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{{short description|17th-century English Cavalier and member of the Royal household}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Thomas Blagge
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Colonel Thomas Blagge by English School.png
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Colonel Thomas Blagge
| office = Governor of [[Great Yarmouth]] and [[Governor of Landguard Fort|Landguard Fort]]
| term_start = May 1660
| term_end = November 1660
| office2 = [[Groom of the Chamber]] to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]
| term_start2 = 1635
| term_end2 = 1660
| office3 = Governor of [[Wallingford Castle]]
| term_start3 = February 1643
| term_end3 = July 1646
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 13 July 1613 (baptised)
| birth_place = [[Little Horringer Hall]], [[Suffolk]]
| death_place = [[London]]
| restingplace = [[Westminster Abbey]] {{sfn|Westminster Abbey}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1660|11|04|1613|07|13|df=y}}
| nationality = English
| party =
| spouse = Mary North (1641–1660; his death)
| children = Henrietta Maria; Dorothy; Mary; [[Margaret Godolphin|Margaret]]
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Soldier and member of the Royal Household
| profession =
<!--Military service-->
| allegiance =
| branch =
| serviceyears =
| rank = [[Colonel]]
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = {{tree list}}
*[[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]]
**[[Battle of Edgehill|Edgehill]]
**[[First Battle of Newbury|First Newbury]]
**[[Battle of Cropredy Bridge|Cropredy Bridge]]
**[[Battle of Lostwithiel|Lostwithiel]]
**[[Second Battle of Newbury|Second Newbury]]
**[[Battle of Naseby|Naseby]]
**Siege of [[Wallingford Castle]]
**[[Battle of Worcester|Worcester]]
*[[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|Franco-Spanish War]]
**[[Battle of the Dunes (1658)|The Dunes]]
{{tree list/end}}
}}
Colonel '''Thomas Blagge''' (13 July 1613 – 4 November 1660) served as [[Groom of the Chamber]] to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and his son [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. He fought for the [[Cavalier|Royalists]] during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], and following the [[Execution of Charles I]] in January 1649, joined the exiled [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] court in [[Kingdom of France|France]]. He helped Charles II evade capture after defeat at [[Battle of Worcester|Worcester]] in 1651, and although arrested himself, escaped from the [[Tower of London]]. He remained in exile for the next decade, fighting in the [[Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)|Franco-Spanish War]] during the brief Royalist alliance with [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]].
Born at [[Little Horringer Hall]], Blagge was part of the [[Suffolk]] county [[gentry]], connections which led to an appointment as a close personal servant to the king. When the [[First English Civil War]] began in August 1642, he quickly became a trusted and reliable Royalist [[brigade]] commander, and as governor of [[Wallingford Castle]] was one of the last to surrender in July 1646. He returned to England following the May 1660 [[Stuart Restoration]] and received a number of offices before dying in November 1660. Despite his early death, his loyalty was not forgotten and two of his daughters were appointed [[Maid of honour]] to the [[Anne Hyde|Duchess of York]].
==Personal details==
Thomas Blagge was baptised in [[Horningsheath]], [[Suffolk]] on 13 July 1613, second surviving son of Ambrose Blagge (ca 1580–1662) and his first wife Martha (1588-1624). Six of their children lived to adulthood including Thomas, an older brother George (1611-1631), and four younger sisters, Martha, Katherine, Ann and Judith (1620-1707).{{sfn|Hervey|1900|p=26}}
Ambrose Blagge owned [[Little Horringer Hall]] near [[Bury St Edmunds]] and was part of a wealthy and well connected circle of Suffolk [[gentry]]; his father Henry (1549-1596) had been [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Sudbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Sudbury]].{{sfn|JH|1981}} In 1625, his second wife became Margaret Snelling, widowed mother of the painter [[Matthew Snelling]]. From this marriage, Thomas had a half brother and sister, Ambrose (1626-1664) and Margaret (1635-1720), while three others died as infants.{{sfn|Edmond|1987|pp=110-111}}
In 1641, Thomas married Mary North (died 1671), daughter of [[Roger North (died 1651)|Sir Roger North]] (1577-1651), MP for [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)|Eye]] in Suffolk. They had three daughters who lived to adulthood, Henrietta Maria, who had 15 children with her husband Sir Thomas Yarborough (1637-1708), Mary and [[Margaret Godolphin|Margaret]] (1652-1678). In 1675, the latter married [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin]], then Groom of the Chamber to Charles II, who became one of the most powerful politicians of the late 17th and early 18th century.{{sfn|Sundstrom|2011}}
