General John Lambert
(1619-1684)

Died aged c. 65

John Lambert, also spelt 'Lambart' (7 September 1619 – 1 March 1684) was an English Parliamentarian general and politician. Widely regarded as one of the most talented soldiers of the period, he fought throughout the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and was largely responsible for victory in the 1650 to 1651 Scottish campaign. Although involved in the discussions between the New Model Army and Parliament during 1647, his first formal involvement in civilian politics was in 1653 when he became a member of the English Council of State. In December 1653, he helped prepare the 'Instrument of Government', which provided the constitutional framework for the Protectorate. He later fell out with Oliver Cromwell, largely because he opposed converting his role as Lord Protector into a kingship. He lost his offices in 1657 after refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to Cromwell, and after Cromwell's death in September 1658, he re-entered politics as Member of Parliament for Pontefract in early 1659. When Richard Cromwell resigned in May, he became a member of the Committee of Safety and successfully suppressed the Royalist Booth's Uprising. He was then sent to deal with George Monck but his army disintegrated and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 3 March 1660. Lambert escaped a month later on 9 April and made one final attempt to resist The Restoration before being recaptured on 24 April. Despite his prominent role in the Protectorate, he had not participated in the Trial of Charles I and had many close connections with senior Royalists. Although sentenced to death, this was commuted to life imprisonment; he spent the remaining 24 years of his life under house arrest, first on Guernsey, then on Drake's Island near Plymouth, where he died on 1 March 1684.

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