The English Civil War Recreated in Colour Photographs (Europa Militaria)

Recreated in Colour Photographs

Chris Honeywell & Gill Spear

© 1993 Chris Ho neywell & G ill Spear Designed by John Anastasio/Creative Line Printed in S ingapore This edition published in Great Britain 1993 by Windrow & Greene Ltd . 5 Gerrard Street London WI V 7LJ All ri g hts reserved. No pmt of thi s publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by a ny means electronic or mechanica l including photocopy, recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system , without the prior writte n consent of the publi shers. A C IP catalogue record for this book is avai lable from the British Library

ISBN 1-872004-54-7

Acknowledgements: The a utho rs and publisher wish to record the ir g ratitude for the generous ass istance of many people during the preparation of thi s book, inc luding particularly the following: Nick Bacon , Mark Beaby, Peter Be ntha m Hill , Gareth Blyth, John C rawford, Barry Denton, Howard Giles, Mark Harrison, Chris Jo hn son, Stuart Reid , Ke ith Roberts, David Ryan, Marga ret Sm ith. Ke lvin Spooner, Des Thomas, Jo hn Tincey , Dennis Ward, Tig Wri ght ; (at Basing House) Ia n Ba rret, S imo n Frame, Phil French , Gerry Hug hes, Geoff King, Dave Laurent, Jo hn Litchfield. Andrew Munro, Nigel Preece, Les Prince, Ian Tindle, Alan Turton (C urator) , Dave Vogel. Ian Whittaker, David Wil son; (a t Clifford's Towe r) Paul Cramer, Robert Burrell Draper, Michael Fagin , Ni gel Walton . Particular tha nks to all in Earl Rivers' Reg ime nt of Foot for their he lp over the years.

A Warre Without

An Enemy

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harge yo ur pike ... " The order from the g rimfaced Roya li st officer is a lmost drowned by an ec hoi ng vo ll ey of Parli a me nt a ri a n mu sketry. Drums ralllc o ut their urge nt co mm ands , and bri g htl y co loured fl ags blow in the wind amidst the belching smoke of canno n-fire. A typical scene from the Eng li sh Civil Wars: yet thi s is not 1642, but a Sunday afternoon three and a half ce nturi es later. The Sealed Knot is o nce aga in in ac tio n. Na med afte r the Roya li st unde rgro und organisation which plotted the res to rati o n of the monarchy durin g Cromwell's Protectorate, today's Sealed Knot Society grew fro m a small pri vate party held in 1967 to launch the book Edgehi/1 1642: The Cmnpa if?n and the BaiT/e by Brigadier Peter Young, a hi gh ly decorated wartime Commando officer and military hi storian . A very much large r than life c haracte r, Pe te r Young thought it mi g ht be fun if he and a few friends dressed up as Cavaliers; he could hardl y have e nvisaged that the results would be so lasting or dramatic. A few of Youn g· s friends la te r wrote to ask when they could dress up again. a nd whether they could form a group to co mm e mo rate thi s formative period in o ur history. A man of action, Youn g saw the potential for so met hin g more adve ntur o u s than the original conception of a research a nd debating soc iety. And so the Sealed Kn o t prope r was bo rn, at a n in a ug ural meeting at The Mitre Ho te l in Oxford; eac h of the founders und e rt ook to rec ruit (so met imes re luctant ) friends for a c ross be tween a wargame and a military pageant. From the beginning the soc iety has owed o ne of its grea t s treng th s to Pe te r Young's insi s te nce th at membership be open to a ll who share its a im s. The Knot has a lways been no n- political, no n -sec tar ian , a nd without bar o n gro unds of race, sex, age, o r di sab ility each member contributes as much time and e ffort as he or she can manage. Some lady me mbe rs "feig n the ir sex"- wh ic h was not unknow n in the 1640s- and march as soldi ers; othe rs e ncourage " li vi ng hi story" scenarios in camp and garri son displays. Every age from infants to grandparents can be seen at musters of the Knot. Peter Young was the Sealed Kn ot's first, and hithe rto on ly. Capta in Generall - a pos iti o n he he ld until hi s death in September 1988 . The Kn ot owes much to the legacy of hi s c ha ri sma ti c persona lity; even in hi s last years he s till rode hi s w hit e c harge r a ro und th e

battlefield to the applause of the c rowd, and me mbe rs s till exchange affectionate anecdotes a bout thi s remarkable man. The first musters were small in scope, and costume owed more to inge nuity than authenticity. Though a few members obtained Civil War-style helme ts, th e norm was bonded velvet uniform s, recycled "we lli es", and plastic buff coats; tenni s ball s stood in for cannon-shot, pik es were extremely motley , and mu s k e t s were invariably shotg uns with the addition of mu sket rests: as Pete r Young said , " in those day s we had l 0% hi story a nd 90% im ag ination". Twenty-five years la ter the picture could not be more different ; today's Sealed Knot members spend many hours researching every de tail of Civil War clothing and armoury to achieve the most hi storically correct costumes po ss ible. Mu s ke ts are authentic reproductions of 17th century matchloc ks; 16foot pikes are planed and balanced conectly to ease the prope r exerci se of thi s ancient weapon. The society is constantly striving to improve, and a whole sub-c ulture of small speciali st bu s inesses has sprun g up to supply members' needs. Cavalry and artillery pl ay a n active ro le in Sealed Knot re-enactme nts . Horses are spec iall y trained to 3

part1c1pate in th e thi c k o f battl e, th e ir rid ers ma kin g das hing and co lourful charges dressed in authentic buff coats, armour, '' lobstertail' ' he lmets and mass ive boots; prac tical research is even beginning to produce authentic 17 th ce nt ur y sad d les. Me mbe r s o f th e Tr ay n e of A rtill ery have purs ued de ma ndin g researc h into th e design and reconstruction of wooden gun carriages, and t he int r icac ies o f fo un dry-cast i ro n a nd brass g un barrels. Whil e ful fillin g th e s tric tes t lega l a nd sa fe ty req uire me nts , t he soc iety h as ac quire d a ra n ge o f pyrotechnical ski li s to add to the spectacle, fro m simple blank cannon-fire and ground charges to the burning of mock-up vill ages . Wherever poss ible regiments wear the correct co loured coats, a nd are rec ruit e d in th e a reas wh e re th e ir na mesa kes fir s t s aw ac ti o n . On e o f th e o ldes t , fo r example, is the King's Lifeguard of Foot, who wear red, and rec ruit stro ng ly in O xfo rd and Nottingham ; whil e Lord Saye and Sele ' s " bluecoats" rec ruit in the Midlands and Kent. Large towns may support more than one local unit ; in Lo nd o n o ne may find Roya li s t me mbe rs of Prin ce Rupe rt 's Foo t li v in g o nl y s tree ts away fr o m Roundheads of Samuel Jones's Regiment. Although the Knot was originall y a Royali st gro up, it was obvious that not all me mbers shared Peter Young's enthu sias m for Kin g C harl es; a nd a Roundhead arm y was deve loped by th e hi sto ri a n Dr. Jo hn Ad a ir. The re la ti o ns hip be t wee n th e t wo e le m e nt s ec h oes, neve rth e less, th e fa m o u s wo rd s o f th e 16 4 3 correspondence between Sir Ralph Hopton and hi s o ld co mrade a nd new o ppo ne nt S ir Willi a m Wall e r: " a 4 warre without an enemy'' . Nature being what it is, it is

