Lieutenant-General Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester (26 October 1612 – 19 February 1658), known as The Lord Wilmot between 1643 and 1644 and as The Viscount Wilmot between 1644 and 1652, was an English Cavalier who fought for the Royalist cause during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Early life Wilmot's family was descended from Edward Wilmot of Witney, Oxfordshire, whose son Charles Wilmot, 1st Viscount Wilmot had served with distinction in Ireland during Tyrone's Rebellion at the beginning of the 17th century, and was president of Connaught from 1616 until his death. In 1621, Charles had been created an Irish peer as Viscount Wilmot. Wilmot was born in 1612 as the third son of Charles, but he was the only one still alive on his father's death so he succeeded to the title. 1630s and early 1640s Wilmot had five years experience in the Dutch army, and was badly wounded at the siege of Breda. He joined Charles I for the Bishops' Wars (1639–1640) and served as an officer in the cavalry, sitting in the Royal Council of War and led a charge at Battle of Newburn and was captured by the Scots when it broke. In 1640, Wilmot was elected to the Long Parliament to represent Tamworth. It was during this period that he became involved as a member of a set of young MPs and officers around Queen Henrietta Maria, (a patron who would help him later in his life). As part of this set, he took an active part in the Army Plot of 1641 against Parliament. He was committed to the Tower of London and expelled from the House of Commons. First Civil War As soon as the First English Civil War started Wilmot joined King Charles I at York. By 5 August 1642, he raised a regiment of horse for the King's army and regained the post of commissary-general of horse. He was wounded at Battle of Powick Bridge on 23 September, the first major skirmish of the Civil War, but was fit enough to lead the left wing of the royalist cavalry at the Battle of Edgehill a month later, routing most of the parliamentarians opposite to him. He also commanded the expeditionary force that stormed and captured Marlborough on 5 December. Reward for these exploits was lavishly given in April 1643 when he was appointed lieutenant-general of horse in the king's