Keep Your Powder Dry

Somehow, despite the best efforts of real life trying to hinder my painting of little men, I've managed to make some more progress on my Catholic Confederation army. Here's the second of two units of cavalry. Philip MacHugh O'Reilly was the son of Hugh O'Reilly of Ballynacargy, County Cavan, and Katherine MacMahon. The family were deemed to be one of the ‘deserving’ native Irish families whose land was not taken during the Ulster plantation. Not to be confused with Hugh O'Reilly, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh. Contemporary sources refer to him as a lawyer, but there's no existing evidence of him having attended Inns of Court in England. He may well have received legal training on the Continent, prior to accepting a command in the French army.  Philip inherited the family estate on his return to Ireland. He would play an active role in local politics, holding a number of important roles, before being elected as MP for County Cavan in the 1640 parliament. As M...

The first unit of Confederate horse leave the painting table, with a healthy pinch of conjecture as to their equipment, uniform and cornet. James Tuchet, the 3rd Earl of Castlehaven, viewed himself as an Englishman, and as such volunteered to help suppress the Irish rebels during the outbreak of the Irish uprising in 1641–42. Unfortunately the fact that he was Catholic caused a sense of distrust amongst the pro-English side, and he was arrested and incarcerated in Dublin Castle. He managed to escape and fled to Wicklow; on arrival at Kilkenny, the headquarters of the confederate Catholics, he was persuaded to accept a command in the army, and was appointed general of horse under Sir Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara. Many believed at the time that the Earl of Ormonde had engineered the whole situation, in order to bring Castlehaven over to the rebel side. The regiment of horse would be raised in late 1642; and may have numbered not much more than a single troop. Day to day command of t...

My original Which Figures posts have grown exponentially, so much so that I decided to revise the information. For the full picture see:- Which Figures?   - the original post, where I ruminate about what I want from figures, and what led me to choose Peter Pig  Which Figures? What is Available   - the state of play with current 'ECW' 15mm figure ranges; a continually updating look at what figures are available, and what is included/missing from ranges. Which Figures? Part 2a: Size Matters: Foot  - I take a look at what is available in 15/18mm and show side by side comparisons  Which Figures? Part 2b: True 15mm/Epic Compatibility: Foot   - a more in depth look at smaller 15mm compatibility Which Figures? Part 3a: Size Matters: Horses   - I take a look at what is available in 15/18mm and show side by side comparisons  Which Figures? Part 3b: True 15mm/Epic Compatibility: Horses  - a more in depth look at smaller 15mm compatibility (th...

The last of the 'oooo, I've got space in my storage boxes, I'd better fill it' expansion  horsey men. I won't be missing death by brown paint for a while. Colonel Herbert Morley’s Regiment of Horse was a combined Regiment of Horse and Dragoons serving in Waller’s Southern Association, then as garrison of Arundel until  they were disbanded in 1653. Raised in Sussex in April 1643, the Regiment originally consisted of 80 horse and 100 dragoons. By the end of 1643 their strength rose to about 400 men in total. Combined horse and dragoon regiments appear to be a way of having two small regiments for the price of one: a combined regiment has one colonel (and just one colonel's pay to find). There are a number of examples of these dual regiments recorded, Morley's was not a 'one off'. There is some confusion as to their first engagements: they were ordered to join Essex's Army at Gloucester, along with the Regiments of Colonels Norton and Harvey, but wh...

What's this? More Horse? I hear my regular readers exclaim (hello all eight of you). I know I said that there would be no more Horse, but a reorganisation of 'the boxes' threw up some emptiness; fearful that such expanses of box wasteland would cause cataclysmic chaos theory consequences, I thought I'd better fill it. So one more Horse a side it is. So here, for your delectation, is Sir George Vaughan’s Regiment of Horse. Raised in Wiltshire. They fought at Lansdown; were probably at Roundway Down; stormed Bristol; the siege of Gloucester; First Newbury; possibly at the siege of Wardour Castle; were able to field two troops at Cheriton; Cropredy Bridge; Lostwithiel; Caradon Down; Second Newbury; before rounding the First Civil War off (and their existence) at the relief of Donnington Castle. Vaughan, himself, was wounded at Lansdown. he was captured at Hereford in 1645. As a result, he would be imprisoned at Southwark, and fined £2,609 for his "delinquency".  ...

