Cropredy 375

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Rather than cluttering up my ECW Travelogue guide to Cropredy Bridge, I decided to post a second entry which is purely devoted to my snaps from the Sealed Knot's Cropredy 375 event.

The Living History camp...




 
The battle...
 











 













 











 

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What Colours To Use?

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The mental images we have of seventeenth century dress are invariably of a dashing cavalier, wearing extravagant clothing and an ostentatious feather in a broad-brimmed hat; or a dour Puritan dressed in black and white. A heavily stylised, but very enduring set of images created by the Victorians. But what was the reality?

Some clothing from the time still exists, although this will, by the very nature of things, have belonged to rich owners. It has been suggested too, that due to interest in the civil wars, that these surviving garments have been fancydress-ified to achieve the romantic nature of dashing cavaliers and their ladies.

One example of surviving clothing items  is a royalist officer's sash in the Victoria and Albert museum which has intricate silver/white embroidery.


A quick trawl around the National Gallery throws up a number of useful paintings. There is a gallery of Van Dyck's, showing portraits of Charles’s inner circle: the colours on display clearly shout …
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What Colours to Use Part 2: Paint

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If you are new to the blog, or new to painting ECW figures - welcome. Now go and read what colours to use first, as this entry will make much more sense if you read this second.

Caveat: I paint true 15mm figures and apply a heavy wash of Citadel Nuln Oil. These colours work in this setting, with the heavy black wash subduing the colour a bit. If you are starting painting out different sized figures you might need to go brighter or slightly darker depending upon size of your figures.


A number of people have asked me what colour paints I use for certain regiments or a particular item. So here is my attempt at converting the colour chart found in part one into a brand and colour of paint.

I must confess that I am a fan of Foundry and Coat d'Arms (Cd'A) paints, so mostly I have identified their paint colours. If you are a fan of other brands there are a number of paint comparison charts available on the web, one of the best is Dakka Dakka.

Other colours I use (that don't fit the…
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Total Battle Miniatures - Buildings

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Regular readers (hello both of you) will know that I am always on the look out for resin buildings that will work with the Hovels and Peter Pig buildings I had a look at Total Battle Miniatures' (henceforth TBM) ranges.

Why resin? My own house is almost 200 years old, nothing is straight, nothing is true. Whilst laser cut mdf buildings can look good, they are a bit too crisp, neat and square for the seventeenth century. Hence resin. Sagging roof lines, wonky windows are all better represented in resin.

I already own a few of their Big Battalions Napoleonic buildings (Essling Granary etc), so I hoped they would work size wise.


TBM make two ranges - Skirmish which are accurately scaled, and Big Battalions which are the correct height but have a reduced footprint.

My test piece is from the Big Battalions 15mm Black Powder Europe section: 15BPBB12U 'Row of Houses'


A clean, crisp hollow resin model which required no cleaning up. I thought I'd washed all the mould release ag…
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Colonel James Progers' Regiment of Foot

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James Progers' Regiment of Foot was a Welsh regiment armed with firelocks. They fought at Montgomery Castle and Monmouth in 1644, and were besieged at Abergavenny in 1646.
Other than that we know the names of some officers but precious little else.


There is some confusion which of the Proger/Progers/Prodger family was the Colonel of the Regiment. There is an article on the Dictionary of Welsh Biography website which describes the two branches of the family.


It mentions Colonel Charles Proger ‘of the Guards’, who had to redeem his estate at £330 for siding with the King in the Civil Wars, and was probably the ‘Col. Progers’ who took part in recapturing Monmouth for the King in 1644 (J. R. Phillips, Civil War in Wales).


Sir Henry Proger appears to have been the ‘Lieut. Progers’ who was in Raglan Castle when Fairfax took it in 1646.

The article mentions a James Proger who spent time in Spain and was last heard of as constable of Abergavenny Castle in 1665. They also had a relative…
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Houses of Interest: Shropshire

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The latest chapter in Houses of Interest looks at Shropshire.

The first entry continues the theme of Charles II running away after the Battle of Worcester.

Boscobel House is located on the Monarch's Way a  615 mile walking route that is based upon the somewhat circuitous route Charles took when he fled to France after Worcester. It would be quite achievable to walk the 10 mile section from Boscobel to Northycote Farm, finishing at Moseley Old Hall in a day.


Boscobel's role in Charles's flight is responsible for inundating British High Streets with pubs called The Royal Oak.

