not been paid for eighteen months, and he refused to hand over Pembroke Castle until their arrears had been settled. As Horton reported to London, the local populace were also furious at having to pay taxes to support an unwanted army in their area. What began as a wage dispute led to open revolt in April, when Poyer, Laugharne and Rice Powell declared their support for restoring Charles, beginning the Second English Civil War. They assembled an army of around 8,000, hoping to destroy Horton's smaller force of 3,000 before he could be reinforced by Cromwell. In contrast to Horton's experienced veterans, most of the Royalist troops were untrained and poorly armed; he won an easy victory at St Fagans on 8 May. Shortly after this victory, Cromwell arrived in Wales with another 6,500 men, and besieged Pembroke Castle; after capturing Tenby, Horton joined him there at the end of May. The siege was delayed by a month while they waited for the artillery train to arrive; once it did, Poyer surrendered soon after, on 11 July. War in Ireland In 1645, Laugharne had been rewarded for his service with lands confiscated from a Welsh Royalist, John Barlow of Slebech; these were now given to Horton and Phillips, along with several others. The two were also put in charge of collecting a fine of £20,000, levied on Welsh Royalists. In January 1649, Horton was appointed to the High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I, and signed the warrant for his execution. Shortly after this, he was appointed Commissioner for South Wales, but in July, his regiment was one of those chosen to fight in Ireland. He landed in Dublin in September, and took part in the siege of Wexford, from 2 to 11 October. In a letter dated 25 October, Cromwell wrote Horton 'is lately dead of the country-disease', usually thought to refer to dysentery, a common disease caused by poor hygiene. His grave has since been lost. In 1654, Parliament approved a payment to his executors of £1,454 in back pay; as a regicide, his heirs were deprived of their estate at the 1660 Restoration, although this could not have been substantial, while it seems likely his son had already emigrated. References Sources Note; although this is self-published research, there is very little information on Thomas Horton. Use of this source has been restricted to details