CHAPTER VI 



COLONEL ROBERT VENABLES 



(1612-1687) 



" I am a man 

 More sinned against, than sinning." 



He was a son of Robert Venables, of Antrobus, 

 Cheshire, a member of an ancient Cheshire house. 

 He served in the Parliamentary Army and held 

 various posts. In 1649 he was Commander-in- 

 Chief of the Forces in Ulster, and became Gover- 

 nor of Belfast, Antrim and Lisnegarvey. He 

 left Ireland in 1654, having gained great renown 

 there. " Cromwell demanded from the Spaniards 

 that they should treat the English as friends in 

 South America, and in regard to the trade of Spain, 

 that a clause should be struck out of the last treaty 

 which made it still possible for the Inquisition to 

 molest English merchants. But these were pro- 

 posals which seemed to the Spaniards little else 

 than insults." ^ Accordingly placing Admiral 

 William Penn at the head of the fleet, and 

 Venables at the head of the army with the 

 rank of general, Cromwell despatched them 



• Rauke's History of England^ 1875, Vol. II., Chapter V. 

 64 



