Joseph Bampfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joseph Bampfield
Leeuwarden, where Bampfield died in 1685
Born	1622 Devon
Died	1685 (aged 62–63) Leeuwarden
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Wars of the Three Kingdoms Yeovil; Sieges of Exeter, Dartmouth, Devon, Bramber Bridge, Arundel; Siege of Lyme Regis; Lostwithiel; Second Newbury; First Siege of Taunton; Second Anglo-Dutch War Franco-Dutch War Siege of Ameide
Relations	Catherine Sydenham (wife, 1643-1657) Anne Halkett (partner, 1648-1653)

Joseph Bampfield (1622–1685) was an English soldier and spy. He first served with the Royalist army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Later, he became a secret agent for Oliver Cromwell's government, known as The Protectorate.

After the king returned to power in 1660, Bampfield was sent away from England. He moved to the Dutch Republic and joined the Dutch States Army in 1665, when the Second Anglo-Dutch War started. Because of this, the English Parliament accused him of disloyalty, and he could never go back home.

People generally thought Bampfield was a good soldier. Even those who didn't like him agreed he was clever and full of energy. He was very resourceful, for example, when he helped James, Duke of York escape from his Parliamentarian guards in 1648. He was good at impressing important people. He worked as a trusted messenger for Charles I of England, then as an agent for Oliver Cromwell, and later as an expert advisor to the Dutch leader Johan de Witt.

However, Bampfield sometimes lacked good judgment or political skill. This made him powerful enemies, especially King Charles II. The king never forgave him for suggesting he hadn't done enough to save his father from being executed in 1649. This led to Bampfield being removed from Royalist service in 1654 and exiled in 1661. It's still debated whether his reputation for being untrustworthy was fair.

In 1673, William of Orange removed Bampfield from the Dutch army. He then moved to Leeuwarden, where he passed away in 1685.

About Joseph Bampfield

Joseph Bampfield was born in 1622. We don't know much about his parents, but it's believed he came from Devon, England. Some people, like Clarendon, later claimed he was Irish. The Bampfield family was important in Devon and were strong Presbyterians, just like Joseph Bampfield.

He married Catherine Sydenham in 1643. She died in 1657. They separated in 1646 but stayed legally married until her death. From 1648 to 1653, he was in a relationship with Anne Halkett (1623–1699). Anne helped him plan the escape of James, Duke of York from his Parliamentarian guards in 1648.

Early Military Career (1639-1654)

Most of what we know about Bampfield's early career comes from a book called History of the Rebellion by Clarendon and Bampfield's own autobiography, Colonel Joseph Bampfield's apology. Bampfield wrote his book to explain his actions, so some parts should be read carefully.

Clarendon admitted Bampfield was "a man of wit and parts," meaning he was clever. However, Bampfield was part of a group called the "Presbyterian" faction. These people wanted to make changes to the Church of England to get support from English Presbyterians and Covenanters (Scottish Presbyterians). Clarendon, who was a strong Anglican, disliked Bampfield and others who held these views.

Despite these opinions, many facts about Bampfield's career can be checked with other sources. In 1639, during the first of the two Bishops' Wars, he was an ensign (a junior officer) under Jacob Astley. In 1640, he became a Lieutenant.

When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, Bampfield was made a major. He joined a regiment led by the Marquis of Hertford, the Royalist commander in South West England. On September 7, he was captured at the Battle of Babylon Hill near Yeovil. This was one of the first battles of the war.

He was taken to London, but he escaped in December to Oxford, which was the Royalist capital during the war. There, he was promoted to colonel and given command of an infantry regiment.

Hertford recognized Bampfield's good service. He included him in a group of officers who received a special degree from Oxford University. After this, Bampfield went back to South West England. He helped capture Malmesbury, Exeter, and Dartmouth.

In October, he joined Sir Ralph Hopton's advance into Sussex. Bampfield was given command of Arundel Castle. However, he was forced to surrender it in January 1644 and became a prisoner again.

