Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Based on his support for the Congregationalist radical, Samuel Eaton, and the reforms advocated by Sir Henry Vane the Younger in 1641, Brereton appears to have sympathised with those who rejected the concept of state-ordained religion.[5] Appointed Deputy lieutenant for Cheshire, he was an unusually active Justice of the Peace, or JP, attending over 80% of sessions held between 1625 and 1641; in the same period, only one other person managed over 40%.[5] Perhaps surprisingly, when Brereton visited Glastonbury in 1635 he made a point of taking "a special view" of the Holy Thorn, a notoriously papistical plant; he "brought away many branches and leaves, and left the first letters of my name thereon upon record".[2] Along with a number of other regions, at the beginning of the war some prominent Cheshire notables attempted to remain neutral, and in December 1642 issued the Bunbury Agreement, which demanded an end to fighting in the area.[11] Over the next few years, Brereton waged an aggressive and relentless campaign throughout the North Midlands, one of his key subordinates being Colonel Robert Venables, a long-time family connection and friend, who later served in Ireland.Their activities forced the Royalists to divert resources from other areas, as Chester was essential for funnelling men and material from their supporters in Ireland and North Wales.At Nantwich in January 1644, their combined force routed Byron, who lost over 1,500 men, most of his artillery, and baggage train and spent most of the next two years blockaded in Chester.[16] As a reward for his services, Parliament granted him possession of Eccleshall Castle, seat of the Bishop of Lichfield, and Croydon Palace, owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.His body was originally conveyed to St Mary's Church, Cheadle, Cheshire for burial, but whilst the funeral cortège made its way northwards a horse stumbled crossing a river in spate and the coffin was temporarily lost.
CheshireEnglish Council of StateHandforthCroydon PalaceCroydon MinsterWilliam, Baron Brereton (1611–1664)Alma materBrasenose College, OxfordEnglandMajor-GeneralParliamentarianFirst English Civil WarFirst MiddlewichHopton HeathSecond MiddlewichNantwichMalpasChesterStow-on-the-WoldLichfieldreligious IndependentMember of ParliamentNorth MidlandsFranceDutch RepublicScotlandIrelandParliamentarySecond English Civil Wartrial of Charles ILong ParliamentHandforth HallDunham Massey Hall, CheshireGeorge MoxonGray's InnJohn BradshawPuritanChurch of EnglandPresbyteriansChurch of ScotlandJohn PymJohn HampdenCongregationalistSamuel EatonHenry Vane the YoungerDeputy lieutenantJustice of the Peacebaronet1628 ParliamentCharles IPersonal Ruleduck decoyduck decoyshawkingNorth East EnglandScottish LowlandsNorthern ItalyShip MoneyArchbishop LaudLong Parliamentspetitionbishopschurch monumentsIrish RebellionRoyalistWilliam, Baron BreretonBunbury AgreementMiddlewichArthur CapellShropshireNorth WalesRobert VenablesLord ByronThomas FairfaxMarmaduke LangdaleMarston MoorSelf-Denying OrdinanceChester finally surrenderedDenzil HollesFive MembersJohn MorrillEccleshall CastleBishop of LichfieldArchbishop of CanterburyPride's PurgeRump ParliamentHigh Court of Justice for the trial of Charles ICommonwealth1656 electionMajor-General BridgeConvention Parliament1660 RestorationSt Mary's Church, CheadleParliament of EnglandSir Richard Grosvenor, BtParliament suspended until 1640Parliament suspended since 1629Sir Thomas Aston, 1st BaronetPeter VenablesGeorge BoothRobert DuckenfieldRichard LeghSir George Booth, BtSir Thomas Mainwaring, BtBaronetage of England