English Captain: Thomas Ashley

Thomas Ashley served in the Parliamentarian navy. From 1642 to 1644, he commanded the hired merchantman Employment. The Employment was a substantial ship with a crew of 132 men and a tonnage of 440 tons. He was assigned to the Irish Sea, in the Summer Guard of 1642. He also served in the Winter Guard for 1642-1643 on the Irish coast. The Employment then had a crew of 120 men. In the summer of 1643, he still commanded the Employment (132 men and 30 guns) in the Irish Guard. He also served in the Summer Guard for 1644, in the Employment, still carrying 30 guns, having a crew of 132 men. The Employment seems to have been inactive in 1645, but was activated to the point of being in reserve in the summer of 1646, ready to be activated, if needed. That is the last time that Thomas Ashley and the Employment are mentioned. Sources:

1. R. C. Anderson, List of English Naval Captains 1642-1660, 1964
2. J. R. Powell, The Navy in the English Civil War, 1962