normal to see me mbers of each side drinkin g happil y together onl y hours after fac ing each other in battle; and mi xed marri ages betwee n latte r-d ay Ro undheads and Cavali ers are not unknown . Man y members were surpri sed at the earl y musters to see ca rs s to p and c row d s ga th e r a lo ng he dge rows , occ asion a ll y ca usin g major traffi c co nges ti o n. With ever-growing numbers wi shing either to j oin the Knot or me re ly to wat c h it in ac tion , a nd with reg im e nt s s prin g in g up lit e r a lly fr o m L a nd 's E nd t o J o hn 0 ' Groats, it was clear by the end of the 1960s th at it wo uld have to e vo lv e into th e m o re pro fess io na ll y o r g ani sed soc ie ty of to d ay. Neve rth e less, profess ionali sm in the soc iety 's admini stration and the qu a lity of it s di s pla ys h as n o t a lt e re d th e Knot 's essential character: all membe rs, fro m the chairman to the newest pikeman, remain volunteers. As branches and regiments grew the Knot organi sed itself in reg ions, one of the earliest and still most ac ti ve being the Army of the North . Through its e fforts one of the first major battl e re-enactments fought was Marston Mo or (a battl e w hi ch w ill b e dra m ati ca ll y re peated during its 350th anniversary year in 1994 ). The Knot is also very ac tive in Scotland , where the soc iety takes on a new dimension from pl a id-wearing Hig hl anders and dour, bonneted Covenanters. These Scots think nothing of travelling 500 miles during a weekend to take part in a battle in England , and hold their own musters at sites s u c h as Stirlin g. Th e Kn o t is a lso d eve lo pin g

internati onal links. with me mbers in Ge rmany and North America forming reg ime nts and orga ni sing battles and "li ving hi story" ca mps; there have also bee n exchange visits betwee n groups and indi viduals, and Sealed Knot displays in France and Germany. As the soc iety deve loped during the 1970s its numbers grew until Sea led Knot battles could involve a thousand participant s; today three times that number may attend a major muster such as Newark or Edgehill in 1992, and with a paid-up membership of more than 6,000 the Knot is the largest acti ve re-e nactment assoc iation in Europe. From it s modes t beg innin gs the soc ie ty has also become a major charit y fund-raise r - a rol e pl anned by Peter Young from the fir st. Apart from battl es, Knot me mbers and unit s also undertake many other sponsored events. The hi gh identifi cati on with charity work has led great fo rti fied houses such as Sudelcy, Broughton Castle and Warwick Castl e to in vite the Knot on a regul ar bas is to recreate past times, raising money for vari ous causes. Co un cil s a nd loca l c ha riti es s uc h as th e Li o ns and Rotary Clubs oft en join with the Knot in eve nts such as the traditional Holl y Holy Day at Nantwich , Cheshire, or major occasions such as those organi sed at Newark in Nottinghamshire. Wherever the Sea led Knot appears it draws substantial crowds, to the extent that its absence fro m a give n eve nt now ca uses comment. In 1977 th e Sea led Kn ot had th e great hon o ur of fo rming a guard of honour for H.M. T he Queen at the Windsor firework di spl ay mounted as part of the Royal Sil ve r Jubil ee ce le brati o ns. Alth ough it has a lw ays attrac ted press and te lev is ion atte nti on, the Knot has recentl y begun to rece ive approac hes for film work as ex tras and spec iali sts; hav in g a ready-trained arm y of peri od so ldi e rs e nabl ed the soc ie ty to fulfill military roles fo r such T V drama seri es as By Th e Sword Divided and Th e Year 4 the French. Another important as pect of the acti vities of the reenac tment soc ieti es is hi stori ca l researc h. From their roo ts in Peter Youn g's sc holarship , the Kn ot a nd the ECWS have contributed greatl y to seri ous e nquiry into aspec ts of th e period not suitable or fas hio nable for ge neral ac ad e mi c stud y. Prac ti ca l ex pe rim e nt a nd doc um entary researc h have combined to increase our understandin g o f s ubj ect s as vari ed as 17th ce ntury dyestuffs. and cooking, as well as cl othing des ign and proc ureme nt. weapons and tac ti cs. Valuabl e spec iali st publi shing has bee n undert ake n by soc iety me mbe rs; and pro fess ional hi stori ans such as Dr.Dav id Chandle r of th e RM A Sa ndhurst, a nd th e Ne w Mode l Arm y authorit y Barr y De nto n, co ntribute th e ir stre ngth in resea rch. Th e Kn ot is constantl y as ked for advice, at every leve l. on all as pects of the period . The Sealed Knot is currentl y heavil y in volved in the celebrations for the 350th anni versary of the C ivil Wars; and in 1993 e nj oys it s ow n S il ve r Jubil ee , with j ustifi abl e prid e in hav in g no t o nl y fulfill ed Pe te r Yo un g's o ri g in a l int e nti o n o f wid e nin g a nati o n 's interest in its heritage, but al so becoming a pleasurable part of everyday life for thousands of people.

In the earl y 1970s a second soc iety was born out of the Sealed Knot. The English Civil War Society in fact co ns ists o f two v irtu a ll y a uto no mous g ro ups : The King's Army a nd The Roundhead Ass ociation. Co nt ac t be t wee n th e Sea led Kn o t a nd th e EC W S co ntinu es on an inform al bas is; there is co nside rabl e dual membership, and joint events are not unknow n. T he EC WS has a total me mbership of about 3,000, draw n from all ove r the country and with a small but stalwart contin ge nt from th e Ame ri ca n co loni es . Th e Kin g ' s Army and Roundhead Assoc iation are each organi sed as a 17th ce ntury arm y. with a reg im e nt of cava lry and seve ra l inf a ntr y reg im e nt s a pi ece, toge th e r w ith supporting artillery and camp-foll owe rs. Th ough ge ne rall y small er than SK mu ste rs, EC WS di spl ays ha ve been notabl e rece ntl y for the soc iety's 5

Association have combined at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland to recreate the Civil War garrison Major William Lyell 's company of the Ma ster of Yester's Reg iment. The ECWS annual programme is carefully balanced to provide four evenly-spaced major events involving full musters of the membership , and anything up to 60 smaller " regimental invited events" of all shapes and sizes. These involve only a limited number of units as such, although members from other regiments can normally take part by joining the ranks of the invited units to ensure a convincing di splay . The society has also been very active in promoting "living history" as di stinct from purely military displays. In August 1986 the ECWS pioneered the use of English Heritage sites by re-enactment groups with a di splay at Tynemouth Castle; and since then has enjoyed a healthy re lationship with English Heritage, presenting a number of impressions of garrison life each year. Barry Denton FRHistS Stuart Reid

ability to form and maintain recognisable battle-lines. Th e Roundhead Association, and less formally the King' s Army, have formed brigades which group two or more units into larger formation s. These are better suited to practi sin g 17th ce ntury tactical evolutions without breaking down into formless, swirling melees . Each ECWS unit is modelled on an original CiviiWar regiment. All the recreated King 's Army units served in, or alongside, the Royalist Oxford army in the summer of 1643. This allows a fairly ti ght specification for clothing and equipment , since the Oxford army was the best documented of all Royali st forces. The Roundhead Association cove rs a wider period, represe nting units from both the provincial armies of 1642-44 and the New Mode l Army a nd its successo rs, though " redcoats" predomin ate. Standards of costume authenticity are taken very seriou sly in both armies. One Scottish-based RA unit, the Earl of Loudon's Reg iment, in fact serves quite often on the Royalist side in post- 1647 scenarios, given the complexity of AngloScottish relations during the Civil Wars. Such flexibility is also seen in the occas ional emergence of temporary units: e.g. the ma inly English Royalist Sir Thomas Tyldesley's Regiment adopts the identity of the Laird of Grant ' s Regi ment at Scottish events. Similarly, and particularly at events where the "living history" aspect is strong, a specific unit will be specially recreated to reenact particular circum stances. On two occasions so far 6 members of the Kin g ' s Army and Roundhead

