Thomas Horton

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Thomas Horton was born in 1603 in Gumley, Leicestershire, England to William and Isabell Horton and died October, 1649 in Ireland . He was an English soldier in the parliamentary army during the English Civil War.

Though of humble background, Horton was taken under the wing of the powerful Sir Arthur Haselrig, and had become a colonel by 1643. His troops played a decisive part in several important engagements, most notably the Battle of Naseby in 1645 and Battle of St. Fagan's in 1648. As a reward for the valiant service he rendered ot the cause, Horton was granted the confiscated lands of a deposed royalist. Horton was a commissioner of the high court of justice in 1649, and thus was among those who signed the warrant for the execution of King Charles I of England. Later that year, he died of natural causes while serving with Cromwell in Ireland. His heirs were deprived of their estate at the Restoration.