a letter from Fairfax, ordering him to come to St. Albans, and informing him that Colonel Ewer had been sent to guard the king during his absence. This was followed by the appearance of Ewer himself, with instructions to secure the person of the king in Carisbrooke Castle till it should be seen what answer the parliament would make to the army's remonstrance. Hammond felt bound to obey the commander-in-chief, and set out for St. Albans; but he announced his intention of opposing Ewer by force, if necessary, and left the king in charge of Major Rolph and two other officers, with injunctions to resist any attempt to remove Charles from the island. The House of Lords commanded Hammond not to leave his post, but he had already started, and when he tried to return he was detained and put under guard until the king had been seized and carried to Hurst Castle. Hammond's custody of the king had lasted from 13 November 1647 to 29 November 1648, and parliament voted him a pension. Later life During the earlier part of the Commonwealth Hammond took no part at all in public affairs, but his friendship with Cromwell seems to have been only temporarily interrupted. On 22 July 1651 he wrote to Cromwell to intercede for the life of Christopher Love. In 1654, he was elected Member of Parliament for Reading for the First Protectorate Parliament. When Cromwell became Lord Protector he brought Hammond again into employment, and in August 1654 Hammond was appointed a member of the Irish council. He went over at once to Dublin, and began reorganising the judicial system, but was seized with a fever, and died early in October 1654. Simon Ford of Reading is said to have published a book on his death. Notes References Attribution: New Model Army personnel 1621 births 1654 deaths