Born in Warwickshire, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms he held various administrative positions in Kent on behalf of Parliament, and approved the Execution of Charles I in January 1649.

[5] Its proximity to London and key ports like Dover, Deal and Sandwich meant control of the county was an important strategic objective for both sides.

[6] John Dixwell played a prominent role in the local Parliamentary administration, serving on the County Committee which collected taxes and controlled the courts.

[1] His older brother Mark was a colonel in the Kent Trained Bands until his death in early 1644, when John was appointed guardian of his children and took up residence in Broome Park.

He succeeded Mark as colonel of the local militia, and in August 1646 was elected MP for Dover in the Long Parliament, replacing Sir Edward Boys.

[7] The First Civil War ended when Charles I surrendered in June 1646, but victory was succeeded by a series of disputes over the post-war political settlement between the New Model Army and the majority of MPs.

[a] In December 1647, protests in Canterbury against alterations to the Book of Common Prayer escalated into a pro-Royalist revolt, which was eventually put down by the County Committee.

However, his closest political allies were republicans like Edmund Ludlow and Henry Vane, who opposed Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump Parliament in April 1653, and establishment of The Protectorate.

[14] [b] After requesting a delay due to illness, he escaped into exile, [13] and on 11 June 1660, Parliament passed an Act of Attainder, which condemned twenty-three regicides to death, including Dixwell.