Oliver Cromwell’s, The Lord Lieutenant’s Lifeguard Troop of Horse
Active | 1649 to 1659? |
Country | England |
Allegiance | Parliamentarian |
Conflicts | Confederate War |
Type | Horse |
Colonel | Oliver Cromwell |
Richard Le Hunt | |
Henry Ireton | |
Edmund Ludlow? | |
Charles Fleetwood | |
Henry Cromwell? | |
Area Raised | London |
Flag Colour | |
Flag Design | |
Field Armies | Ireland 1649-1659 |
Later Henry Ireton’s Lifeguard, then Charles Fleetwood’s Lifeguard, probably also Edmund Ludlow’s and Henry Cromwell’s Lifeguard
The General’s Lifeguard troop for Cromwell’s Irish campaign, remaining as Lifeguard in Ireland
Service History
1649
- June: Colonel Le Hunt commissioned captain of Cromwell's troop of Lifeguards
- July: Raised by Cromwell for the Irish Campaign
1650
- May: Command transferred to Ireton
- September to October: Siege of Limerick
1651
- November: Ireton dies, Ludlow presumably new commander?
1652
- October: Fleetwood replaces Ireton
1653
1654
- Possibly disbanded?
1655
- July: Fleetwood replaced by Henry Cromwell
1656
1658
1659
- April: Troop still in existence
- June: Henry Cromwell resigns
Notes
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.
Formed by Cromwell as a Lifeguard for his Irish campaign, the troop stayed on in Ireland after Cromwell’s departure. It served as Lifeguard to Ireton, probably Ludlow, Fleetwood, and probably Henry Cromwell. It was included in the estimates for payment in April 1659.
Flags and Equipment
Notable Officers
Oliver Cromwell
Richard Le Hunt
Colonel, and captain of Cromwell's Lifeguard in Ireland Genealogical History
Henry Ireton
Edmund Ludlow
Charles Fleetwood
Henry Cromwell
Strength
- 1649: 80 strong under Oliver Cromwell
- 1651: 70 strong
- 1651: Reduced to 9 officers and 59 men