page_title: Sir Vincent Corbet, 1st Baronet
section_title: The outbreak of war
hierarchical_section_title: Sir Vincent Corbet, 1st Baronet / Political and military career / The outbreak of war
caption_attribution_description: English: Sir Francis Ottley and his family. Wife: Lucy. Children: Richard and Mary. Sir Francis was the royalist military governor of Shrewsbury at the beginning of the English Civil War. Photographic reproduction of an engraving made c.1825 from a 1636 oil painting by Petrus Troueil, from a work published pre-1923. The original oil painting, previously in private hands, was purchased by Shrewsbury Museums Service in 1993/94 with assistance from The National Art Collections Fund, the V&amp;A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of Shrewsbury's Borough Museums.
context_page_description: Sir Vincent Corbet, 1st Baronet was an English lawyer and politician who sat for Shropshire in the House of Commons in the Short Parliament of 1640. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War.
context_section_description: In April 1640, Corbet was elected Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the Short Parliament. He gained military experience in the King's war against the Scottish Presbyterians. For his support, the King created him baronet of Moreton Corbet on 29 January 1642.
  In the late summer of 1642, both Parliament and the King began mobilising their forces, the former under the Militia Ordinance, the latter under Commissions of array. Corbet was appointed a Commissioner of array for Shropshire and garrisoned his home at Moreton Corbet Castle in the King's cause. His second cousin, Sir John Corbet, was one of the three MP sent by parliament to take over the county militia.  However the parliamentary muster was disrupted on 1 August by Francis Ottley, who quickly took up the leading position among Shropshire's Royalist gentry. Sir Vincent Corbet was left free to drill a royalist muster at Atcham, a few miles east of Shrewsbury, the following day.
  The situation hung in the balance for another month. However, on 30 August, Shrewsbury's council agreed a policy of non-resistance to the King. Although this was far short of outright support, Ottley used it to encourage the King to march to Shrewsbury from his initial muster at Nottingham. The Royalist army occupied the town from 20 September until 12 October, overwhelming all resistance, and subjecting the town and surrounding areas to the looting and extortion of the ill-paid soldiery. Ottley, now knighted, was left in control of the town, although he was not formally made governor until January 1643.
caption: Sir Francis Ottley with his wife, Lucy Edwards, and two of their children, Richard and Mary. An engraving made c.1825 after an oil painting of 1636 by Petrus Troueil, now owned by the Shrewsbury Museums Service.
exif: {}