A pikem:m of Devereux's Regiment of the English Civil War Society (hereafter. " ECWS" ) photographed at Basing House. the major Roya list stronghold in Hampshire which was the scene of much bloody lighting between July 1643 and October 1645. Apru1 from a steel gorget or collar-piece he wears the full recommended equipment of the pikeman. Helmets of various styles based on the older mori on and cabasset were norm al: this typical " pike man's pot" has the morion ' s deep reinforci ng comb and flared hrim, and broad cheekpieces. His waist-length back-andbreast plates are fined w ith ta~set s heavy thigh-pieces. He wears gloves to protect his hands when handling the pike; and has a simple. ma~s-produced sword ("a good sti ff tuck") as a hand-to-hand weapon in practice it was probabl y used for camp chores more often than for fi ghting. Earl y in the war many pikemen seem to have discarded tirst the tm;sets. and later the whole cuirass (which at up to 501bs. weight wa~ tiring to wear for any length of time): and many may never have received one in the first place. Armour was of limited pmctical use, seldom being proof agai nst musket balls at banle ranges. On the march armour and sometimes pikes seem to ha ve been cruTied in wagons (when available. and w hen hattie wa~ not imminent).

B

y the reign of King Charles I, England had enjoyed almost unbroken peace since the beginning of the 17th century ; and, as a nation, had no continuity of military experience to draw upon when civil war broke out. Over th e previous ha lf-ce ntury. however, import a nt advances had been made on the Co ntin en t in military equipment, training, formations and tactics. These had first emerged during the wars in Italy, and had developed further durin g the lo ng stru ggle fo r Dutch inde pe nde nce fro m Spain , and latte rl y during Sweden 's in vo lve ment in the Thirty Years ' War. The campaigns of Maurice of Nassau and Gu stav us Adolphus had been the ta lk of Europe. Thousands of British mercenaries had served overseas, and in the 1640s many brought the ir first -hand experience home. Profe ss io na l so ldi e rs and drill - m as te rs ha d published technical treati ses in Eng li sh, which were studied by the keener officers of the Trained Bands regional militia. In the e arl y ca mpa ig ns of the C iv il W ar the leaders struggled to impose these professional models on the raw mass of indiffe re ntl y eq uipped, poorly di sc iplined , and

unreliably paid volunteer and conscript recruits. But bloody ex peri ence provided its own instruction : and by the 1650s British regiments seem to have been the professional equals of any in Europe.

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The Civil War " regiment of foot" wa o rga ni sed on a theoretical model of ten companies totalling either I ,000 or I ,200 men plus officers. In practice the regiments' uneven success in recruitin g, variable rate of deserti ons, and good or bad fortune in di sease-ridden camps and on the battlefield le ft the m with anything between 150 and 850 me n, with some extre me examples even weaker or stronger; and the number of companies raised could also vary. Despite the growing dominance of musketeers on the mid17th century battle field their vulnerability to cavalry during the reloading process still made it necessary to mi x them for protec ti o n with bl oc ks of pike me n. The proportion of "shot" to "pike" varied, generall y increasing steadily from about two-to-one in 1642; many units, particularly Royali st, were all-shot by 1645. Each company had a mixed strength ;

the pike was supposedly the more honourable weapon, and for practical rea ons wa carried by the strongest men . On the battlefi eld the company did not fi ght as a tactical formati on; a strong reg iment might be divided into two "grand di vi ion ", while weaker regiments mi ght form a single unit, or in extreme cases several regiments might be combined. Within the tactical units (called "battalia") all the pikemen were drawn up in a central block between two wings of musketeer , all formed six or eight men deep. The basic sub-unit was the file - that is, the six or eight men who stood in a line from front to rear of the formation. In theory there were set positions for men of different experience and seniority within each file, the senior man taking the lead.

(Below) A sergeant of John Bright 's Regiment , ECWS. photographed at li fford 's Tower in York - an art illery position during the siege of 1644. He represents a member of Sir Thomas l'airfax 's Parliamentarian army in the north of England. identified by the blue sash: the nat woollen bonnet and plain grey coat were typical of both cots Covenanters and northern English troops. Body annour would not have been general in the northern

anny. which had much more "shot" than "pike": but like the sash, and the modest lace decoration on the breeches, it is a typical distinction for a junior offi cer (among whom sergeants were then classed). Sergeants were officially distinguished by carrying halberdsaxe-headed poleanllS. He wears a typical sleeveless buff coat with shoulder extensions: and ankJelcngth "start-ups", old-fashioned but hard-wearing labourers' boots.

(Above) A lieutenant of Devereux's Regiment. ECWS. at Basing House. In theory each company had a captain, a lieutenant. and an ensign. Officers wore their own personal clothing. di spl aying a greater or lesser degree of wealth. This young gentleman has fine lace shirt cuffs and collar ("falling band"). its point · gathered by a ribbon; a hat with expensive imported plumes: gold bullion lace on his breeches: and fa. hi onably red-heeled '·bucket top'' riding boots, the tops folded down here for service on foot. In battle he might wear bac k-andbreast annour over hi s buff coat. Marks of otlicer rank are his gorget: his bullion-frin ged sash, in the tawny-orange which identified the Earl of Essex's Parliamentarian army; and the partizan. a short poleann with a more or less elaborately shaped head - the tasse l collar was practical as well as decorati ve, keeping rain from running down onto the grip. His sword is a reproducti on of the socalled " mortuary" style: the crude human head worked into the basket guard has been claimed to commemorate the fate of King Charles the Martyr - but examples arc known with female heads. and others which pre-date 1649. (Right) Another pikeman of Devereux' s Regiment. ECWS: and a close-up of his cuirass. Most Civil War annour was blackened or

browned to protect it against rust, which on a wet day can bloom over polished steel surfaces almost while you watch. Most helmets were apparently unlined. and worn over a knitted "Monmouth cap" - a very widespread piece of common soldier's headgear. l'or most Civi l War soldiers the onl y item of actual "uniform", issued in a common colour to the men of a unit. was nonnally the coat: even this wa. far from uni versal - and a regiment might change it. coat colour wi th each replacement issue. Otherwise soldiers were largely dressed in what they brought from their homes or managed to buy. steal or scavenge on campaign. with occasional issues or repl acement shoes and shirts obtained by their quartennasters by the same methods but on a grander scale. A rc-cnactor might spend today around £65 for a metal helmet, £95 for breast-and-hack annour with tassels. £35 for his coat,£ 15 for his woollen breeches, £70 for a good pair of hobnailed reprod uction 17th century "latchet" shoes, and anything between £65 and £95 for a sword , scabbard and baldric. With linen shirts, stockings. and small personal kit , a complete outfit costs £500 or £600: but most units have regimental stocks. and a rccr11it is not expected to buy the whole kit for hi s first muster.

