Born in Yorkshire in 1617, Matthew Tomlinson grew up amid the early years of puritan unrest in the northern counties. Many of these young men held strong political views, which were formed partly by family position, and partly from their education at College; in Tomlinson's case also training at the Inns of Court.

When Civil War broke out in 1642, Matthew Tomlinson now aged twenty-five, volunteered with other gentlemen of the Inns of Court to serve in the Lord Generall Essex's Lifeguard. In this role it seems likely that Tomlinson was among those who escorted Essex to the muster at Northampton in September 1642. At Powick Bridge shortly after, the Lifeguard ran away and the mere sight of the broken Parliamentarian troopers were enough to give the Royalist Prince Rupert the day. Yet at Edgehill (23 October) the Lifeguard charged the Royalist Pikes with great courage, wiping that earlier stain from their character.

By March 1645, Matthew Tomlinson was part of the garrison at Abingdon, and had risen to the position of Captain. When the new Model Army replaced the various regional forces, Tomlinson was appointed Major to Colonel Pye's Horse, and took part in the battle of Naseby on the right wing, where owing to his Colonel's probable absence he commanded the Regiment. In September that same year, Tomlinson was present with the Regiment at Bristol.

Crisis on the Army

When the Crisis in the Army came to a head in June 1647, Matthew Tomlinson was in command of that part of Pye's REgiment guarding the King at Holdenby house. Although favouring the Army's cause, when Cornet Joyce attempted to remove Charles I from Holdenby, Tomlinson being senior officer after the flight of Colonel graves, ordered his men to secure the King from Joyce which they refused. Despite this, when Sir Robert Pye joined the Presbyterians in London, Fairfax appointed Matthew Tomlinson as Colonel in his place, and when the Army entered London on 6 August the Regiment brought up the rear, with laurels their hats like the rest.

In the Second Civil War 1648, Tomlinson and his Regiment, were for the main part in Devon and Cornwall and therefore saw little action. Yet Fairfax knew the worth of a professional officer, and gave Matthew Tomlinson the great responsibility of guarding the King at Windsor during the latters trial. When Charles was moved to St. James's, Tomlinson went with him, and then accompanied the doomed monarch on his last walk to the scaffold. The civility in which Tomlinson treated the King was mentioned by the king, in the message sent to his heir.

The following July, Matthew Tomlinson was sent to Canterbury to police the area against insurrection, and continued there for almost two months.

In August 1650, Tomlinson and his Regiment were ordered north to support Cromwells' Scottish expedition, and stayed at Newcastle before marching to Edinburgh in October. The next year Matthew Tomlinson and his Regiment returned to England with Cromwell in pursuit of Charles Stuart's Army which had passed into England despite Cromwell's presence in Scotland. Finding the Scottish Army about Worcester, Cromwell joined by various county militia Regiments and his own New Model, including Tomlinson's, totally defeated them and ended the young King's military hopes.

Although Matthew Tomlinson's Regiment later returned to Scotland as part of the Regular Army there, Tomlinson himself was sent to Ireland in August 1654, as a member of the Irish Council under Charles Fleetwood and Henry Cromwell. for his good services in Ireland, Tomlinson was knighted by Henry Cromwell on 24 November 1657.

Arrested

When in 1659 the Army finally returned its power to the civil authority, Matthew Tomlinson as one of the Commissioners in Ireland, was arrested for his support of the Army's usurpance, by a revolt of pro-Parliamentary Irish officers in December.

At the Restoration, Matthew Tomlinson was excepted from arrest, despite his part in the king's trial and execution. In return Tomlinson gave evidence at the trials of the regicides, and particularly against Colonel Hacker.

Matthew Tomlinson was a professional, rather than political soldier. He had found favour with men in the highest places of the land, Fairfax, Cromwell, Fleetwood and the two King Charles. Dictionary of National Biography says he lived until 1681, yet this could have been 1680 according to another source.

References

Ludlows Memoirs. 2 vols, ed. C.H. Firth.
The Clarke Papers, 4 vols, ed. C.H. Firth
Clarke Manuscripts- deposited Worcs. Col. Oxford (microfilm copy).
Dictionary of National Biography.
Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, ed. T. Carlyle.
Unpublished notes B. Denton P.A7/NMA

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