Rowland Laugharne | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Colonel Rowland Laugharne | |
| Member of Parliament for Pembroke | |
| In office 1661 – November 1675 † | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | circa 1607 St Brides, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
| Died | 16 November 1675 (aged 68) London, England |
| Resting place | St Margaret's, Westminster |
| Spouse | Anne Button (died 1681) |
| Relations | Sir Hugh Owen |
| Children | Rowland (1640-1691) |
| Parent(s) | John Laugharne (1584–1644) Janet Owen (1588–after 1635) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  England |
| Years of service | 1642 to 1648 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | Governor Pembroke Castle |
| Battles/wars | Eighty Years War First English Civil War Second English Civil War |
Major General Rowland Laugharne (c.1607 – 1675) was a member of the Welsh gentry, and a prominent soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, in which he fought on both sides.
Laugharne began his career as a page to Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, and may have served with him in the Dutch war with Spain. Along with John Poyer and Rice Powell, he led Parliamentarian forces in Pembrokeshire during the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, from 1643 until the Royalists surrendered in June 1646.
A social conservative, he supported moderate Parliamentarians who wanted a negotiated settlement with Charles I, and opposed radicals within the New Model Army. In the Second English Civil War, he fought for the Royalists, but was defeated at the Battle of St Fagans in May 1648. Condemned to death with Poyer and Powell, he was reprieved after the three drew lots; Poyer lost, and was executed shortly afterwards.
After the 1660 Restoration, he was elected to the Cavalier Parliament in 1661 for Pembroke, but played little part in politics. His last years were spent in poverty, and he died in November 1675.