(Above, left to right:) Pikemen photographed at a muster of the Sealed Knot (hereafter, ''SK") at Carew Castle; the Marqui s of Newcastle's Whitecoats at Edgehill; Earl Rivers' Regiment, Western Association at Weston Super Mare; and an offi cer of the King ' s Lifeguard at Edgeh ill. The latter wears a "Montero'', a type of cap which seems to have been popul ar (particularl y in the "Oxford army") throughout the Civil War. (1-crt) Pikes, helmets, an officer's

partizan and a sergeant ' s halberd laid ready for an S K muster at Roundway Dow n by Stamford ' s Regiment. Civil War ash-wood pikes varied from 15ft. to 18ft. but I 6ft. was conventi ona l. sometimes with wound twine

grips. Some soldiers di sobedientl y cut theirs down to handi er lengths: if batt le brought them to " push of pike" aga in st opponents w ith longer staves they might pay a gri sly pri ce. About two fee t of the shaft below the Si n. head wa. usuall y protected against sword -cut s by riveted stee l strips.

(Right) Second Battle of Newbury. SK: pikemen of Robert Hammond ' s Regi ment on the march. pikes shouldered. with slung blankets and knapsacks. The Scaled Knot usually orga ni se one long endurance march eac h year, in full kit and co mplete with wagons. foll owi ng the hi stori ca l route of a particular Ci vil War campa ign. Such marches are sponsored for charitable causes .

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(A bove) Pikcmcn of the King's Lifeguard of Foot. SK. take up their positions at Weston Super Mare. holding their pikes at the .. advance ... TI1e English .. lohstertail pot .. helmet with iL~ three-har face guard was p1imaril y a cavalry item. but would have been wom by some officers of foot. The origi nal Lifeguard were not a picked elite. but an ordinary regi ment -often understrength and badly armed. li ke other early Roya list units - raised in Derbyshi re. Lincolnshire and Cheshire. They were. however.

issued wi th unifonns: complete reel suits and M onteros. The difficulty of hand ling the 16ft. pike in closely-ordered rank~ without tripping or even maiming ones com rades must have made recruit drill parades a sight to behold. Officers would have been sati sfied when their men could handle the unwieldy weapon deftly enough to fonn up and march without disruption or injury; and to present an effecti ve. overlapping hedge of points fo r attack and defence.

(Right) A plai n, soldierly looking offi cer at Carew Cast le: in the background, pike of the Lifeguard and Ri vers· Regiment, SK. Hi s gorget. sash and parti zan mark hi s status; and note the fashionab le open , buttoned coat sleeves. The srav es of some halberd s and parti zan s we re covered w ith leather or fabri c. and/or studded w ith brass (which does not ru st or . park . and wears down smoothl y wi thout snagging): for cheapness and safety re-enac tors often usc

painted wooden heads for combat. Offi cers work thei r way up through the rank s of thei r reenactme nt units; they are trained in the usc of all arm s. and have to pas · safety tests on their handling before promot ion to posts of res ponsibility .

(Below) Second Battle of Newbury. S K: pi ke men u f Slann ing' s Reg iment and (background) the Western Assoc iati on move into the att ack . Stri ped pike staves are used by thi s re-e nactment unit fo r

identifi catio n. So me re-enac tors usc headless staves. others heads of carved and painted wood ur of vul cani sed rubber. for c heapness and safe ty (metal heads arc ex pensive and easil y damaged ).

(Below) Second Battle of Newbury, SK: an artillery gun captain - note his linstock, and the whip for gun team horses -warns a sergeant of Western Association pikemen: "Have a care, loaded gun! " A Civil War company was

supposed to have two sergeants and three corporals for I00 or so privates (the tenn was already in use); but in the early campaigns there wa a chronic shortage of experienced sergeants.

Weston Super Mare and Second Battle of Newbury, SK: pike press, "Bertie Basset's Regiment" - the name given to temporary units formed at mu ters by amalgamating smaller groups into a regiment of practical size for battle. The rear ranks of Civil War pike units would have packed in behind their front-rank comrades with staves slanted, shoving on their backs to lend weight and momentum. Very much the same happens in re-enactments, most pike units fighting with points upward for the sake of safety; for the same reason swords are not carried by pikemen in battle. Such encounters have been described as like •·rugby matches with 600 a side".

Shot he smoothbore, muzzle - loadin g, matchlock muske ts use d in the Civil War - like so much other equipment. in a country pitched into war without the well-stocked magazines of a sta ndin g armycame from various British and fore ign sources, and were of various ages, lengths and bores. Before the war the usua l barre l len g th was about 4ft. , the bore being calculated on a bullet size of 12 to the pound weight (rou ghl y .8 in c h ). With a weight of 14 to 201bs. thi s heavy musket required a forked rest for efficient aiming. addin g to the burden a nd awkwardness of the muske tee r's e quipment. A " bastard musket" with a 3ft.6in . barre l was a lso avai Iable; at l 0 to 12lbs. this could be aimed without a rest, but supplies of a ll kinds were uncertain , and mixed equipment within armies a nd regiments was common. Differin g bores caused problems of ammunition supply. and soldiers had to clip or even bite bits of lead off th e iss ue d bullet s to m a ke them fit the barrel. Gunpowder was supposed to be iss ued in two grades of fineness: "corn" powder for the main charge, and a finer grain "touc h" powd e r for primin g the sma ll external pan, whi ch flared when se t off by the s m o ulderin g match. Powder quality was somet imes as unpredictable as ball siz.e; and by some accounts Civil War mu sketeers were care less abo ut carrying paper for wadding, even further reduc ing accuracy and rate of fire. The bandolier of woode n or tin tubes in which the musketee r carried 12 to 16 measured charges of powder (not, in fact. ca ll ed ''the Twelve Apostles" in the 17th century) was certainly awkward to use . The tube covers could slip up their strings, spillin g powder; in battle a man cou ld eas ily for get which ones he had empti ed; they rattled loud l y. betrayin g night attacks and ambu shes: and with burning m a tchcord s and opened powder containers all round him in a c lose e ngagement, it was not unknown for a soldi e r to suffe r the lethal ex plosion of his whole bandolier. An a lternative was so me sort o f belt-box worn at the waist. holdin g m eas ure d charges in folded paper cartridges ; and these were issued to some extent. But paper cartridges often came apart with hasty handling or simply from be in g shaken up on the move . Some commanders complained of men carrying cartridges in their poc kets. where they quickly spoiled ; and even of some "fantastical fe llows" loading by eye from handfuls of loose powder. At least pape r cartridges provided their own wads. In the days of tlint-and-stee l and tinderbox the need to kee p matchcord smou ld e rin g whenever battle was imminent was a problem, a nd soldiers must constantly have been aski ng a comrade or their file- leader for a li g ht. Onc e li g ht e d . th ey normally kept both e nds smoulde rin g at once in case one e nd got exting uished or was bl ow n off by the de tonation of the primin g. An

T

( ('011finued on pagt•

2 I)

Musketeer, Colonel Valentine Walton 's Regiment. ECWS. photographed at Basing House. C ivil War musketee rs did not wear he lmeL~. or any other annour. The broad-brimmed fe lt hat was a desirable, though quite expensive headgear in mid- 17th century annies ; this soldier has a piece of paper tucked into the cord as a "field sign". Since units on opposing sides often wore the same co loured coats, nr no unifom1 clothing at all , cases of mistaken identity were freyuent . often leading to death or capture. Officers were identifiable onl y by coloured sashes. of which the best-known are Essex· s Parliamentary tawnyorange and the King's red.Before an engagement field signs such as spri gs of greenery. pieces of paper. scraps of cloth or even untuckcd shirt wil s were often chosen. as were hattie-cries and pa~swords. Many soldiers were issued with a "snapsack" to cany a few spare

clothes, rations, utensil s. and small belongings such as nint-and-stee l. ll1i s sturdy leather example is of a less popular shape: most were sausage-shaped. of t.hin leather or li ght can va~. Thi s soldier also has a tine glazed stoneware bottle for hi s water (perhaps mi xed with vinegar) or ale, in the Dutch style known as "bcllarmine". He wears simple over-stockings to protect the inner pair; the usc of layered stockings and shirts seems to have been common . His plain, broad-bladed sword is wom from a haldric. Note the long ramrod ("scouring stick"), tipped with bone or copper to prevent sparking, in its housing under the barrel of hi s musket. The musketeer was supposed to c:my detachable tools which screwed to the other end of thi s: a wire brush for scouring out a foul ed barre l, and a cork screwshaped "worm" for drowing out mi stires.

