Thomas Harrison (1606–October 13, 1660) was a Puritan soldier and later a leader of the Fifth Monarchists. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, The Fifth Monarchists or Fifth Monarchy Men were active from 1649 to 1661 during the Interregnum, following the English Civil Wars of the 17th century The son of the mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, he managed to be admitted to the Inns of Court as an attorney at Clifford's Inn. Newcastle-under-Lyme, known simply as "castle" to many local people is a Market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations to one of which every barrister in England and Wales (and those judges who were formerly barristers Clifford's Inn was an Inn of Chancery, which formerly stood on Clifford's Inn Passage off Fleet Street

During the Civil War he declared for Parliament and served in the Earl of Manchester's army. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. He fought in many of the major battles of the war and joined the New Model Army in 1645. The New Model Army was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War. By the end of the conflict he had risen to the rank of Major-General and was a noted friend and supporter of Oliver Cromwell. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known

He was elected to the Long Parliament for Wendover in 1646. The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. Wendover is a Market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. When conflict resumed he was wounded at Appleby in July 1648. Appleby-in-Westmorland is a town in Cumbria in North West England. He had to return to London but was well enough to command the escort that brought the King to London in January 1649. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Harrison sat as a commissioner (judge) at the trial and was the seventeenth of fifty-nine commissioners to sign the death warrant of King Charles I. Regicides of Charles I are considered to be the fifty-nine Commissioners (Judges who sat in judgement at the trial of King Charles I of England and signed his death Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution.

In 1650, Harrison was appointed to a military command in Wales where he was apparently extremely severe. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1651 and commanded the army in England during Cromwell's Scottish expedition. He fought at the battle of Knutsford in August and at Worcester in September 1651. Knutsford is a town and Civil parish within the Borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, located south-west of Manchester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester England and was the final battle of the English Civil War.

By the early 1650s Harrison was associated with the radical Fifth Monarchists and became one of their key speakers. He still supported Cromwell and aided in the dissolution of the Rump Parliament in April 1653. The Rump Parliament was the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride on December 6 1648 had purged Long Parliament of those Harrison was a radical member of the Nominated Assembly (Barebones Parliament) that replaced the Parliament. Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653 and was the last attempt of the English When the Assembly was dissolved, Harrison and others refused to leave and had to be forced out by soldiers. Harrison was dismissed from the Army in December.

Like many, he was outraged by the formation of the The Protectorate and the elevation of Cromwell to Lord Protector. In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653&ndash1659 during which the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland was governed by a Lord Lord Protector is a particular British title for Heads of State with two meanings (and full styles at different periods of history Under the Protectorate (1653–60) Harrison was imprisoned four times.

Sign outside the Hung, Drawn and Quartered pub in Tower Hill, London

After Cromwell's death Harrison remained quietly in his home, supporting none of the contenders for power. Following the Restoration, Harrison declined to flee and was arrested in May 1660, tried in October, and was the first of the Regicides to be executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered on October 13, 1660. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it To be hanged drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for the crime of High treason. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees ^[1]

Samuel Pepys wrote an eyewitness account of the execution at Charing Cross, in which Major General Harrison was dryly reported to be "looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition". Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for Charing Cross is located at the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street in Central London, England. This account is also quoted on a large plaque on the wall of the Hung, Drawn and Quartered public house near Pepys Street, where the diarist lived and worked in the Navy Office.

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