General Thomas Harrison, 1630 (c)

Mezzotint, published, 1780 (c).

Profoundly religious, Harrison (1606-1660) was a radical parliamentarian who rose to the rank of major-general in the New Model Army. He denounced King Charles I as a 'man of blood', personally escorted him to London to stand trial and then supervised his funeral. He was an unrepentant regicide, justifying the sentence passed on Charles I until the end. Following the Restoration in 1660 he tried to flee and was caught, but he faced his gruesome execution with defiance and even cheerfulness.