Sir Henry Ingoldsby, 1st Baronet

Who is Sir Henry Ingoldsby, 1st Baronet?

Sir Henry Ingoldsby, 1st Baronet was an English military commander and landowner.

He was born in Lethenborough, Buckinghamshire, the 5th son of Sir Richard Ingoldsby and his wife Elizabeth Cromwell. She was the daughter of Sir Oliver Cromwell, who was the uncle and godfather of Oliver Cromwell. He had four sisters and seven brothers, including Francis Ingoldsby and the regicide Richard Ingoldsby.

He became an officer in the army under King Charles I of England but changed his loyalty to become a colonel in the Parliamentarian army under Oliver Cromwell. He volunteered to join Cromwell in his 1649 Irish campaign and fought under him at Drogheda and under Henry Ireton at Limerick. He was subsequently appointed Governor of Limerick and was rewarded by large grants of land in County Clare and County Meath. He was MP for counties Clare, Limerick and Kerry in the Protectorate Parliaments of 1654, 1656 and 1659.

Foreseeing the imminent Restoration of Charles II he dashed to England as soon as he heard of Richard Cromwell's downfall and seized Windsor Castle, holding it for the now pro-monarchist Parliament against the republican forces.