Rowland Laugharne

Early life

Rowland Laugharne was the son of John Laugharne of St. Brides House in Pembrokeshire, and Janet, daughter of Sir Hugh Owen of Orielton, also in Pembrokeshire. Part of his youth was spent as page to Robert Devereux, third Earl of Essex, and he may have accompanied the Earl while on military service in the Low Countries.

Civil War

When war broke out in 1642, Laugharne, along with most other south Pembrokeshire gentry, joined Oliver Cromwell's parliamentarians and took control of Havarfordwest, Pembroke and Tenby. While Tenby and Havarfordwest were re-taken for the Crown by Richard Vaughan (2nd Earl of Carbery) in July 1643, Pembroke held out under the control of its mayor, John Poyer, who was joined by Laugharne and Rice Powell, another local squire. During this time, Laugharne was no doubt emboldened by the fact that his previous employer, the Earl of Essex, had been made commander-in-chief of the parliamentary forces. He went on to achieve notable offensive successes in the county during 1644, including the re-capture of Haverforwest and Tenby, forcing Carbery to withdraw. Although Laugharne was effectively pinned-down by Royalist re-enforcements under the control of Sir Charles Gerard, the defeat of the Royalists at Marston Moor in July 1644 was a relief, not least as Gerard was pulled away from south Wales. Laugharne was thus again on the offensive, threatening the Royal garrisons at both Carmarthen and Cardigan. However, by the spring of 1645 Gerard was back in Wales, surprising and defeating Laugharne while the latter was besieging the castle at Newcastle Emlyn, forcing him and his forces back into their strongholds at Pembroke and Tenby. The King's defeat at the battle of Knaseby changed matters again, as Gerard and many of his men were once more dragged away to attend greater urgencies elsewhere. Laugharne made short work of the remnants, and after he captured Aberystwyth castle in the spring of 1646, he found himself in control of all west Wales. He was duly appointed commander-in-chief for the counties of Pembroke, Cardigan, Carmarthen and Glamorgan. As a regional leader of parliamentary forces, Laugharne's star was high and his future ostensibly secure. However, victory for the Cromwellians resulted in friction and in-fighting between military leaders and county gentry. In the midst of this, Laugharne was accused of being in conversation with Royalist agents. This was given further credence by his decision to join with Rice-Powell and other dissidents - Cavalier and Round-Head - in a march on Cardiff. This fateful move now put Laugharne in direct opposition to the parliamentarian forces of John Horton, who had been sent to quell the problem. After being routed and wounded he retreated once again to Pembroke, where he would organise a gritty resistance force against men who were this time led by Cromwell in person. Under the severest of pressure, Laugharne was forced to surrender on 6 November 1649. Although sentenced to death, Laugharne, along with Rice-Powell, somehow escaped the hang-man's noose and were instead fined. Ultimately, this late volte-face and his dramatic confrontation with Cromwell effectively destroyed Laugharne. For although the Restoration brought certain comforts - he was elected member of parliament for Pembroke boroughs and awarded a small pension But he spent the 1650s in prison and was almost financially destitute.

Death

There are few details available for Rowland Laugharne's death. He is thought to have died in London in 1676. A year earlier he stated in a petition that he had lost the significant sum of £37,650 during the war. In 1677 his widow, Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Button, applied to the King for assistance due to straitened circumstances. One of his nephews, Captain John Langhorne (Anglicised), was the founder of one of Virginia's best known families. Settling in Warwick County, he had a number of influential descendants, including Lady Astor. Rowland Laugharne's portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.