdoms]] but resigned his commission when his regiment was transferred to the [[New Model Army]] in early 1645.{{sfn|Roberts|2017}}

In September 1645, Livesey replaced the Royalist [[William Harrison (MP)|William Harrison]] as MP for Queenborough. After the war ended in May 1646, he opposed negotiations with Charles and supported the [[Army Council (1647)|Army Council]] in its clash with Parliamentarian moderates led by [[Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles|Denzil Holles]]. When pro-Royalist riots broke out in Kent in December 1647, Livesey was sent to quell them; he remained in [[South East England]] when the [[Second English Civil War]] began in April 1648, suppressing unrest in Sussex and supporting Sir [[Thomas Fairfax]] in the campaign which ended with the capture of [[Battle of Maidstone|Maidstone]] in June.{{sfn|Royle|2004|pp=448–449}}

Despite this victory, Kent remained an area of concern, particularly after nine warships of the Parliamentary-controlled [[Royal Navy]] joined the [[Charles II of England|Prince of Wales]] in [[Dutch Republic|Holland]].{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=452}} On 4 July, a petition was presented to Parliament demanding the resumption of negotiations with Charles, and on the same day, the [[Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland|Earl of Holland]] raised 400 cavalry in an attempt to seize [[London]]. This was insufficient for the task and the Royalists retreated through [[Surrey]], before they were intercepted and scattered outside [[Surbiton]] by a force led by Livesey.{{sfn|Royle|2004|pp=453}} On 27 July, Fairfax reported his capture at [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] of one of the ships which had defected.{{sfn|Fairfax|1648|pp=3–4}}

[[File:Gonzales Coques - The Execution of Charles I of England.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The Execution of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]; Livesey signed his death warrant]]

The main Royalist army was defeated at [[Battle of Preston (1648)|Preston]] on 17 August, but the revolt in Kent ended only after [[Deal, Kent|Deal]] and [[Sandown Castle, Kent|Sandown Castle]] surrendered in September.{{sfn|Ashton|1994|p=442}} The Second Civil War was fought with greater bitterness than the first, with both sides executing prisoners, while it convinced Livesey, [[Oliver Cromwell]] and others that further talks with Charles were pointless.{{sfn|Royle|2004|pp=475–478}} After MPs who supported continuing negotiations were excluded by [[Pride's Purge]] in December, Livesey was included in the reduced body known as the [[Rump Parliament]]. Appointed to the [[High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I]], he signed the [[death warrant]] for his [[Execution of Charles I|execution]] on 30 January 1649.{{sfn|Peacey|2004}}

Over the next few years, Livesey became disillusioned as Parliament's powers were first delegated to the [[English Council of State]], before being dissolved and replaced by [[the Protectorate]] in 1654. He confined himself to local politics, serving as High Sheriff of Kent in 1655 and 1656 and when the Rump was reinstated in May 1659, he supported the civilian faction in Parliament against the Army's [[Wallingford House party]]. After Charles II was [[Stuart Restoration|restored]] to the throne in May 1660, Livesey and his wife fled to the [[Low Countries]]. Claims that he was assassinated by Royalist agents are incorrect; he appears to have died in [[Rotterdam]] around June 1665, although some biographies give this as 1663.{{sfn|Peacey|2004}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last1=Anonymous|title=The Civil War in Hampshire|date=1904| publisher=Privately published}}
* {{cite book|last1=Ashton|first1=Robert|title=Counter-revolution: The Second Civil War and Its Origins, 1646–8|date=1994| publisher=The Bath Press|isbn=978-0300061147}}
* {{cite web |title=Sir Michael Livesey's Regiment of Horse |url=http://wiki.bcw-project.org/parliamentarian/horse-regiments/sir-michael-livesey |website=BCW Project |access-date=6 March 2021 |ref={{sfnref|''BCW Project''}}}}{{rs|date=November 2022|reason=cited source is a wiki}}
* {{cite book |last1=Burke|first1=John|last2=Burke |first2=Bernard |title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland |date=1844 |publisher=John Russ Smith}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fairfax |first1=Thomas |title=Prince Charleses ship taken by Sir Michael Livesey. Captaine Green taken prisoner |website=Early English Books Online |date=1648 |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A75386.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext}}
* {{cite DNB |last1=Firth |first1=Charles Harding |wstitle=Weldon, Anthony |volume=60}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hardacre |first1=Paul |title=The Royalists during the Puritan Revolution |date=1956 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-9401745635}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hasted |first1=Edward |title=The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 6 |date=1798 |publisher=Bristow |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol6/pp245-258}}
* {{cite book|last=Herman|first=Peter|title=A Short History of Early Modern England|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2011|isbn=978-1405195607}}
* {{cite periodical |title=Die Lunæ, 18 Septembris, 1643: Major Welden |periodical=Journal of the House of Commons |volume=3, 1643-1644 |date=1802 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/commons-jrnl/vol3/pp244-246#h3-0015 |ref={{sfnref|''Journal of the House of Commons''|1802}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Hunneyball |first=Paul |chapter=HAYWARD, Sir John (c.1591-1636), of Acton Burnell, Salop; later of Hollingbourne and Rochester, Kent |editor-last=Thrush |editor-first=Andrew |editor-last2=Ferris |editor-first2=John P. |title=The History of Parliament; the House of Commons 1604-1629 |date=2010 |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/hayward-sir-john-1591-1636 |via=History of Parliament}}
* {{cite book |last=Lansberry |first=Frederick |title=Government and Politics in Kent, 1640–1914 |year=2001 |publisher=Boydell Press |isbn=978-0-85115-586-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=M.R.P. |chapter=SONDES, Michael (d.1617), of Throwley, Eastry and Sheldwich, Kent |editor-last=Hasler |editor-first=P.W. |title=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603 |date=1981 |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/sondes-michael-1617 |via=History of Parliament}}
* {{cite odnb|last=Peacey|first=JT|id=16797|title=Livesay [Livesey], Sir Michael, first baronet|year=2004}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Roberts |editor-first1=Stephen K |section=Surnames beginning 'L |title=The Cromwell Association Online Directory of Parliamentarian Army Officers |date=2017 |publisher=British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/cromwell-army-officers/surnames-l |access-date=4 March 2021}}
* {{cite book|last=Royle|first=Trevor|year=2004|edition=2006|title=Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660|publisher=Abacus|isbn=978-0-349-11564-1}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Scott Robertson |first1=Canon |title=The Church of All Saints, Eastchurch in Shepey |journal=Archaeologia Cantiana |volume=XIV |date=1882 |publisher=Kent Archaeological Society |url=https://kentarchaeology.org.uk/node/9758}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wedgwood |first1=CV |title=The King's War, 1641-1647 |date=1958 |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=978-0141390727 |edition=2001}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Baronet]]<br />'''(of East Church)''' | years=1627–1660}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Livesey, Michael}}
[[Category:1614 births]]
[[Category:1660s deaths]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:People from the Isle of Sheppey]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Kent]]
[[Category:Regicides of Charles I]]
[[Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of England]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Kent]]
[[Category:English MPs 1640–1648]]
[[Category:English MPs 1648–1653]]
[[Category:Roundheads]]
[[Category:Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War]]