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BARON JACOB ASTLEY ASTLEY (1579-1652)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 793 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

BARON See also:JACOB See also:ASTLEY ASTLEY (1579-1652)  , royalist See also:commander in the See also:English See also:Civil See also:War, came of a See also:Norfolk See also:family . In 1J98 he joined See also:Counts Mauriceand See also:Henry of See also:Orange in the See also:Netherlands, where he served with distinction, and afterwards fought under the elector See also:palatine See also:Frederick V. and Gustavus See also:Adolphus in the See also:Thirty Years' War . He was evidently thought highly of by the states-See also:general, for when he was absent, serving under the See also:king of See also:Denmark, his See also:company in the Dutch See also:army was kept open for him . Returning to See also:England with a well-deserved reputation, he was in the employment of See also:Charles I. in various military capacities . As "sergeant-See also:major,'.''orgeneral of the See also:infantry, he went See also:north in 1639 to organize the See also:defence against the expected Scottish invasion . Here his duties were as much See also:diplomatic as military, as the discontent which ended in the Civil War was now coming to a See also:head . In the See also:ill-starred " Bishops' War," See also:Astley did See also:good service tp the cause of the king, and he was involved in the so-called " Army See also:Plot." At the outbreak of the See also:Great See also:Rebellion (1642) he at once joined Charles, and was made major-general of the See also:foot . His characteristic See also:battle-See also:prayer at Edgehill has become famous: "'O See also:Lord, See also:Thou knowest how busy I must be this See also:day . If I forget Thee, do not forget me . See also:March on, boys!" At See also:Gloucester he commanded a See also:division, and at the first battle of See also:Newbury he led the infantry of the royal army . With See also:Hopton, in 1644, he served at See also:Arundel and Cheriton . At the second battle of Newbury he made a gallant and memorable defence of See also:Shaw See also:House .

He was made a See also:

baron by the king, and at See also:Naseby he once more commanded the See also:main See also:body of the foot . He afterwards served in the See also:west, and with 1500 men fought stubbornly but vainly the last battle for the king at See also:Stow-on-the-Wold (March 1646) . His remark to his captors has become as famous as his words at Edgehill, " You have now done your See also:work and may go See also:play, unless you will fall out amongst yourselves." His scrupulous See also:honour forbade him to take any See also:part in the Second Civil War, as he had given his See also:parole at Stow-on-the-Wold; but he had to undergo his See also:share of the discomforts that were the See also:lot of the vanquished royalists . He died in See also:February 1651/2 . The See also:barony became See also:extinct in 1668 .

End of Article: BARON JACOB ASTLEY ASTLEY (1579-1652)
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