The Gordon Horse were originally raised for the Covenanters but changed sides and fought alongside Montrose. They then appeared to wage their own private war against anyone and everyone who wasn't a Gordon. Lord George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly, was commissioned to raise a regiment of 8 troops for the Covenanters: they were raised  in February 1643 in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Moray and Northern Scotland, they were based in Moray. They failed to appear at Berwick; parts of regiment join Callendar at Newcastle; Lewis would lead them at Aberdeen. By February 1645 Lord Gordon changed sides to become Royalist: troopers from his Regiment of Horse either follow him or disperse. The now Royalist Regiment fought at Elgin; Dundee; Auldearn; Alford; Kilsyth; and Aberdeen. That was the easy bit. Now for the complicated story of which Gordon was in command... Lord George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly on display at Warwick Castle Lord George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly,...

The last of the Parliamentarian units that appeared briefly, that now deserve their moment in the spotlight. Originally appeared on here as Captain Charles Fleetwood's Regiment of Horse, but then I realised that I also field Colonel Francis Russell’s Regiment of Horse - Russell's metamorphosed into Fleetwood's (via a brief outing as Vermuyden’s). So a change of flag and a little rebranding was required. Raised in 1643 Norton's would serve both with Essex's Field Army and Waller's Southern Association, spending much of their existence besieging Basing House. In July 1643 they were repulsed from Basing House; went to the relief of Gloucester; First Newbury; then back to Basing House; before skirmishes at South Harting, Westbourne and Romsey. 1644 saw them skirmish at Havant; Warblington; Cheriton; skirmish at Odiham; back for round two at Basing House;  possibly at Winchester; back to Basing House; Second  Newbury; back to Basing House; skirmish at Salisbury. 1645...

After the excitement of Captain Frances Dalyell's Troop, recruiting the Army Of Montrose comes down to earth with a bump. Sorry.   A very short-lived troop of horse that we don't really know much about. Raised by the Victorian's very own action hero, The Marquis of Montrose, to serve on Clavering’s brief campaign on the Scottish Border in early 1644. Reputedly boasting Scots gentry amongst their numbers. Their very brief fighting history being the taking of Dumfries; the siege of Morpeth; and a skirmish at Sunderland. And that, gentle reader, is pretty much all that is known about them; other than Blount described their cornet in  The Art of Making Devises. I've chosen to present them as lancers, as I originally intended just to have the Gordon Horse as Montrose's harquebusiers.  Mostly straight from the bag PP lancers. As I was being a cheapskate I rummaged in my spares box to find a trumpeter and a pair of mounted dragoon command figures - all three have had heads...

When I planned my Army of Montrose, it was, as in real life, quite cavalry light. A unit of lancers and a unit of harquebusiers (for the Gordon Horse). But... well I fell down a rabbit hole... and, discovered the intriguing story of Captain Frances Dalyell alias Mrs Pierson. Well, once I knew about her, it just had to be done a Frances in 15mm. It was intended to be the final Montrose unit to be painted, unfortunately I was in headswapping mode and needed to scratch that itch. So here they are. Captain Frances Dalyell, alias Mrs Pierson, was reputedly the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Carnwath. There are many contemporary tales of women dressing as men and serving in the Wars, so many that Charles had a draft proclamation drawn up, setting out required standards of behaviour for Charles I’s army. It included a hand-written memo in the margin from the king himself stating "lett no woman presume to counterfeit her sex by wearing mans apparall under payne of the severest punis...