Sir Arthur Hesilrige (1601-1661), Statesman and parliamentarian

Sitter associated with 4 portraits
Colonel Sir Arthur Hesilrige was a powerful Republican politician and distinguished soldier. He was one of the five Members of Parliament who, warned of Charles I's intention to impeach them, fled the House of Commons on 3 January 1642; this was a key moment in the breakdown of the King's authority. In the war Hesilrige commanded a cavalry regiment known as the 'lobsters' on account of their old fashioned full armour. At the Restoration his life was saved because he had refused to sign Charles I's death warrant, but he was committed to the Tower of London, where he died shortly afterwards.