It is, somewhat saddening to note that the Royal Oak pub closest to the actual Royal Oak has such an underwhelming pub sign (a stylised oak leaf).

It was here in Boscobel Wood that Charles hid in an oak tree. The original tree was felled by seventeenth and eighteenth century souvenir hunters; 'Son of Royal Oak' can be visited via a path from the House.


Son of Royal Oak, and great grandson* of Ro…
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Royal Armouries, Leeds

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Update: they appear to have had a slight revamp of the Civil War Gallery. There's a few extra bits on display. 

One of the most stunning museums I have visited (if you can ignore the wealth of smelling mistooks on the exhibit labels and interpretation boards). One of my favourites too.
Lots to see and do. If you have small people in tow, check their Events page.  They usually put a tournament on over the Easter weekend. If you have particular interests check out the schedule of talks and demonstrations before you go, and plan accordingly.


On entry choose the stairs which give close up views of the Hall of Steel.


Civil War interest lies with the Littlecote Collection, the most important surviving armoury of the Civil War; in the audio visual theatre tucked away at the back of the gallery there is a 15 minute dramatisation of events at Marston Moor (on a continuous loop). Spot the mistake on the large interpretation board showing Streeter's Plan of Naseby - it's actually Stu…
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The Sealed Knot - ECWS: re-enactors

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Bank Holiday weekends usually mean that The Sealed Knot, and The English Civil War Society are re-enacting somewhere. If you have never been to a re-enactment they usually take on two forms - a small demonstration with maybe just one regiment, or major battle with horses, cannon and hundreds of foot soldiers.


The Sealed Knot recently put on one of their major meets at Deene Park in Northampton. Here's a photo album as painting inspiration, or as a taster of what to expect.

The living history camp...


Prior to the battle 

the apprentices regiment drilled...

...and Hesilrigge's Lobsters rode out

The battle


The resident kites weren't sure what to make of it all








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Hex (2017)

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Hex is a micro budget British film set during the Civil Wars. be careful looking for it as there are a number of films that share the same title. Not heard of it? No neither had I.


This film is currently included with Amazon Prime in the UK, but is listed as Hex (2019). Hex (2018) is a completely different film altogether, with a much higher body count.

Two soldiers (a Royalist and a Parliamentarian) meet after a skirmish and their conflict leads them into the woods. Only the woods are... well that would be telling.

Think A Field of England but with an even smaller budget and in colour.

The film looks at seventeenth century superstitions and witchcraft in particular; using cinematography, music and good writing to set the scene.

The film is beautifully shot. The Sealed Knot provided props for the camp scenes, and no doubt one or two dead extras. Locations in and around Staffordshire and the Derbyshire border - Lud's Church looking splendid, and as atmospheric as ever.

For such a …
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The Battle of Alton, 13th December 1643

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KeepYourPowderDry packed it's passport and ventured South in search of Sir William Waller's Southern Association campaign trail. First stop - the Battle of Alton.

I must confess to being rather fascinated with this battle since being a small person, we had a copy of the 'AA Book of British Towns' at home, and when there was nothing on the tellybox (which was nearly all the time, it was the early 1980s after all) I often used to leaf through it. One thing lodged in my memory, Alton Church having musket ball marks in it's door.

So, as I was in the area, I thought I should go and see this famous door.


St Lawrence's Church
September 1643, Sir William Waller was ordered to muster forces for the protection of Hampshire, and the western approach to London. By November his command was expanded to take in forces from Kent, Surrey, Sussex, supplemented by some of the London Trained Bands regiments and the remains of his own regiments (who had been seriously duffed up at R…
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Colonel John Pickering’s Regiment of Foot

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Colonel John Pickering’s Regiment of Foot was raised in 1644 and was part of the Eastern Association. Stormed Lincoln in 1644 before taking part at York, Marston Moor, Sheffield, Bolsover Castle and Second Newbury. In 1645 they were garrisoned at Abingdon before becoming part of the New Model Army.


The Regiment is re-enacted by Colonel John Pickering's Foot part of the Sealed Knot.



Pickering was a lawyer who acted as a diplomat for parliament  conveying messages and reporting back from the Scottish privy council. Pickering originally commanded a regiment of dragoons, before taking command of his regiment of foot.


Pickering's was my guinea pig unit answering my 'how long does it take?' question.


The regiment have a published history (Glenn Foard, Pryor Publications). Out of print but available from online auction houses and ABE Books.


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