Treaty of Uxbridge


The Treaty of Uxbridge was a significant but abortive negotiation in early 1645 to try to end the First English Civil War. In November 1644, the Parliament of England presented its terms for a peace treaty to Charles I of England. The conditions were very assertive, with Presbyterianism to be established south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and Parliament to take control of all military matters.
Charles I was under the impression that the military situation was turning in his favour, due to a series of Royalist victories and due to an ongoing military campaign under James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose in Scotland. Montrose's victory at the Battle of Inverlochy took place during the conference. Charles I's incentive to compromise was thereby reduced. Meanwhile, the Parliamentarians were also losing interest in the peace negotiations due to their growing confidence in the New Model Army.

Background

Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much input into these Propositions of Uxbridge was from Archibald Johnston. The conditions were very assertive, with Presbyterianism to be established south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and Parliament to take control of all military matters.
Charles had decided that the military situation was turning in his favour, after the Second Battle of Lostwithiel, Second Battle of Newbury and consequent relief of Donnington Castle, and the campaign of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose in Scotland. Montrose's victory at the Battle of Inverlochy was during the conference. His incentive to compromise was thereby reduced, but the same was true of the Parliamentary side, with its growing confidence in the New Model Army.

Proposals

Samuel Rawson Gardiner summarized Parliament's demands :

  1. exclusion from seats in the House of Lords of Peers created unless with the consent of Parliament
  2. permanent submission of appointments of officers and judges to the approbation of Parliament
  3. education and marriage of the King's children being placed under Parliamentary control
  4. the right of declaring peace and war might only be exercised with the assent of Parliament
  5. a permanent body of Commissioners... in combination with... Scottish Commissioners to control all military forces in both kingdoms
  6. long lists... of the names of those Royalists who were to be subjected to divers penalties, and whole categories of unnamed persons were added, the expenses of the war being laid upon these Royalist delinquents
  7. religion in England... to be brought to the nearest possible uniformity with that of Scotland
  8. the King himself was to swear and sign the Solemn League and Covenant
Such demands can only have been made with the object of trampling upon the King's feelings as well as upon his political authority, and it would have been far more reasonable to ask his consent to an act of abdication than to such articles as these.
Charles's counter-demands of January 21, 1645, are conceived in a far more reasonable spirit:
  1. the Constitution should be accepted as it had stood at the end of August, 1641
  2. the Common Prayer Book should be preserved from 'scorn and violence,'
  3. a Bill should 'be framed for the ease of tender consciences.'
The King's offer afforded at least an admirable basis for negotiation.

Proceedings

The two sides lodged in Uxbridge, the Royalists on the south side and the Parliamentarians in the north. Christopher Love preached a sermon, strongly against the Royalists, and he was rebuked by Parliament. The meetings were arranged in the house of Sir John Bennet.
The negotiations, which proved fruitless, went on from 29 January to 22 February. The King offered only to rein in the powers of the episcopate in religious matters, and to give Parliament some control of the militia, limited to a time period of three years.

Attendance

Royalists

Parliamentarians

Scottish