Goring, George Goring, Baron

Goring, George Goring, Baron, 1608–57, English royalist commander in the civil war. He was a court gallant who had previously served in the Dutch army. In 1641 a group of army officers formed the "first army plot" with the intent of asserting the king's will against Parliament by force. Goring, then governor of Portsmouth, was one of the conspirators. Dissatisfied at having to play a secondary role, he betrayed the plot to the parliamentarians. In 1642 after playing a double game, Goring declared for the king. He held high commands until 1645, but his considerable ability as a general was offset by his ambition and intrigues that were disastrous for the royalist cause. He lived on the Continent from 1645 until his death.