Henry Lord Mordaunt, second Earl of Peterborough, was the son and heir of John, the first Earl, who died in 1648.

A staunch Royalist, Henry raised a regiment at his own expense on behalf of King Charles I. He was wounded at the Battle of Newbury on the 27th October 1644 and in 1648 was concerned with the Earl of Holland to rescue the King from imprisonment. Holland was captured and executed but Peterborough and others escaped, subsequently having their estates sequestered by the Commonwealth.

At the end of the Civil War Peterborough, in recognition of his loyalty to the Crown, was rewarded in 1661 with the Governorship of Tangier and the Colonelcy of The Tangier Regiment of Foot. The Royal Warrant of King Charles II confirming his Tangier appointment was certainly comprehensive, prescribing that he be “Captain-General, Chief Governor, and Vice-Admiral of our City of Tangier, and of the ports and coasts adjacent, and any of our dominions and territories, castles and forts, in or near the Kingdom of Tangier, Fez and Morocco, in Africa, which are or shall be in our possession, or reduced to our obedience, etc”.

His appointment to The Garrison took place on 20th April 1661. He became Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Horse (later 2nd Dragoon Guards) on 20th June 1685 and died on 19th June 1697.