Coat Colours Part 2: Royalist Regiments of Foot

Continuing my therapeutic blogging (write rather than rant) antidote to incorrect English Civil War coat colour tables for wargamers, I give you the Royalist Regiments of Foot.

For all of my coat colour articles see:

Introduction 
Part 1 Parliamentarian coat colours
Part 3 Scots coat colours

Part 3B Montrose and the Irish Brigade
Part 4 Dragoons, Horse and the New Model Army coat colours
The Trained Bands

London Trained Bands Auxiliary regiments

Scarves 

Same rules apply here, as they did with the Parliamentarian coat colours: Regiments often got renamed when command passed to a new colonel - these regiments are listed under their first name e.g. Jacob Astley's Regiment was originally Richard Fielding's Regiment. Coat colour notes refer to contemporaneous references and some of the deductions made by Reid, Spring,  Peachey and Prince. You will also notice that some regiments have several coat colours listed. Where there is some question around a coat colour I have tried to give an explanation or provide notes.

Don't forget the golden rule of ECW coat colours: there was no uniformity with uniforms. If a regiment had been issued red coats, don't expect them to have identical matching red coats, instead we'd probably see a mix of shades of red, and some soldiers with completely different coloured coats. Dyes were less consistent, and often not colourfast. Coats were issued and reissued, colours changed. The references that we have cover small windows of time.

There are a large number of regiments not included in this list - we don't know if they had coats issued, or in those cases where they were issued we don't have any colour recorded. 

A number of coat colour lists, both in books and on the internet, will prescribe colours to regiments not included in this list: some of these coat colours stem from an outdated belief that a reference to a 'yellow regiment' referred to their coat colour - it doesn't, it refers to the colour of their flag;  historically some coat colours have been linked to regiments because of their Colonel's names - Blackwell's must have worn black for example; others have been prescribed because somebody picked a colour at random, others followed suit, and several years down the line you'll find it argued that Sandford's Firelocks definitely wore green coats, when in fact it is because the illustrator for The Osprey Elite, "Soldiers of the English Civil War (1), Infantry" used green in his illustration. For both of these examples there is no currently known contemporaneous evidence to support these coat colours. 

A note on the Oxford July 1643 issue of clothing: Peachey and Prince collated a list of regiments present in the city when the clothing issue was distributed, so in theory these regiments would have benefitted from the issue. However, the distribution of clothing to all of the regiments present in the city is by no means clear cut. Laurence Spring (Soldiers Clothing of the Early 17th Century) that there was a higher proportion of red coats than blue.

Notes on the Cornish Regiments: whilst it is oft surmised that the Cornish foot wore blue coats, there is no evidence for this. However, there are two references to Cornish foot having 'red coats'. 

It was reported (Thomason Tracts E100/20) that Major General Chudleigh captured a large amount of weaponry, clothing, twelve drums and three ensigns from Hopton's Army – amongst this haul were red coats at Sourton Down (April 1643). At least five Cornish Regiments of Foot were present at Sourton Down. 

Another report (Thomason Tracts E293/6 10-17 July 1645 p160) refers to captured deserters, most likely Cornish men, wearing redcoats “pressed men...gone home".

Another note (there seem to be rather a lot of general notes concerning the King's men): as with Parliament, officers are generally believed to have worn their own clothes. Officers in the King's army,  you would expect to fit the archetypal 'dashing cavalier' image, all flouncy shirts, feathers, big hats, thigh slapping, and lace. Fairly early in the Wars, 9th June 1643, Charles issued a 'proclamation against the waste and excess in Apparel'; in which 'all Persons of what degree or quality soever' to stop wearing 'lace-embroidery, fringe, ribbons, clasps or buttons and loops of gold or silver, or any cloth or stuff mixed with gold or silver..'. The proclamation  continues with a whole host of banned items. So maybe the dashing cavaliers weren't quite as dapper as we imagine.

And if you are stuck wondering how to convert this information into what colours to use and what model paint colours, the links might help you start.

