Lord Lieutenant Oliver Cromwell’s Regiment of Horse

Later Colonel Richard Cromwell’s, then Colonel Edmund Ludlow’s Regiment of Horse

Oliver Cromwell’s own Regiment of horse raised in England for service in Ireland

• March: Oliver Cromwell commissioned to raise a regiment of horse for service in Ireland
• August: Shipped to Ireland
• September: Siege of Drogheda
• November: Battle of Glascarrick

• Half the regiment goes to form Colonel Thomas Shelburne’s Regiment of Horse

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Serving in Ireland

• Regiment passes to Richard Cromwell after his father’s death

• July: Lt General Edmund Ludlow made colonel

A history of the regiment is given in The Regimental History of Cromwell's Army by Sir Charles Firth and Godfrey Davies, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1940

In preparation for his Irish campaign of 1649 Cromwell raised a new regiment of horse, consisting of fourteen troops. They accompanied Cromwell to Ireland, remaining there until the Restoration. The regiment was split into two in 1650. One half remained Oliver Cromwell’s regiment and was commanded in the field successively by Majors Jerome Sankey, Daniel Redman and Henry Owen. In 1658 the regiment likely passed to Richard Cromwell, then in 1659 to Edmund Ludlow.

Oliver Cromwell

Richard Cromwell

Edmund Ludlow

From Buckinghamshire, he had fought in the First Civil War and commanded a troop in Aylesbury in 1648. He was Lt Col. of the regiment in 1649 then formed Colonel Thomas Shelburne’s Regiment of Horse in 1650 from half of Cromwell's regiment.

Jerome Sankey (d 1687) (or, variously Hierome Zanchey) originally from Shropshire was educated at Cambridge but excelled mainly in cudgelling and foot-ball-playing. He served in Sir William Brereton’s regiment of horse, leading the Colonel’s troop in 1645. Major of Cromwell’s horse at the start of the Irish campaign, he was promoted to Colonel of Horton’s regiment in the October.

• 1649: 14 Troops
• 1650: 6 to 8 troops