17

The musketeer of Walton's, shnwing his equipmen l. At least one powder flask, wi th a spring cut-off device in the nozz le to control the flow. would have been carried for the fine "touch" powder: and perhaps a second with a reserve of "com '' powder. On the hip a pouch for musket balls is just vi sible above the flask. I Ie might also carry a small oil bottle; and, unless he was a fool,"proyning wires" to prick away the heavy fouling of burnt powder whi ch after repeated firing could block the touch-hole connecti ng the priming pan and the charge in the barrel. A supply of match. cut to conveni ent lengths. is looped to his be lt of charges, and more may be tucked into hi s shirt or under his hal. Match was simply made by soak ing cord in a sa ltpetre soluti on. which makes it smoulder slow ly and evenl y; on one famous occasion the Royali st general Sir Ralph I Iopton supp lied his troops by requisi tioni ng bedstead cords from the householder. of Devizes. The wooden bottles for the powder charges were turned, proofed by soaking in oi l. then painted or varnished. Reenactors· charge bottles, though sti ll made from wood , often have non-sparking copper lining for safety; and powder fl asks are non-ferrous, spark proof, and have built-in weak spots. The issue of powder during reenactments is tightly controlled, and unused powder must be handed back. Would-be re-enactor musketeers must hold a Shotgun Certi fi cate and a Black Powder Permil. They also have to attend four battles with dummy or unl oaded muskets, to become accustomed to the adrenal in-rush which can occur during combat reenactments. They arc then tested on firi ng practice. maintenance and safety before obtaining a Proficiency Test card. All training is done through the regiment , but tests are by the Musket Inspectorate of the Safety Board. one of whose inspectors is present at every muster. Proficien y Test cards are revoked on the spot if anyone is seen using a musket unsafcly.

(Right) Musketeer, Devereux's Regiment. E WS. demonstrating the use of the musket rest. in the drill po ture "Guard your pan". Note the thong round hi s left wrist. allowing him to let the rest drag when he needs both hands for reloading. Reproduction matchlock muskets arc made by about half-a-doze n active gunsmiths in Britain : re-enactors may also buy them from their units. Most cost from around £110 upward. They we igh around 121bs.; the bore is .75 to .88 in. ; the stee l barrels are fu ll y proofed for shot. and numbered for traci ng, to conform with legal requirements. The knitted Monmouth cap was produced in tens of thousands by many contractors. apart from indi vidually home-knit ones, and varied from a ski mpy stocking cap to a large, felted . blocked item like this. using a pou nd weight of wool. His coat is "uniform" in the sense that hi s co mmanders have ordered it in bulk in a common colour and lining; it may distinguish a regiment. or a large r regional force . It was not until 1646, when hostiliti es were almost over. that Pari iament · s New Model Army were able to issue a single co lour throu ghout · red. with different co loured linings probably for different regi ments (the lining presumab ly visible at turned- bac k cuffs). The coat was a heavy outdoor garment of dense broadcloth. Under it the soldier wore hi s civi lian clothes. supplemented by occasional army issues: these were for usc. not identili cati on. and although e.g. breec hes see m often to have been grey, co lours would be governed by cost and availability. A woo l or heavy linen doublet, so metimes attached to the breeches. was often worn. Loose, lined broaddoth breeches were about ca lf-length (3 1in . is a measure menti oned in accounts lists). gathered by garters; leather pockets were common. Loose linen shins had sma ll co ll ars and gathered cuffs: more than one might be worn in cold weather. Long knit or woven stock ings were normally grey or white. Civil War armies knew the importance of good footwea r. and tried (ideall y) to repl ace the sturdy. straight-lasted , round-or square-toed "latchet" shoes about every three months.

(Right) Reliance on a burning match could leave unit;, of "shot"' helplcs> at short notice in rainy weather (eve n ve ry damp air incrcm.es the rat e of mi;.fires to anyth ing up 10 50 per cent ). Naked fl ame and loose powder was a recipe for frequent accidents. N ight all ac ks were often betrayed by the tell -tale points of li ght. Free fro m all these drawbacks were the early fl intl ock ("fi rel ock'') muskets. availabl e to i vi l War armi es in small num be rs. Needing no naked fl ame. they could be carri ed loaded but uncocked for hours. ready for instant u;,e . Costing half as much again a;. a matchl ock (in 1645. 15s.6d. - three weeh · pay for a so ldier). they we re normall y carried onl y by spec ial pi cked in fantry units: and parti cul arl y by musketeers guarding the artillery . where smouldering match close to ope n powder barre ls could cause catastrophic accidcm;.. T hi s musketee r of Walton's Reg iment has a " dog- lock" fl intl oc k. named from the safety catch visible behind the cock .

(Left) A n offi ce r of Devereux's Regiment of the Roundhead A ssoc iation , EC WS. Thi s mi ght be desc ribed as " dai ly" miliwry dress : back-a nd -breast plates mi ght be added for bailie. The fe lt hat was quite a co. tl y it em in the 17th ce n\Ury. as we re imported feath er plumes - de rigeur for a fashi onable offi cer. T he openin g. bulloned doublet sleeves arc typi ca ll y handed with gold bulli on lace: he ha. a fin e lace coll ar falling ove r hi s gorget, and ex tra ''boot hose" pro tec t ex pensi ve stoc kin gs from the rubbing of hi s superb bucket-top hoots. filled with spurs on " hu11erfl y" lea thers for riding- an infantry offi ce r wo uld ride on the march. The broad frin ged sash. ti ed in a huge bow. is typi cal. A more decorati ve and less functi onal '' leading starr· mi ght be carried instead of a parti zan. A regiment of foot mi ght have a staff of a col onel. a li eutenantco lonel, a sergeant-maj or (then an offi ce r rank ), a quartermaster. a provos t-marshal : and perhaps 27 other company offi cers. Roth sides . but parti cul arl y the Royali sts. ·uffered as the war progressed fro m an excess of office rs. Regimental strengths we re whilll ed away by di sease, death and deserti on; hut reduced unit s onl y grudgingly amalga mated with others, the o ffi cers refu sin g to gi ve up their

status and pay . (The Roya li st garri son of Readin g in 1644 included Bl ac kwe ll 's Regiment. of four compani es. with a total of 56 men but 30 offi ce rs.) In both armi es, hu t parti cularl y the King's, office rs w ith out so ldi ers might fi ght in the rank s. sometimes fo rming whole troops or compani es. These " refonnadoes" did not enjoy a hi gh reputation for di scipline or effi ciency.

arm y o n campa ig n used vas t qua ntiti es o f matc hcord , and ensurin g supplies was a maj o r logistic pro ble m : o ne threatened garri son o f I ,500 me n is recorded as ha ving u ed some q uarter-to n we ig ht of matc h in 24 hours. Parli ame nt 's arm ies a t first favo ured a n e ig ht- ra nk fo rm ati o n fo r th e w in gs of mu s ke tee rs fl a nkin g the "stands" o f pik e w he n draw n up fo r ba ttl e, but th e Royalists may have ado pted the Swedi sh six-rank sty le by the battle of Edge hill : by 1643 thi s seems to have been the norm on both sides. As the battl e lines approac hed one another musketry was used to thin and di srupt the enemy 's ranks. Although a musket ball could kill at 600 yards, and pierce armour at 200-400. it was hope less ly inacc urate at such distances. Indi vid ua l marksmanship was ge ne rall y unknow n in pitched battles; the unit of shot fired " into the brown", by ranks. on the ir offi cer's order. Unless trying to provoke the enemy for some reason they seldom ope ned fire at more than 100 yards' range. Even the n the e ffect wa uncertain : but a solid hit, by luck or judge ment, w ith a large, s low. soft- lead ba ll ca used le th a ll y m a ng lin g wounds.

