Keep Your Powder Dry

As the Scots fought on both sides, and regularly changed allegiance it makes sense to just write one Scottish reading list. Regular readers (hello all 12 of you) may have noticed a bit of a shift to matters north of the wall. You'd be correct, and can expect quite a bit of Scottish content over the next few months. The 'regularly changed allegiance' bit of that sentence seems rather flippant, but in reality the Scots were looking after number 1. They wanted to protect the rights of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and would support whomsoever they thought would guarantee those rights. We mustn't overlook those Scottish lords who appear to have harnessed the chaos of the wars to settle old scores, consolidate and extend their lands, and generally feather their own nests. Our starting point has to be Professor Furgol's "A Regimental History of the Covenanting Armies 1639-1651" (John Donald Publishers) .  Long out of print, copies do surface from time to t...

Today's post takes a look at a very exciting release from Partizan, that focuses on the flags of the Scottish Covenanters.  Regular readers may well spot a plethora of Scottish related posts over the rest of 2025 - guess where the ECWtravelogue is going on holiday this year... For transparency please note, whilst I do occasionally get sent books to review, I bought this volume with my own money. Nor do I get any commission for recommending any reading materials... which is a real shame... First some background... The Covenanting Armies continually changed its allegiances during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms to support whichever 'side' they thought would further their cause. This book focuses upon the period 1648-1650, where they threw their support behind Charles I, as Engagers, then behind Charles II after the Treaty of Breda. The Engagers had negotiated with the imprisoned Charles I who promised the Covenanters his support of the Presbyterian cause; this effectively star...

The current rash of 'new senior officers' continue. When will it stop? Pretty soon I'd imagine (the box of shiny things is now empty). So here is a senior officer apiece for the The Solemn League, Montrose, and The Catholic Confederacy. These are PP figures from their 'personalities section, who have been repurposed. As with previous figures from the PP personality section, major surgery was required to remove the vast majority of their bases. First up is  John Lindsay, Earl of Crawford-Lindsay , who is the Hasselrigg figure from the range in case you are wondering. John is resplendent in full cuirassier armour. John, born around 1598, was the eldest son of Robert, 9th Lord Lindsay,  and Lady Christian Hamilton. On his father's death in1616, he became the 10th Lord Lindsay of the Byres. 1633, he was elevated to  Earl of Lindsay. He also inherited the Earldom of Crawford following his cousin, Ludoivic, forfeiting the title in November 1652. He was appointed Treasurer...

The ECW travelogue packed a toothbrush, passport, a jumper, and a big coat and headed north to Edinburgh, home of the Covenanters. Whilst driving north, the inappropriateness of calling the travelogue the ECW travelogue became rather prescient. But it is too late to start calling it the Wofthe3Ktravelogue now! The Covenant If you can tear yourself away from the pipers, tartan shops, and traditional Scottish shortbread, there are a wealth of places and artefacts connected to the Covenanters for you to see. Greyfriars Kirk First stop has to be Greyfriars Kirk , which once you get past all the Greyfriar's Bobby razzmatazz is bursting with Covenanter related history. In the 1638 the Covenant was signed in the kirkyard.  There are believed to be about 50 copies of the Covenant: there are six copies held in Edinburgh, one is on display inside the kirk's small museum.  The Covenanter memorial Whilst in the church yard, there is a large memorial to the...