Robert Hammond (1621 – 24 October 1654) was an officer in the New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell during the First English Civil War and a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654.
Only four hundred of his regiment were willing to serve in Ireland, though Hammond himself had declared his conviction that were Philip Skippon commander-in-chief, the greater part of the army would follow him.
[1] Further on into the summer of 1647 Hammond apparently doubted whether the army was justified in using force against the parliament; he sought and obtained retirement from active military service.
On 3 September 1647 Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke, who since 1642 had been governor of the Isle of Wight, announced to the House of Lords that Thomas Fairfax, by his authority as commander-in-chief, had commissioned Colonel Hammond to be governor of that island, desired the lords to accept his own resignation, and asked them to pass an ordinance appointing Hammond (which was done on 6 September).
[1] Charles I of England fled from Hampton Court on 11 November 1647, apparently with the intention of crossing to the Isle of Wight and Hammond, for safety and as a staging post to leaving the country.
John Ashburnham (on his own account) met Hammond as he was going down to his new post, and heard that he went there "because he found the army was going to break all promises with the king, and that he would have nothing to do with such perfidious actions".
[1] Hammond at once wrote to the parliament announcing what had happened; and called the gentlemen of the island together, requiring their co-operation for the defence of his majesty's person.
Cromwell, Ireton, and other representatives of the Council of Officers wrote, arguing that his obedience was owed to the army rather than to the parliament, and that he should take their side in the struggle.
This was followed by the appearance of Ewer himself, with instructions to secure the person of the king in Carisbrooke Castle till it should be seen what answer the parliament would make to the army's remonstrance.
Hammond felt bound to obey the commander-in-chief, and set out for St. Albans; but he announced his intention of opposing Ewer by force, if necessary, and left the king in charge of Major Rolph and two other officers, with injunctions to resist any attempt to remove Charles from the island.
The House of Lords commanded Hammond not to leave his post, but he had already started, and when he tried to return he was detained and put under guard until the king had been seized and carried to Hurst Castle.