==Career==
{{Location map many|England south|caption = Blagge's England; key locations. Note [[River Thames]] (blue line), London-Wallingford-Oxford|relief=yes|border = black| width = 400| float = left
|label =Wallingford|pos=left|coordinates={{coord|51.6029|-1.1221}}
|label2 = Bury|pos2=right|coordinates2={{coord|52.2474|0.7183}}
|label3 = Yarmouth|pos3=left|coordinates3={{coord|52.606|1.729}}
|label4 = Worcester|pos4= left|coordinates4={{coord|52.192|-2.22}}
|label6 = Naseby|pos6=right|coordinates6={{coord|52|25|N|1|00|W}}
|label8 = Edgehill|pos8=top|coordinates8={{coord|52|08|N|1|29|W}}
|label11 = Newbury|pos11=bottom|coordinates11={{coord|51|24|N|1|20|W}}
|label12 = Oxford|pos12=top|coordinates12={{coord|51|45|N|1|16|W}}
|label16 = Lostwithiel|pos16=left|coordinates16={{coord|50|25|N|4|40|W}}
|label20 = London |pos20= bottom|coordinates20={{coord|51|30|N|0|8|W}}
}}
His family background placed Blagge firmly in the ranks of the middle to upper class county gentry, connections which resulted in an appointment as [[Groom of the Chamber]] to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. During the political struggles of the early 1640s, most of Suffolk and [[East Anglia]] supported [[Parliament of England|Parliament]], including his father and father-in-law. However, like other Royal officials Blagge remained loyal to his master when the [[First English Civil War]] began in August 1642.{{sfn|Evelyn|1907|p=19}}
He raised a regiment for the [[Cavalier|Royalists]], participating in the indecisive [[Battle of Edgehill]] in October 1642 and subsequent attack on [[London]].{{sfn|Plant}} After it failed, the main Royalist field army was divided between their wartime capital at [[Oxford]], [[Abingdon-on-Thames|Abingdon]] and [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|Wallingford]].{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=208}} Blagge was appointed [[Governor]] of [[Wallingford Castle]], a Royal possession that controlled a vital crossing point over the [[River Thames]], but whose fortifications had been allowed to decay over the last 50 years.{{sfn|Newman|1998|p=31}}
Although present at the [[First Battle of Newbury]] in September, Blagge's priority was rebuilding Wallingford's defences, a process completed by the end of the year.{{sfn|Newman|1998|p=31}} During the 1644 Royalist offensive in [[South West England]], he commanded a [[brigade]] at [[Battle of Cropredy Bridge|Cropredy Bridge]], [[Battle of Lostwithiel|Lostwithiel]] and [[Second Battle of Newbury|Second Newbury]].{{sfn|Young|1939|p=35}} Although Lostwithiel was a major victory, Charles had ignored advice from his nephew [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]], who cautioned the absence of the field army left Royalist garrisons around Oxford dangerously exposed (see Map). He was proved correct when the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]] captured Abingdon in July 1644, threatening the entire Royalist position in the [[Thames Valley]]. Coupled with the loss of [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] in 1643, retaining Wallingford became absolutely vital.{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=289}}
Most of the Oxford army was destroyed at [[Battle of Naseby|Naseby]] in June 1645; Charles surrendered to the Scots [[Covenanters]] outside [[Newark-on-Trent]] in May 1646, followed by the [[Siege of Oxford|Oxford]] garrison on 25 June. Besieged by the [[New Model Army]] under [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Sir Thomas Fairfax]], Blagge did not capitulate until 27 July when his men were starving and close to mutiny, although the stubborn defence meant he secured good terms.{{sfn|Ditchfield|Page|1923|pp=529-530}} Following the [[Execution of Charles I]] in January 1649, he joined [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] in France, then accompanied him to [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] in 1651.{{sfn|Hervey|1900|p=28}}
[[File:Margaret Blagge Godolphin.png|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Blagge's youngest daughter [[Margaret Godolphin|Margaret]] (1652-1678)]]
When the Royalists were defeated at [[battle of Worcester|Worcester]] in September, he helped Charles evade capture; although arrested himself, he managed to escape from the [[Tower of London]] and rejoin the court.{{sfn|Hervey|1900|p=28}} He was appointed Groom of the Chamber and his wife Mary governess to [[Henrietta of England|Princess Henrietta]], making them part of a close knit inner circle of royal servants. During the short-lived 1658 alliance between Charles and [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]], Blagge and other exiles served in the army defeated by an Anglo-French army at [[Battle of the Dunes (1658)|The Dunes]] in June.{{sfn|Wallingford Castle}}
