Michael Jones (soldier)

Michael Jones
St Mary's, Youghal, where Jones was buried
Governor of Dublin
In office 1647–1649
Governor of Chester
In office 1646–1647
Personal details
Born	Between 1606 and 1610 Ardagh, County Longford
Died	10 December 1649 (aged 42–43) Dungarven, County Wexford
Spouse	Mary Culme (1646–his death)
Relations	Lewis Jones, Bishop of Killaloe (1560–1646)
Military service
Years of service	1641–1649
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Unit	Jones' Regiment of Horse
Commands	Military commander, Leinster
Battles/wars	Wars of the Three Kingdoms Dungan's Hill Chester Denbigh Green Rowton Heath Rathmines Drogheda Wexford Waterford

Lieutenant-General Michael Jones, c. 1606 to 10 December 1649, was an Irish-born soldier of Welsh descent who fought for Parliament and the Commonwealth in the War of the Three Kingdoms, primarily in Ireland. Third son of Lewis Jones, Bishop of Killaloe, his brothers Henry and Ambrose were both bishops in the Protestant Church of Ireland.

After the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, he served in the army loyal to the Protestant-led Dublin Castle administration against the Catholic Confederacy until the 1643 Cessation. Like other Irish Protestants, his objections to the terms caused him to switch sides. Sent to England as part of a delegation in 1644, he joined Parliamentarian forces in Cheshire, where he remained until the end of the First English Civil War in 1646.

In June 1647, he was appointed governor of Dublin, and military commander in Leinster, winning significant victories over Royalist/Confederate armies at Dungan's Hill and Rathmines. After Oliver Cromwell arrived to take command in August 1649, he served under him at the sieges of Drogheda and Wexford. The Parliamentarian army then moved onto Waterford, but suffered severely from sickness, and was forced to retreat. Jones died of fever on 10 December 1649 and in a letter reporting his death to Parliament, Cromwell wrote "What England lost hereby is above me to speak".