Sir Francis Fane of Fulbeck, Lincolnshire KB FRS (c.1611-1680) was a prominent Royalist commander during the English Civil War, serving as governor of Lincoln Castle. A Knight of the Bath and Fellow of the Royal Society, he held estates in Lincolnshire (where his seat was Fulbeck Hall) and Yorkshire, and was also a playwright.

Background: He was the son of Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Mary Mildmay. During the period of the First English Civil War (1642-1646), which was a fight between Parliament and the monarch, Charles I (Roundheads and Cavaliers), and after a triumphant victory in Newark, Prince Rupert of the Rhine (King Charles’ nephew) entered Lincoln to secure the city for the King and left some 2,000 men to defend the city. Sir Francis Fane was then installed as Lincoln’s governor, but Lincoln’s situation soon became critical in 1644 as two parliamentary armies converged on the city, one commanded by Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwell and the other by the Earl of Manchester. They had five or six thousand infantry and cavalry, and outnumbered Lincoln’s beleaguered force. The result was inevitable, and Lincoln fell on Monday, 6 May. Sir Francis, officers, and 800 soldiers were taken prisoner, and Sir Francis’ estate was sequestered during the Commonwealth period, although he later recovered it.

Interests: He was a dramatic writer, creating three dramatic pieces and poems, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1663.

Family: Sir Francis married Elizabeth West, widow of John, 4th Lord Darcy, in 1636. They had 10 children (four sons and six daughters), including the dramatist Sir Francis Fane (c.1691), who was his eldest son.

Descendants: His great-grandson eventually succeeded as the 8th Earl of Westmorland, and the Fane family continued to play prominent roles in British military, colonial, and parliamentary history.

Death: He died on October 12, 1680, and was buried in Yorkshire.

Note: He is often confused with his son, also Sir Francis Fane (a dramatist), who was born in Yorkshire, operated in Gloucestershire, and was involved in land drainage schemes in Lincolnshire.
Also, see the plaque of Edward Montagu, Earl of Manchester.

Sources: Wikipedia, Jo Major