Tracing Ancestors of the English Civil Wars and Interregnum
Today, 383 years ago, on August 22nd, 1642, King Charles I raised his royal standard at Nottingham as a formal declaration of war against Parliament. Two months later, the Battle of Edgehill would result in the death and disfigurement of thousands.
The English Civil Wars (roughly 1642–1651) and Interregnum (1649-1660) were among the most transformative and traumatic events in British history. “Recent estimates suggest that up to 3% of the population of England and Wales died as a result of the Civil Wars of 1642-1651 – a greater proportional loss of population than Britain suffered during both World Wars combined.”[i] Even after the battle of Worcester in 1651, Cavalier and Roundhead soldiers continued to fight in Ireland, Cromwell send an army to occupy Scotland, and solider and sailors were involved in military conflict against the Dutch, French and Spanish, as well as an expedition to the West Indies.[ii] Between forces loyal to King Charles I (the Royalists) and those supporting Parliament (the Parliamentarians), the Civil Wars reshaped politics, altered social structures, and left untold human suffering in their wake. For genealogists, this era presents both tantalizing possibilities and daunting challenges when seeking to uncover family history during the time of these conflicts.
Background History
The conflicts are generally broken into three phases:
- First and Second Civil Wars (1642–1646; 1648–1649): Fought between Charles I’s Royalists and Parliament’s armies.
- Third Civil War (1650–1651): Charles II’s attempts to reclaim the throne, concluding with defeat at the Battle of Worcester.
- The wars ended with the execution of Charles I in January 1649, a shocking moment that ushered in a completely new era: the Interregnum (1649–1660). England became a republic, officially known as the Commonwealth of England, later governed under the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
These were not impersonal military engagements—the wars were deeply embedded in the community, with men from local militia units, volunteers, and professional soldiers on both sides. Widespread battlefield injuries, civilian sufferings, property losses, widows, orphans, and veterans petitioning for relief all generated records that can survive in various forms.
The Process of Petitioning
The effects of death and disability meant many families fell on dire times. Maimed soldiers had been petitioning the government for relief by the early 1600s, but it wasn’t until the Battle of Edgehill in 1642 that Parliament legally acknowledged their accountability to widows and orphans. In order to access these funds set aside for the maimed, widows, and orphans, petitioners had to plead their case before a Justice of the Peace. But laws were constantly changing, and it wasn’t always clear whether the parish, county, or state offered the greatest chance for success. Often, the elite petitioned Parliament directly, while the lower sort petitioned in their local quarter sessions court. These county petitioners generally attended the court within their hundred, but this could still constitute a journey of many miles. “It is probable that a number of women [and men] who were severely destitute never bothered to petition the court if travel was impossible.”[iii]
Of course, outward manifestations of political allegiance had everything to do with a successful or unsuccessful petition. During the Civil Wars and Interregnum, Parliamentarians were the main petitioners. After Charles II’s restoration, relief was given primarily to Royalists. This was often complicated, as many soldiers and families changed sides through the two decades.[iv]
Court records—especially Quarter Sessions—can contain petitions or certificates relating to soldiers and widows seeking relief. Not many years ago, the process of locating these petitions was arduous. On-site research in the county record office meant looking through catalogues and indexes. And if the quarter sessions were not indexed, which many were not, the quarter sessions had to be scoured page by page.
The Civil War Petitions Website: A Game-Changer
However, in June 2017 the Civil War Petitions project began. Here, for the first time, are digitized and indexed petitions from 1642 up to 1710. This fully-searchable digital edition comprises thousands of petitions from maimed soldiers, war widows, and dependents, including their associated certificates and payment records. The accounts include “graphic testimonies of what it felt like for ordinary people to live with horrific wounds, trauma, suffering and loss.”[v]
You can search by (1) Petitions and Certificates: Personal pleas for financial assistance, typically to local justices or central authorities; (2) Payments: Details of any gratuities or pensions awarded; (3) People: Profiles of petitioners, including type (soldier, widow, dependents), allegiance (Parliamentarian, Royalist), and often occupation or residence; (4) Injuries and Ailments: Medical details—often quite graphic—detailing injuries sustained; and (5) Events and Places: Battles, sieges, and locations associated with the petitions.
