Thomas was a Major in the Republican Parliamentary army under Cromwell, in the regiment of Col. Thomas Gilpin, his brother-in-law, and fought at the battle of Worcester, Sep. 3, 1651, when the royal army of Charles II was overthrown by Cromwell. Soon after, West and Gilpin joined the army of the Lord, and fought for king Jesus till death. Thomas West's ancestors were reputed to have settled at Long Crandon, Buckinghamshire, during the reign of Richard II, 1327-77.
