Charles Trelawny

Tangier circa 1670; Trelawney served in the garrison 1680-1684

The 1638-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms created strong resistance in Scotland and England to a professional army and those who wanted a military career usually did so in foreign service.[4] In the 1670 Treaty of Dover, Charles II of England agreed to support a French attack on the Dutch Republic and supply a British Brigade of 6,000 troops for the French army. Louis XIV paid him £230,000 per year for this, a secret provision not revealed until 1775.[5]

John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough ca 1685–1690; a long-term friend and colleague

When the Franco-Dutch War began in 1672, Trelawny joined the Royal English Regiment, recruited as part of the Brigade. The alliance with Catholic France was deeply unpopular; many doubted its reliability against the Protestant Dutch and so it served mainly in the Rhineland. However, some officers took part in the 1673 siege of Maastricht as volunteers, including Trelawny and John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough.[6]

The Third Anglo-Dutch War ended with the February 1674 Treaty of Westminster, the wider Franco-Dutch War continuing until 1678.[7] Although many Brigade members transferred to the Dutch military, Charles encouraged others to remain to retain his payments from Louis. In March 1674, Trelawny became a captain in the second battalion of the Royal English, led by Bevil Skelton.[8] From 1674 to 1675, his unit served under Turenne at the battles of Enzheim and Altenheim; declining numbers and domestic opposition meant the Brigade was dissolved in 1676.[9]

In July 1680, Trelawny was appointed major in the 2nd Tangier Regiment, raised for service in the Tangier Garrison. An English possession since 1662, its garrison suffered heavy losses from disease and combat; his eldest brother, John was killed there in May 1680. The regiment was commanded by an illegitimate son of Charles II, the Earl of Plymouth, who died soon after arrival. He was replaced by Percy Kirke, who commanded until 1682 when Trelawny took over and remained in Tangier until it was abandoned in 1684.[9]

Charles' brother, Sir Jonathan Trelawny, one of the Seven Bishops acquitted on 30 June 1688

Like other Tories, Trelawny supported James when he became king in 1685, despite his Catholicism. The Trelawny family's influence in the West Country minimised support for the Monmouth Rebellion and in July, he fought against his former commander at Sedgemoor. At the 1685 election, he was returned as Member of Parliament or MP for East Looe. James suspended Parliament in November for refusing to pass his measures of tolerance, then dissolved it in 1687.[10]

Over the next two years, attempts to ensure a Parliament that would vote as instructed meant James remodelled local power structures, traditional power base of the landed aristocracy, both Tory and Whig.[11] His use of arbitrary powers to bypass laws and statutes was accompanied by an expansion of the Royal Army from 9,000 in June 1685 to 34,000 by April 1688. His policies increasingly seemed to threaten the Church of England, culminating in May 1688 with the prosecution for seditious libel of seven Anglican bishops, one of whom was Charles' brother Sir Jonathan.

Henry Sydney, link between Trelawny, William of Orange and Sunderland

Dissent became a political crisis on 10 June 1688, when the birth of James Francis raised the prospect of a Catholic dynasty. This was followed on 30 June by the acquittal of the bishops, which resulted in widespread anti-Catholic riots throughout England and Scotland and wild celebrations, including within the Royal Army.[12]

The same day, an Invitation was sent to William of Orange, 'inviting' him to take the throne on behalf of his wife Mary. It was signed by seven individuals selected from key elements of the political nation, including Tories, Whigs, the Church of England and the Royal Navy.[13] The Invitation was drawn up by Henry Sydney, whose brother-in-law the Earl of Sunderland, had served as James' chief advisor since 1685. He was increasingly alarmed by the regime's unpopularity and the unrest caused by the bishops trial led him to support negotiations with William.[14]

Sunderland's involvement meant Trelawny, Marlborough and Kirke confirmed their backing for the invasion, along with the Association of Protestant Officers.[15] Trelawny's commitment brought with it a powerful and well-connected West Country bloc, including his uncle Sir Edward Seymour (1632-1708). Seymour, who was Treasurer of the Navy from 1673 to 1681, opposed the exclusion of James from the throne in 1679-1681 but resisted his use of arbitrary measures from the beginning.[16]

Their backing and the navy's failure to intervene allowed William to land unopposed at the southwestern port of Torbay on 5 November 1688, an event known as the Glorious Revolution. As he advanced, Trelawny and other officers defected to join him; claims they intended to hand James over to William have not been confirmed. Desertions reduced James' army from 34,000 to less than 4,000 and he went into exile on 23 December.[17] As MP for East Looe, Trelawny was a member of the 1689 Convention Parliament that made Mary and William joint monarchs of England.[18]

Sidney Godolphin, Lord High Treasurer, 1702 to 1710; Trelawny acted as his political manager in Cornwall

Briefly deprived of his regiment by James, Trelawny was restored by William and spent the next two years fighting in the Williamite War in Ireland, including the Battle of the Boyne and Siege of Cork. He served as Governor of Dublin and was promoted to major-general on 2 December 1690, returning to England when the war ended with the October 1691 Treaty of Limerick. In January 1692, he resigned as colonel in favour of his brother Henry; various reasons have been suggested, the most likely being his friendship with Marlborough, who was dismissed from his military and political offices at the same time. Another was the recent death of his wife and a desire to 'live quietly in the country.'[19]

In 1694, Trelawny was suggested as colonel of the Coldstream Guards but the Whigs insisted it be given to John Cutts. Family was as important as ideology in determining party membership, with the 'Whig' Granvilles and 'Tory' Seymours competing for political power in Devon and Cornwall. The Tory political recovery was demonstrated in 1696 when Trelawny replaced John Granville as Governor of Plymouth, followed by election as MP for Plymouth in 1698. His former regiment escaped disbandment when the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick ended the Nine Years War and was used to garrison Plymouth and Penryn.[20]

St Nonna, near Pelynt, where Trelawney was buried in 1731

In 1701, Henry Trelawny was returned as the second MP for Plymouth and on his death in 1702, was replaced by another Tory. Charles Trelawny acted as political manager in the West Country for his fellow Cornishman, Sidney Godolphin, Lord High Treasurer from 1702 to 1710.[19] Despite complaints from the Whigs, in 1706 Godolphin appointed his brother Bishop of Winchester, one of the wealthiest and most important bishoprics in the Church of England.[21]

Trelawny stood down as MP in 1713 but continued as Governor of Plymouth. Described by Defoe as ‘a town of consideration and of great importance to the public’, it was a significant military base and trading port; his retention of the post following the succession of George I in 1714 was testimony to his reliability. He relinquished the position in 1720 and thereafter lived in retirement at Hengar.

Trelawny died at home on 24 September 1731 and was buried in the church of St Nonna, near Pelynt beside other family members. He left his lands and property to his nephew Edward, MP for West Looe from 1724 to 1732.[22]