The Civil War era is notorious for spotty records on common soldiers or civilians. Many accounts and documents have been lost to turmoil, neglect, or damage. The Civil War Petitions collection stands out for a number of reasons: First, it is profoundly personal. These petitions often tell the petitioner’s story in their own words—describing wounds or burdens, losses of property, and appeals to local authorities. Second, it is searchable and expanding. Unlike many archive catalogues that require on-site visits or advanced permissions, this is freely accessible online and continually growing across counties. Third, it bridges gaps in genealogical data. When a name appears here, it brings family history into sharp relief—rooted in a specific event, injury, location, and allegiance.
How to Search the Site
Enter the ancestor’s name in the “People” section, or browse by county—this yields petitions, certificates, and any related payments. By clicking on “Widows” and narrowing down by county, I can see a list of all petitioners from Lancashire. When available, the digitized petition is provided, along with both the original and modernized transcription. Here is an example of the petition of Allice Earneshaw of Rochdale, Lancashire, dated 24 Mar 1652. Her husband was shot with a cannon bullet “and his arms taken away from his body, which was present death unto him.”[vi]
Other key facts are included, such as the declared allegiance, the outcome of the petition, and other people and places mentioned in the document.
The Siege of Pontefract Castle, mentioned in this petition, occurred in a series of three sieges. In the third and final siege, Jonathan Earneshaw died on 12 Feb 1648/9. By searching the parish registers, we learn that his widow Alice was pregnant at the time, giving birth to a daughter five months later touchingly named Grace on 27 Jul 1649 in Rochdale.[vii] No burial for Jonathan was recorded, nor is there a marriage for Jonathan to Allice.
Parish Registers
Although Church of England parishes began keeping registers from the 16th century, many early registers have gaps due to the war. Many ministers fled, were imprisoned, or were replaced depending on their political or religious sympathies. Each parish was supposed to elect a parish registrar – a layman, not a clergyman – so many entries were poorly kept. Fighting, looting, and neglect led to registers being damaged, destroyed, or abandoned. Even when records were kept, they could be irregular. Some vicars only noted baptisms, not burials. The 1653 Marriage Act removed marriages from church control; instead, they had to be conducted before a Justice of the Peace. Many couples resisted, leading to under-registration of marriages. The terminology may also look different. Instead of “baptisms,” registers often record “births” reflecting Puritan preference. After the Church of England was restored under Charles II, parish registers went back to clerical control.
Wills
Probate was traditionally under the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical (church) courts; however, the Civil Wars era disrupted this system. After Charles I was executed, Cromwell suppressed the courts, upending the probate system. In 1653, the government established a new civil court at Westminster for probate matters. All wills and administrations from across England and Wales were supposed to be proved in this single court. As a result, wills from 1653 to 1660 are in one central series, PROB 11 (part of the PCC records) at the National Archives, making them very easy to search.
Not unexpectedly, the court was overwhelmed with the volume of cases, and some estates may not have been proved, or relied on informal arrangements. When looking for wills during this period, expand your search many years beyond when the testator died in case the family waited to have their estate probated until after the Restoration (1660).
Protestation Returns
In 1641, as tensions mounted between King Charles I and Parliament, the House of Commons required all men aged 18 and over to swear an oath of allegiance called the Protestation Oath. This oath declared loyalty to the Protestant religion, to Parliament, and to the rights and liberties of the subjects of England, and to defend them against “Popery.” These returns survive for many parishes and are organized by hundred. They typically include the names of adult males in each parish (and occasionally women) and sometimes notes about non-subscribers who refused to swear the oath (often Catholics or Royalists).