The classic Dutc h syste m used by both s ides in volved each rank o f musketeers firing in tum, then retiring to the rear to reload. Variations of this system could be carried o ut whil e maintainin g th e s am e g ro und o r w hil e a d va nc ing o r re treatin g; the o bj ec t was to kee p up a co ntinuou s fire (e xpe rime nts prove that a co mpe te nt musketeer could re load in abo ut half a minute).

(Below ) Engli sh Ci vi l War Society mu sketee rs asse mble in York. March 1993. to take part in a march and wreath -lay ing ce remony to honour the memory of the great Ci vil War general and gentleman Sir Thomas Fairfax. creator and leader of Parli ament's New Model A rm y. The scarlet-uniformed men of Devere ux's Regime nt in the fo reground wear M ontero caps;

the upper n aps co uld someti mes be folded in various ways to give protection f rom the weather before the Civ il War the Montero was already known in Germany as the ''Engli sh fog-hat"'. Note also bando liers of charges wi th blue-pai nted tubes and blue-andw hite strin gs: these co lours are spec i f ied in the survi vi ng contract books o f the New Model Army.

(Left) Musketeers of the King's Lifeguard, SK, at Carew Cast le, carryi ng rests and reversed mu skets; at left is a sergeant.

(Below left & right) Ranks of SK northern Parliamentarians, including Ballard 's Greycoats, fire a "sal vee" at Edgehill. This Swedish variation on the usual rolling fire by rank s was we ll estab li shed in Cominental wars before the 1640s. In th e last moments before two bodies of foot carne together, the ranks of "shut" mi ght be doubled up to fire three rank s together - the front rank kneeling, the nex t stooping and the third standin g behind them . By doubling their frontage all six rank s might even fire at once. This co ncentrated firepower might decimate the enemy front ranks at the psychologica l moment before hand-to-hand contact, hut left musketeers with no time to reload.

rnu s ~c t ee rs of Sir Marmad uke Rawdon's Regiment, SK, fire a vo lley during a mu ster at W eston Super Mare. the barrels poi ntin g up for afcty.

(Right) Roya li st

These photographs show ''shot" of the Tower H amlets Trained Bands. SK. during a muster at Weston Super M arc. The Trained Bands we re loca l militias first raised in Queen Eli zabeth 's reign. whi ch by 1642 varied w idely in strength , eq uipment and preparedness: but they were the nearest thing England had to a standing army. and both sides tri ed to get control of them (and their arrnouri es) by se lecti ve appointment o f offi cers. M ost Trained Band s refu sed to serve out side their counti es. Notable excepti ons we re those from Corn wall , wh o were among the K i ng's best infantry; and the L ondon Trained Bands. who we re fro m the first among

24

Pa rli ament 's most va lu ahl e assets. The Bands of the city and suburbs totall ed. by 1643. nine very strong regiments (ave raging about I .200 men eac h) and nine new A uxili ary reg iment s of 1.000 eac h. A reli abl e Parli amentary defence force for the ca pital. the L ondon Trained Band s were also persuaded to suppl y large fi eld hri gades for campaigns further afield in 1643-44.

(Left) Note the pronounced " hatchet" shape of the mu sket stock : th e cloth fi eld sign tied around a sleeve. left ; and thi s reenactor' s bas ket-hilted sword, rather more elaborate th an would normall y be see n at the hip nf a si mplc so ldier.

(Lert and below) Un der the orders of a sergeant at the far end of the ranks, the Tower H amlets men (to judge from their co lou rs in the background , from the second captain ' . company - see page 32) make ready to fire . A s w ith the pike, tec hniea ltreati scs included dozens of drill postures each w ith its own word o f command. givi ng an impress ion of co mplex ity . In wartime practice the handling of the weapon would be learned as a logica l seq uence and the number of separate comm ands would be reduced to the minimum necessary for safety and the effecti ve delivery of fire in battle: ambitious enough objec ti ves , w hen working with rec ruit s many of w hom wou ld neve r have held a gun in their li ves.

(Left) Tower Ham lets shot drawn up in two rank s: the mix of muskets used with and w ithout rest~ is probably authenlic . Before re-enactors w ho use rests close wit h the enemy in hand -tohand combat they drop their re sts - the spiked ferru le could be dangerous: they also di scard any pieces of li ghted match for the same reason - youn g " powder monkeys" foll ow up the reg iment to collect them. Note large hrass and small leather-covered powder flasks. and spare matches.

The essent ial stages of re loadin g a matchlock musket; these acti ons mu st be repeated be fore eac h shut. (Lert) A green-coated musketeer of Carr's Regiment, SK, at Carew Castle. He has removed the smouldering match from the spring jaws of the "serpent" and ho ld s it sa fely out of the way between the fin gers of hi s left hand . With hi s ri ght he selects and opens a charge bottle, and prepares to pour powder into the mu zzle.

(Right) Men of Bri ght 's and Hampden's Regiments, Crawford's Brigade, ECWS, at Gos port . The ba ll was then dropped into the mu zzle after the powder, with or without a paper wad; these men now ram ho me their (bl ank ) charges . In the exci te ment and confusion of battle it is surprisingly easy to tire a musket with the ramrod still in the barre l, with dangerous co nsequences. The ex pli cit order to "secure your scouring stic k" is al ways given before the order to fi re, and musketeers learn the habit of fee lin g for it under the barre l.

(Below left) A mu sketeer of Devereux's, ECWS. at Basing House. The swi ve lling cover is now swung off the priming pan; "touch" powder is poured in; and the pan is re-covered. (Below centre) After any spi It priming powder is carefully bl own off the outside of the lock the match is repl aced in the serpent. (Below right) The musketeer has to adjust the length of hi s match every fe w moments as it burns away, or the smoulde ring tip will no longer fall square ly on the powder in the priming pan when he fin all y pulls the trigger. He a lso has to bl ow on the match to remove the fine ash and keep the tip glowing hot.

( Right) ""Give fire'""- Goring's Reg iment. King's Army. EC WS. at the Gosport mu ster. When the tri gge r was pull ed

the serpent snapped down and back. press ing the glowing tip of the match into the priming powder. A simpl er way. so metimes used in extremi.l", was to ignore the serpent and simpl y to hold a length of match in the ri ght hand . "popping·· it direc tl y into the primin g at the order to fire: the reducti on in accuracy was not too important at very close ranges. Either way, the "hang- fire"' before the priming sets off the main charge in the barre l can seem surpri singly long.