After the [[Stuart Restoration]] in May 1660, he was rewarded for his loyal service by being appointed Governor of [[Great Yarmouth]] and [[Governor of Landguard Fort|Landguard Fort]]. However, he died six months later and was buried in [[Westminster Abbey]]; the monument was replaced in 1757 with one commemorating Admiral [[Edward Vernon]].{{sfn|Westminster Abbey}}
Blagge's early death left his widow three young daughters and large debts which she settled only just before her own death in 1671. Despite this, she managed to have both Mary and Margaret appointed [[Maid of honour]] to the [[Anne Hyde|Duchess of York]] and all three of her girls married well. Margaret was greatly admired by the diarist [[John Evelyn]], who wrote a short biography after she died in childbirth in 1678.{{sfn|Evelyn|1907|p=16}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=Ditchfield |first1=PH |last2=Page|first2=William |title=A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3 |date=1923 |publisher=Victoria County History |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp517-531}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Edmond |first1=Mary |title=Bury St Edmunds; A 17th century art centre |journal=The Volume of the Walpole Society |date=1987 |volume=53 |jstor=42581373}}
* {{cite book |last1=Evelyn |first1=John |title=The Life of Margaret Godolphin |date=1907 |publisher=Chatto and Windus}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hervey |first1=Sydenham Henry Augustus |title=Biographical note 290 in Horringer parish registers. Baptisms, marriages, and burials, with appendixes and biographical notes |date=1900 |publisher=G Booth |url=https://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/eng-parish-horringer/horringer-parish-registers-baptisms-marriages-and-burials-with-appendixes-an-rro/page-23-horringer-parish-registers-baptisms-marriages-and-burials-with-appendixes-an-rro.shtml }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book |last1=JH|title=BLAGGE, Henry (c.1549-96), of Little Horningsheath, Suff. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603 |date=1981 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/blagge-henry-1549-96}}
* {{cite book|last=Newman|first=P. R.|year=1998|title=Atlas of the English Civil War|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-19610-9}}
* {{cite web|author=Plant|title=Colonel Thomas Blagge's Regiment of Foot|url=http://wiki.bcw-project.org/royalist/foot-regiments/thomas-blagge|website=BCW Project|access-date=17 March 2021|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418001447/http://wiki.bcw-project.org/royalist/foot-regiments/thomas-blagge|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book |last=Royle |first=Trevor |year=2004 |edition=2006 |title=Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 |publisher=Abacus |isbn=978-0-349-11564-1}}
* {{cite odnb|last=Sundstrom|first=Roy A|id=10822|title=Godolphin, Sidney, first earl of Godolphin(1645–1712)|year=2011}}
* {{cite web |author=Wallingford Castle |title=Thomas Blagge |url=http://www.earlrivers.org.uk/regimental-history/wallingford-castle |website=Earl Rivers Regiment of Foote |access-date=17 March 2021}}
* {{cite web |author=Westminster Abbey |title=Thomas Blagge soldier |url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/thomas-blagge |website=Westminster Abbey |access-date=12 March 2021}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Peter |title=King Charles I's army of 1643-1645|journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research|volume=18|issue=69|date=1939|pages=27–37 |jstor=44219782}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Dewey|first1=Judy|last2=Dewey|first2=Stuart|year=1996|title=Wallingford and the Civil War|publisher=Pie Powder Press|isbn=978-0948598098|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Griffin|first=S|year= 2000|title=Wallingford in the English civil war, 1642-1646|publisher=Stuart Press|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Hedges|first=J.K.|year=1881|title=The history of Wallingford, in the county of Berkshire|publisher=Wiliam Clowes|ref=none}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blagge, Thomas}}
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[[Category:1660 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:People from Horringer]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Suffolk]]
[[Category:Court of Charles I of England]]
[[Category:Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)]]
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