Even though the Parliamentarian commander Sir William Waller said Bampfield defended the castle bravely, Hopton blamed him for the loss. This version of events later appeared in Clarendon's "History of the Rebellion." Bampfield was exchanged in June 1644. He then served with Prince Maurice in a campaign that included the Siege of Lyme Regis, the Lostwithiel, and the Second Newbury.

Hopton dismissed him after the failed First Siege of Taunton in November. Bampfield spent the rest of the war in Oxford. There, he became a trusted servant to King Charles I.

After surrendering in May 1646, King Charles spent the next two years trying to regain power through talks. Bampfield acted as his agent in discussions with English and Scottish Presbyterians. These talks were important for the Royalist side during the 1648 Second English Civil War.

Just before the war began in April, Bampfield helped Charles's second son, James, Duke of York, escape. James was being held in St. James's Palace. Anne Halkett helped James dress up as a woman to escape to the Dutch Republic. The revolt was stopped, and King Charles was executed in January 1649. This led to the creation of the Commonwealth of England. Bampfield claimed that Charles's sons had not done enough to save their father. King Charles II never forgave him for this, and Bampfield was removed from the exiled court.

He spent the next six months hiding in London with Anne Halkett. He believed he had married Anne before leaving the Netherlands, after being told his first wife had died. This later turned out to be untrue. It's unclear if Bampfield knew this at the time. Bampfield later fled to Scotland. There, the Covenanters had crowned Charles and were preparing to try and regain his English throne. This effort ended at the Worcester in August 1651.

Bampfield was part of a group called the "Presbyterian interest." This group was led by Lord Balcarres. Their disagreements were seen as a reason for the failure of the 1653 rising. King Charles supported this view, as his experiences in Scotland made him very against the Covenanters. His main advisor, Clarendon, kept the "Presbyterians" out of their affairs.

With the two most powerful people in the exiled court against him, Bampfield moved to Paris. He began providing secret information about Royalist plans to John Thurloe. Thurloe was the chief spy master for Cromwell's government. This meant Bampfield often visited England. However, in March 1657, Oliver Cromwell suspected he was still loyal to the Royalists. Cromwell then stopped him from returning to England.

Service in the Dutch Republic (1660-1685)

Bampfield returned to England just before the king was restored to power in May 1660. He hoped to be included in the general pardon issued by King Charles. Sir Richard Willis, another senior spy who had also worked for Thurloe, was not punished. Clarendon even hired Thurloe as an unofficial advisor. However, Bampfield was put in the Tower of London until July 1661. He was then released and moved to Middelburg, Zeeland, a place where many English rebels lived. As suggested by Sir Allen Apsley, Bampfield reported on their activities for the English government. But it seems he was not paid for this work.

Dutch Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt who employed Bampfield as an expert on the English court

In 1664, the Dutch leader Johan de Witt hired Bampfield as an expert on the English court. When the Second Anglo-Dutch War began in 1665, Bampfield joined the Dutch States Army. He and two others were accused of disloyalty to England. His actions were not unusual for that time. Most armies in the 17th century had soldiers from many different countries. For example, the Scots Brigade continued to serve in the Dutch army throughout this period. Since it was a war at sea, Bampfield did not fight against his own countrymen. Many English sailors joined the Dutch navy because the conditions and pay were much better. After the Raid on the Medway in 1667, the famous diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about hearing English voices shouting insults from the Dutch ships.

Bampfield continued to advise de Witt. In March 1671, he was appointed colonel. When the Franco-Dutch War began in May 1672, he was stationed near Zwolle. This was an important location on the IJssel Line. The Dutch were not ready for the war, and major places like Schenkenschanz fell easily. This year is still remembered as the Rampjaar, or "Year of disaster." At first, it looked like the French had won a huge victory.

Bampfield could not convince the Zwolle militia to defend their town. Shortly after, his soldiers at Ameide were defeated. William of Orange managed to make the situation stable by the end of July. However, Bampfield was one of many officers who faced a military trial after the war. De Witt was also killed by a mob.

Even though Bampfield was found innocent twice and got his rank back, this ended his military career. It is thought that his connection to de Witt and the dislike of King Charles II (who was William's uncle) played a part in this. He retired to Leeuwarden, where he died in 1685.