(Above) The tension of wait ing:

a Scaled Knot mu sketeer awa it s the enemy during a mu;.ter at Nort hampton. (Right) Men of a mi xed EC WS

forma ti on stand steady in their ranks. the front rank in the ··prese nt" " pos iti on. with priming pans uncovered. straining for the order to fire . Since he has no match the foreground man see ms to bt: a trainee musketeer se rving out hi ;. safety apprentices hip with an unloaded musket.

28

.___~lours and Drums

ac h compa ny of a Civ il War infantry regiment had it s ow n fl ag- th e "co lo ur" or "e nsig n". Surviving ev idence shows that while those of the various regiments differed quite widely, the re was a common system of des ign. A typical (though far from uni versa l) scheme was as follows:

E

The senior "colonel' s company" colour mi g ht be a plain fi eld in a co lour common to all the regim e nt 's ensigns. The " lieutenant colonel's" was plain apart from a St. George's Cross in th e upper hoi st co rn er. Th e ''sergeant-major's company" often had the same but with a wavy " pile" in a contrasting colour di ago nall y fro m the bottom right corner of the StGeorge's Cross. The ensigns of th e "ca ptain s' companies" bore the StGeorge's Cross, plus from one to seven sy mbol s discs, diamonds, crosses, stars , etc. - in the contrasting colour, arranged in lines or block patterns, the number of sy mbol s id e ntifyin g th e co mp a ny. Differe nt co nv e ntions adopted for th e e nsi g ns of th e se ni o r offi cers ' companies make it difficult to ide nti fy any particular captain 's co lour with certainty unl ess the whole regimental scheme is known . (Above) Battle of Rnundway Down, SK : colours and drums of the Parliamentary force assembled during a parley.

30

(Left) Royalist ensigns at the battle of Edgehill , SK: ri ght, that of a company or Charles Gerard's Regiment - one of several units w ith quattercd colours and unusual company distinct ions.

(Left) Weston Super Mare, SK: second captain ' s colo ur, Sir Thomas Ballard 's Regiment. C ivil War co lours were abo ut 6ft.6in . square, of painted si lk, tl ow n on quite sho rt staves which all owed the bearers to perform e laborate ceremonial flourishes. For economy , today ' s re producti o ns are so metimes made of linen or cotto n, and cost around £25 - silk reproductions can cost aro und £ I 00, and colours are easily damaged in battle. The colour was carried by the junior company offi cer,thc term "e nsi gn" a lso being used for this rank .

(Right) A Parliamentary officer photographed at l:l asing House carrying the 1649 Commonwea lth Ensign ado pted after the First C ivil War and the King' s executio n. Over hi s blue doublet he wears a gorge t, a baldric for hi s swept-hilt rapier, and a tawny-orange sash. I-I is outer garment is a "cassack", with unbutto ning s leeves and side seams which a llowed it to be arranged either as a coat o r a cloak. Cheaper alternatives were si mple cloaks of various lengths, often worn by cava lry; and the "Dutch coat", a conventio nal loose overcoat.

(Left) The colours of the Tower Hamlets Trained Bands regiment of Parl iamentary foot were clearl y recorded. and one is carried here by Sealed Knot reenactors at Weston Supe r Mare. The whole reg iment carri ed red co lours with the sil ver ce ntral motto JEHO VA PROVIDEBIT ("God Will Prov ide") surrounded by palm branches, with small pa lms in the corners, all except the co lone l' s hav ing the St. George's C ross in the upper hoist canton. The sergeantmajor' s bore a single di sc at the top edge beside the c ross. in stead of the alternative "pile"; so the first captain ' s bore two di scs, the seco nd captain 's three (as here, with one disc obscured). and so on.

(Far left) R11undway Dow n. SK : blue ensign of a r~g imen l usin g a mmif from irs commamkr's heraldi c arms in sread nf si mpl e geomerril: shapes. ( Lefll Wesron Super Marc . SK : while ensig. n wirh " pil e" idcrllifyin g rht• sergeanr -major' s e< Hnpan y. (Righi) Pendcnni s Casrk. SK : a w hir e-o n - hl~t c k co lonel 's compan y colour. c trricd by rhc recreared Sir Nicholas Slannin g's Regimen!.

(Left) Second B arri e of Newbury. SK : ensigns of Prince Ruperr' s Regimen! of Fool had a blac k and w hile quartered des ign w ith compani es ident ified by numbers of open circles. i\1 leas! four we re captured al Naseby in I (,45 ( w here, with so me 500 men. it may have been the strongest Roy ali st unit of foot on the field). and were larer recorded w hen paraded in L ond on. Female reg imenwl mu sician s. wir h a fife and a small side drum. are see n in rhe backgro und wearin g laced coars with open sleeves: boy and girl members of re-enactment units ofren rake rhe fi eld in rhi s gui se.

33

(Left) Scaled Knot drummer boy of the King's Li feg uard of Foot in camp at Ro undway Down. Each infantry company offi cia ll y had two drummers; when the unit was drawn up for battle they. like the ir offi cers and sergeants, took post on the fl anks of the bl ocks of pike and shot where they could - in theory - be seen and heard . Civil War drummers were not in fact boys; the drums were large and heavy, and drummers had a vita l part to play in battle, beating signa ls to pass the ir offi cers' orders. They a lso sti II retained echoes of the medieva l herald , be ing sent as envoys to parley with the ene my (and , if possible, to spy o ut hi s forces). T hese duti es demanded matu rity and inte ll igence. (Right) Drummer, Co lone l Valentine Wa lton's Reg iment, ECWS. photographed at Bas ing House. Drummers' clothing was not regulated. but as they played an important part in the regiment 's out ward show the colo nel normally paid for a more or less elaborate costume. O ne very common feature was the coat wi th opened. hanging sleeves. A sword was worn as a sign of military di gnity rather than a practical weapo n. Thi s rope-tensioned fi e ld drum is of authenti c size and weight, made of Dutch oak, goatsk in and calfs kin . It is carri ed by means of the si lk sash - which can cut off the circulati on after three ho urs' unrelieved carrying of the d rum . Reproduction drums arc purchased by regiments fro m spec iali st makers, and cost fro m about £ 130.

Horse

theory a Civil War cavalry regi ment was about 500 trong. divided into six troops. In practice it might have ything from 150 to (exceptionally) 800 or more men, in from three to ten troops. A troop co nve nti onall y had one captain. one Iieutenant , one cornet, a quartermaster, three corporals, two trumpeters, a fatTier, and anything fro m 25 to 80 troopers. Early in the war the Royali sts, recruiting among the rural gentry and their followers , enjoyed advantages both in numbers and in quality of cava lry to offse t Parliament's advantages in mercantile wealth and urban militia infantry. Prince Rupert of the Rhine. the King's nephew, was a brilliant and experienced cava lry general; hi s exa mple dominated cavalry tactics for much of the war. By 1645, however, Parliament had patiently redressed the balance. The New Model Army cava lry - particularly the units formed from Oliver Cromwell 's old Eastern Association regiments- were equal in all respects. and supctior in discipline, to the Cavalier horse. Although many cavalry units spent much of the war split up for dispersed garrison duties. their tactics when assemhled for pitched battle were fairly predictable. The cava lry of the

!:

Second Battle o f Ne wbury: a ve teran owner-ride r trooper of Si r William Waller's Lifeg uard. SK , prese nt s the class ic out line of a Ci vil War " harque husier" It is difficult to obta in convi nc in gloo king 17th ce ntury- style tack ,

altho ugh the re is a sadd le r in Fareham. Hampsh ire , who makes reproduct ion brid les. and the re is a move toward s a standard bridle. Si nce horses cannot easil y adju st to d iffe re nt bits the se will re main modern .

opposing armies were almost inv>ic arrange ment for a gun pu,ition i' a triangle. with the lin, tock swck in the ground down -wind. and the powder hox holdin g measured . bagged charge' upwi nd of the gun . For lega l reason, the gun captai n in eac h crew. who is responsib le at all times for the powder. mu st hold a Black Powder Ce rtificate; and one crew member. a Shotgun Certificate (if the bore is less than 2in.) or Firearm Ce rtificate (if it i' larger).

