CRAWFORD, LAWRENCE [SSNE 1338]

Surname

CRAWFORD, CRAFOORD

First name

LAWRENCE

Text source

Lawrence Crawford was the sixth son of Hugh Crawford and Elizabeth Stirling. He was born in Jordanhill near Glasgow in 1611. 

Crawford served as a soldier both in King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway's army and in James Marquis Hamilton's army [SSNE 1348] which fought alongside Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. Later he served with Johan Skytte [SSNE 6280], the ethnic and naturalised Scot in 1635. He is also said to have served three years under Karl Ludwig (Charles Louis) of the Palatinate (possibly under William Lord Craven [SSNE 1339]). He subsequently returned to Great Britain and participated in the civil wars. 

In 1641 Crawford commanded infantry in Ireland serving at Drogheda in 1642. He refused to fight against the English Parliament and was forced to leave Ireland for refusing to abjure the Covenant in 1643. Thereafter he gained the rank of major general (1644) in Manchester's Western Association Army, On 16 June he participated in the Siege of York, losing 300 men in a poorly executed assault on the city. He commanded his forces with greater distinction at Marston Moor on 2 July the same year. He was later killed at the siege of Hereford (August 1645), apparently shot by a sniper.

Sources: Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1635/26,29-31; ODNB: Steve Murdoch and Alexia Grosjean, Alexander Leslie and the Scottish Generals of the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 (London, 2014), pp.125-126, 130-132 and 138-140. B. McGrath, ‘The Recruiter returns to the Irish Parliament, 1642-1648’  in P. Little (ed.), Ireland in Crisis: War, Politics and Religion 1641-50. (Manchester University Press, Studies in Early Modern Ireland series, 2019),  pp. 119-137.

 

With Thanks to Dr Bríd McGrath for updating this entry.

English Civil War

Service record

DENMARK-NORWAY, DANISH ARMY

Departed 1628-10-31, as SOLDIER

Capacity SOLDIER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN [AND GREAT BRITAIN], SWEDISH ARMY, HAMILTON'S ARMY

Departed 1632-10-01

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, JOHN SKYTTE'S INFANTRY REGIMENT

Departed 1635-12-31, as LIEUTENANT

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

PALATINATE, GERMANY [PROTESTANT PRINCES]

Departed 1638-10-17

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

STUART KINGDOMS, IRELAND

Departed 1643-12-31, as COMMANDER

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

STUART KINGDOMS, WESTERN ASSOCIATION, MARSTON MOOR

Departed 1645-08-31, as SGT MAJ GENERAL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY