| Active | 1645 to 1661 |
| Country | England |
| Allegiance | Parliamentarian |
| Conflicts | First Civil War |
| Second Civil War | |
| Third Civil War | |
| Restoration | |
| Type | Horse |
| Colonel | Sir Thomas Fairfax |
| Oliver Cromwell | |
| Richard Cromwell | |
| William Packer | |
| Sir Arthur Hesilrige | |
| Lord Fauconberg | |
| The Duke of York | |
| Area Raised | East Anglia |
| Flag Colour | |
| Flag Design | |
| Field Armies | NMA 1645-6 |
| Fairfax 1648 | |
| Cromwell 1650-51 | |
Later Oliver Cromwell’s, Richard Cromwell’s, William Packer’s, Sir Arthur Hesilrige’s, Lord Fauconberg’s and the Duke of York’s Regiment of Horse
The General’s Regiment of the New Model Army, formed from Cromwell’s Ironsides
A history of the regiment is given in The Regimental History of Cromwell's Army by Sir Charles Firth and Godfrey Davies, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1940.
The regiment was formed from six troops of the Ironsides, Lt General Oliver Cromwell’s Regiment of Horse as the General’s Regiment of the New Model Army, and accompanied Cromwell on his raid into Oxfordshire. At Naseby Fairfax notably led the regiment to break one of the last standing Royalist infantry regiments. Three troops of the regiment, together with troops of Whalley’s regiment (also previously Cromwell’s horse) distinguished themselves by playing the major part in defeating Goring’s army at Langport.
In 1647 the regiment was caught up in Army politics, and Major John Desborough was accused of attacking a detachment of Sir Robert Pye’s horse at Deptford. Trooper Edward Sexby was a notorious agitator from the regiment. In the Second Civil War Desborough led two troops to suppress a rising in Norfolk. The regiment were under Fairfax’s command at Maidstone and Colchester. With Fairfax’s resignation in 1650, Cromwell led the regiment into Scotland, where it served with distinction at Dunbar and later at Worcester.
During the restoration crisis Monck arranged for the regiment to be moved out of London and dispersed. One troop each was quartered at Reading, Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford and two at Oxford. Robert Hesilrige’s troop joined Lambert, but surrendered at Daventry with no bloodshed. After the restoration the regiment was one of the last four to be disbanded, probably in February 1661.
Sir Thomas Fairfax commanded as lord-general from the formation of the New Model Army until his resignation in 1650 after he refused to lead a pre-emptive invasion of Scotland, which was still allied with England under the Solemn League and Covenant.
Oliver Cromwell led the army to victory at Dunbar and Worcester and remained commander-in-chief until his death in 1658.
Richard Cromwell was nominally Colonel after the death of his father.
William Packer was previously Major of the regiment. He was appointed deputy to Major General Fleetwood in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and was notorious for his severity as a 'Major General'. He was dismissed from command in 1658 then re-instated as Colonel in May 1659 before being replaced again by Hesilrige in the same October.
Sir Arthur Hesilrige briefly commanded the regiment during the final revival of the Commonwealth before Monck initiated the Restoration.
Thomas Belasyse, Lord Fauconberg was son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell but later in favour of the Restoration.
John Desborough Oliver Cromwell's brother-in-law who with Fleetwood was instrumental in bringing down the Protectorate.
Edward Sexby (c1616-1658) was an agitator from the regiment who rose to be governor of Portland in 1649, Colonel of his newly-raised regiment in 1650, was cashiered in 1651, became a prominent Leveller and plotted to kill Oliver Cromwell, he died as a prisoner in the Tower of London in 1658.
More detailed lists of officers for April and May 1645, December 1646, May and August 1647 and May 1649 are shown in Reconstructing the New Model Army. Volume 1, Regimental Lists April 1645 to May 1649 by Malcolm Wanklyn, Helion & Co. 2015. ISBN 978-1-910777-10-7.
From Anglia Rediviva1)
The Lord Protector's Regiment of Horse2)