(Left) Round way Down, SK: robinet of Si r Marmaduke Rawdon's Reg iment. One of the crew protects the touch-hole with her hand , so the piece is presumabl y loaded. Wome n are often seen in today' s gun crews, desp ite the fairly heavy physica l work in volved with the larger pieces. and Ballard ·, Regi ment has an all -female crew . (Right) Helmsley Ca. ti e. Yorks,

EC WS : the two most authenti c reproducti on gun s 'ee n at today' s re-e nac tment s. Foreg round is " Harak", owned by the Roundhead Association. a "bastard cul verin" made by Ken Fisher, with a bore of about 3 3;~ in s. and a barrel ahout three fee t shorter than a co mparab le Civil War piece. In the background is " Rave n", a reproducti on saker owned by the Royal Armouries , HM Tower of London. made by Austin Co lin Carpenter using an ori ginal barrel of the 1630s as a model. It was cast by Iron Bros. of Tavi,toc k. with a steel sleeve red ucing the hore to 3 inches. The ca rriage is based on plans dating from the Marlburian period and Civi l War specification ·. ( Phow by MaMie L11111em . courtesy Engli>·h Heriwge Special E• •e111.1' U11 i1)

(Left) Pendennis astl e, SK: Roya li st fawconct of Sir icholas Slanning's Regi ment. There are usuall y about six crew for a medium-s ize gun . Like Civ il War ordnance, re producti on guns are often individuall y named "Phoeni x", "Sweet Lips". " Magog" , etc.; thi s piece is "Charity". Note the tools at right: a mop and a screw-headed ··searcher" or scourer. The bucket ho ld s water for damping the swabbin g mop; the hessian sack. wadd ing material- paper. straw. hay. or grass (cut. not pulled up. to prevent pebbles being rammed in with the wad). At one time sma ll roll s of carpet felt were also used: the tape holding them was supposed to be cut at the last moment so that the roll opened o ut on firing and did not form a project il e. but forgetfulness over this safety measure led to the usc of felt being stopped.

(Left) Weston Super Mare. S K: the priming ignites in the touchhole of a ro binet of Sir Thomas Ballard 's Regiment . Powder is purchased centrall y by re-enactment soc ieties (at abo ut £3. 50 a po und ) and sold on to the Muster Master for a parti cular event; over a whole season the Sealed Knot mi ght use abo ut 3 112 tons. It is issued to the legally licensed gun captains, who make up charges of sizes to suit their gun - anythin g from lf2oz . for a robinetto 4lbs. for a saker in plastic bags. These are kept in the powder box, and passed to the gunner at need by the " powder monkey". The gunner puts the bag in the muzzle, then a wad. which is rammed home - the bag itself is never rammed, to prevent it splitting. A pricker is thrust down the touch-ho le to pi erce the bag: the to uch-hole must then be covered by a gloved hand until primed , from a separate n ask. and fired with match in a linstock.

54

(Right) Gosport . ECWS: battery of robinets coming under attack at point of pike. The pl ac ing of guns at a muster is at the choice of the commander of the Terc io (brigade). Artillery will fight mi xed among other troops - as here- when they are permitted. bu t are most often placed o n the n ank s. Hi sto ri ca ll y. it would be more authentic for them to fi ght more close ly with their units under the protecti on of regimental in fa ntry. Safety regul ati ons state that troops must not approach a loaded gun : a gun captain can order pikemen away . and in keeping troops c lear of loaded ordn ance he may overrule any other commander - the ultimate responsibility fo r sa fety is his alone . In the centre bac kground. note the small , co lo urful guido n: thi s is a commanding offi cer' s personal heraldi c tl ag .

eCamp

os t re-e na c tors li ve on a campsite for the durati o n of a muster. The organi sers provide a suit ab le area ou t of s ight o f the battleground , wi th latrine. drinking water a nd washing facilities. He re tents of all co lours and sizes blossom among the parked cam pe r va n s a nd carava n s. Dependin g on local regulations ca mp fires may be lit for o utdoor cooking; if not, tho se who ca nn o t b e bothere d to brew up o n camping stoves will inev itably foll o w the smell of hot grease to the mobil e kitchens of the reg iste red caterers who haunt the re -e nactme nt trail. As evening fall s the troops converge o n the lig ht a nd noise of the one utterl y re li able landmark: the beer te nt, which forms the soc ia l focus of the mu ster. With access to the campsite restric ted to me mbers and their families, re-enactors can re lax in the beer te nt, often li stening to a live band or fo lk g roup , and s wappin g pints a nd li es with friends a nd ri vals o ld a nd new . Here 20-yea r veteran s can be heard declaring that in the earl y days cos tumed members ca ug ht in headli g hts while walking the ni ghtime lanes in search of pubs were often reported as ghosts ... And Les retell s the one abo ut the It a lian tou ri s t in Scotland who came ac ross a uniformed crew dragging a cann on , and told the local police he had spo tted bandits in the hill s, .. And Dave recall s puttin g hi s a rmour on under his coat to avo id

M

(Above ) Siege of Carew Castl e, SK : an idylli c setting fo r an authenti c hi storical camp, where a "camp fo ll ower" prepares plau sible 17th century food using period -style utensils and method s.

paying excess baggage at a n a irport check-in , and the Cu stom s officer's face when he found what had set off the metal detector ... Quite separate from thi s site is sometimes found an authentic hi storica l camp set up by the host unit or some other g ro up . The publi c are a l lowed into this area, which is usually near the fi e ld of battle a nd which form s part of the actual re-enactment. All mode rn features are ba ni s he d from the a uthe nti c camp, where the keene r " li ving hi stor y" re-e nactors may li ve throu g hout the mu s te r, s how in g v is ito rs round a nd ex pl a inin g th e realities of 17th century life. 55

II

(Right) A so ldi er of S ~mue l Jones's Parli ament ari an regiment in the authenti c ca mpsite at the SK siege of Ca rew Castl e. Reenac tors of any hi stori ca l peri od will know how gratefull y these troops and their famili es mu st we lcome thi s sunn y day in a good site: for those caught hy heavy rain on a bad ly drained site the horrors of ca mpaigning can become all too convincing. Sieges we re in fact the most deadl y epi sodes for Civil War troop, and ci vili ans. L arge ca mps. stati c for month s. we re lethal hreed in g-grounds of typhoid and bubonic plag ue - far greater kill ers than bl ade or ball : and eve n in ope n field ca mpai gning losses from a co mbinati on o f fati gue. ex pos ure. scanty ra tions and disease could be enormous.

56

(Left) Weston Super M are.S K: the w i fe and chi ldren of a soldi er of the King's Lifeg uard of f oot act out their ro les in the authentic camp. In fact. Ci v il W ar camps on the march had tents for offi ce rs only: leners and memoirs often speak of the mi se ry of sleepin g in the open, eve n though most ca mpaigns we re conducted betwee n Apri l and October. Durin g winter armi es went into permanent quarters in town s. usuall y livin g quite comfon ahl y and being wel l fed. During the l"Jlllf:l'