Thomas Myddelton (younger)

Sir Thomas Myddelton (1586–1666) of Chirk Castle, in the County of Denbigh, Wales, was a politician and Parliamentary general.

He was the son of Sir Thomas Myddelton, Lord Mayor of London, by his first wife, Hester Saltonstall, daughter of Sir Richard Saltonstall, Lord Mayor of London.

He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford, on 22 February 1605, and became a student at Gray's Inn in 1607. He was knighted on 10 February 1617, and was Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, 1624-5, and for the County of Denbigh in 1625 and 1640-8.

During the Civil War he became prominent as Sergeant Major General of the Parliamentary forces in North Wales. In the summer of 1642 he was sent to his constituency to exercise his influence on behalf of the Parliament, and accordingly, in December 1642, he addressed to his countrymen a letter with strong advice to submit to and assist Parliament. By the king's order, Colonel Ellis of Gwesnewydd, near Wrexham, seized Myddelton's residence, Chirk Castle, in his absence in January 1643. A garrison was placed there under Sir John Watts.

By a parliamentary ordinance, dated 11 June 1643, Myddelton, who had by that time returned to London, was appointed Sergeant-Major-General for North Wales. On 10 August he reached Nantwich in Cheshire, where he was joined by Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet. They proceeded on 4 September to Market Drayton, and on 11 September to Wem, which they seized, garrisoned, and made their Shropshire headquarters. While they were still engaged in fortifying Wem, Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham, with reinforcements from Staffordshire, marched on Nantwich, but was defeated outside Wem in two separate conflicts, on 17 and 18 October. After this victory Brereton and Myddelton left Nantwich on 7 November, were joined at Stretton by Sir George Booth with troops from Lancashire, and crossing the River Dee at Holt, entered North Wales, where Wrexham, Hawarden, Flint, Mostyn, Mold, and Holywell were taken. But all these place were given up quickly after the landing at Mostyn on 18 November of about 2,500 royalist soldiers from Ireland, and the leaders were criticised. Myddelton's troops were militiamen, while his opponents were trained soldiers.

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