Daily entries from the 17th century London diary Sir Thomas
Honywood (1586–1666), of Marks Hall in Essex, was a soldier
during the English Civil War, later a Member of Parliament. The
eldest son of Robert Honywood and head of a prominent Essex
family, he was knighted in 1632. On the outbreak of the Civil
War he declared for the parliamentary side, and was one of the
Committee for Essex in 1648. In the same year, under the command
of Thomas Fairfax, he led the Essex forces at the Siege of
Colchester. In 1649, he was one of those named in the commission
to try the King, but did not serve on the court. He also led a
regiment at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Sir Thomas was
elected to Parliament as member for Essex in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate, and in 1658 was raised
to Cromwell's new Upper House. However, he was distrusted by the
hardline Puritans and considered "rather soft in his spirit". He
retired from public life after the Restoration. He married
Hester (D.1681) daughter of John