Survival rates are uneven. The originals are at The Parliamentary Archives in London, but copies and transcripts are held in many county record offices. The FamilySearch Library also has digitized copies, which can be located by doing a keyword search for the county and the word protestation, such as “Lancashire Protestation.” The parish of Rochdale, where Jonathan and Allice Earneshaw resided, was in the hundred of Salford, which has surviving Protestation Returns dated 25 February 1641/2. The parish of Rochdale was broken down into townships: Butterworth, Castleton, Hundersfield, and Spotland. Jonathan Earneshaw was not enumerated, despite there being a note that none refused to sign.[viii]
Two christenings were located in the parish registers for Jonathan Earneshaw: one in Jan 1599/1600, and another in Jan 1626/7. Since Jonathan was not listed in the Protestation returns, he must have been under age 18 in 1641. This means he is likely the child christened on 28 Jan 1626/7 to William Earneshawe.[ix] He would have only been 22 when he died at the Seige of Pontefract Castle!
Other Sources
This article is just a brief introduction to some of the important genealogical documents you should search for your Civil War era ancestors. Other important sources to check include muster rolls and pay warrants (check The National Archives, WO series), sequestration and compounding papers, the Hearth Tax returns of 1662, manorial and land records, Parliamentary papers and State Papers, and Calendars of State Papers Domestic, to name a few.
Conclusion
Researching an ancestor connected to the English Civil Wars calls for a multi-layered approach. Start with the traditional sources like parish registers and probate records. Then explore the Civil War Petitions—a digital portal of voices from the past—and build outward to local and national archives. By uncovering records of the Civil War era for your ancestors, you add context and narrative to the often-nondescript details provided from parish registers only. The dusty shadows of centuries past can come into focus, and the human face of conflict—your ancestor—can once again be seen, heard, and honored.
If you need help researching your seventeenth-century ancestors, Price Genealogy is here to help!
Emily
Images:
- “Battle of Marson Moor” 1644 by John Barker, public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Marston_Moor_1644_by_John_Barker.png)
- “The Wounded Cavalier” 1855 by William Shakespeare Burton, public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burton,_William_Shakespeare-_The_Wounded_Cavalier.jpg)
[i] “Civil War Petitions: Conflict, Welfare and Memory during and after the English Civil Wars,” a pamphlet, Principal Investigator Andrew Hopper, www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk.
[ii] Emily Alley, A Humble Petition: Lancashire War Widows 1642-1679 (master’s dissertation, University of Leicester, 2013), page 7.
[iii] Emily Alley, A Humble Petition: Lancashire War Widows 1642-1679 (master’s dissertation, University of Leicester, 2013), page 20.
[iv] Andre Hopper, Turncoats and Renegades: Changing Sides during the English Civil Wars (Oxford, 2012), p. 104.
[v] “Civil War Petitions: Conflict, Welfare and Memory during and after the English Civil Wars,” a pamphlet, Principal Investigator Andrew Hopper, www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk.
[vi] The petition of Allice Earneshaw of Rochdale, Lancashire, 24 March 1652, Lancashire Archives, QSP/62/29; Civil War Petitions (https://www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk/petition/the-petition-of-allice-earneshaw-of-rochdale-lancashire-24-march-1652/: accessed 22 August 2025).
[vii] St. Chad, Rochdale, Lancashire parish registers, Grace Earnshaw, chr. 27 Jul 1649; index only, Lancashire Online Parish Clerk (https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Search/indexp.htmlL: accessed 22 August 2025).
[viii] House of Lords Record Office, Protestation returns, Lancashire Co., 1641-1642, Salford Hundred; FSL Film 919508 Item 1, Digital Images, Image 109 of 864, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJ8-Z9WM-X?cat=249054&i=108&lang=en: accessed 22 August 2025).
[ix] St. Chad, Rochdale, Lancashire parish registers, Jonathan Earneshawe, chr. 28 Jan 1626/7; index only, Lancashire Online Parish Clerk (https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Search/indexp.html: accessed 22 August 2025).