Sir John Ackland	Possibly grey as one of the captains changed sides to assist besieging Donnington Castle with his greycoats (National Archives SP19.158.89)
Sir Allen Apsley	Red (Symonds notebook, Aldbourne Chase Muster 19th April 1644)
Sir Arthur Aston	Uncertain possibly red, Sir Arthur (while Governor of Oxford) was often accompanied by a small guard of halberdiers dressed in red (Luke's Journal p237)
Colonel William Ashburnham	possibly red - see note on Cornishmen above. Even more tentative than other Cornish Regiments as Ashburnham's were not definitely at Sourton Down
Lord Belasyse (Oxford Regt) later Sir Theophilus Gilby's	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Sir Thomas Blackwell	Peachey and Prince argue that they may have benefitted from the July 1643 issue of clothing (all red or all blue): they were part of the Queen’s Escort from Yorkshire to Oxford and are possibly in Oxford on the 15th July when Wood notes in his diary that “all the common soldiers then at Oxford were newly apparelled”. Charles had ridden out to meet Henrietta Maria at Edgehill on the 13th, and had returned to Oxford on the 14th, so it is safe to assume that the escorting regiments of foot would most likely arrive a day or two after the Queen. Wood’s diary ends on the 15th July so we cannot be certain if the regiments of the Queen’s Escort had arrived in the city; Peachey and Prince suppose that even if the soldiers arrived later than the 15th they would probably be issued clothing from any remaining stocks.
Col Richard Bolle later Sir George Lisle's	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Col Robert Broughton	Unclear! Returned from Ireland in 1644 and declared for the King, change of Col from William Cromwell to Robert Broughton. When returned were described as wearing green coats (evidence unclear), fought at Marston Moor where a brigade of green coats was described,  implying more than one regiment. Could be Broughton's and Tillier's as they were brigaded together and we know that Tillier's wore green.
Col Brutus Buck	A tenuous blue - Buck's went on to form Hopton's who we know wore blue. It has been suggested that they must have worn blue as Buck's
Col Anthony Byerly	Stuart Reid argues that they could be a contender for the white coats with blue and red silk crosses on their sleeves captured at York
Earl of Carbery (Wales)	Parliamentarians captured 100 new red coats at Haverfordwest in 1644, possibly belonging to Carbery's regiment
Col Francis Cooke	Deduced to be white by Peachey and Prince but not definite
Sir Conyers Darcy later Col Marmaduke Darcy’s	Blue (Stratologia by Andrew Cooper 1660)
Sir Ralph Dutton later Sir Stephen Hawkins	White coats Sept 1644, may have been clad in either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in Jul 1643 along with the other Royalist foot regiments then in Oxford (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Sir Lewis Dyve	Deduced to be white by Peachey and Prince but not definite
Col William Eure	Possibly all red or all blue (see Blackwell's for explanation)
Col Richard Fielding later, Jacob, Lord Astley’s	Clad in either all red or all blue (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103) suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in Jul 1643 along with the other Royalist foot regiments then in Oxford. Sept 1644 they received another issue, but of unknown colour. 1644 they are mentioned with Pennyman's as the white and grey regiments
Sir Edward Fitton later Col Anthony Thelwall's	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119)
Lord General	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Sir Charles Gerard possibly later Col Francis Windebank’s	Blue (Symonds notebook 13th February 1644)
Sir Gilbert Gerard later Col Radcliffe Gerard's	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Col William Godolphin Sir Bevil Grenville Later Sir John Grenville  Col Richard Herbert	possibly red - see notes on Cornishmen above possibly red - see notes on Cornishmen above Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Marquis of Hertford later Sir Bernard Astley's	Deduced to be white by Peachey and Prince but not definite
Lord Hopton	Blue (Symonds notebook, Aldbourne Chase Muster 19th April 1644)
Lord Inchiquin	Wore red coats at Cheriton (Thomason Tracts E40(20))
The King’s Lifeguard	Wore all red suits of coats, breeches and monteros; the King thanked Thomas Bushall for the clothing (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103; Symonds notebook 13th February 1644 ) However, prisoners from the 'King's own regiment' captured at Naseby and sent to London were described as wearing codlin (apple green) coats (Kingdomes Weekly Intelligencer 17-24 June 1645 Thomason Tracts E286-288)
Sir William Lambton	Probably white coats: sometimes called the 'lambs', however it is possible lamb refers to Lambton, or his family coat of arms which features lambs, rather than  colour of his soldier's coats.
Colonel John Lamplugh	White Peachey and Prince believed Lamplugh's to be one of the white coated regiments at Marston Moor.
Lord Mohun later Sir Walter Slingsby	possibly red - see note on Cornishmen above.
Lord Molyneux	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Marquis of Newcastle	Most likely white (Thomason Tracts E2)
Earl of Northampton	Quite simply, we don't know. Oft cited as green but questionable. A Royalist was captured at the battle of Southam because he mistook John Hampden's men for the Earl of Northampton's, supposedly because of similar (green) uniforms . However this seems unlikely as Hampden's had not received their coats at this date
Sir John Owen (Oxford)	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Sir William Pennyman later Sir James Pennyman's, then Sir Richard Page's	Clad in either all red or all blue (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103) suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in Jul 1643 along with the other Royalist foot regiments then in Oxford. Sept 1644 they received another issue, but of unknown colour. 1644 they are mentioned with Fielding's as the white and grey regiments
Lord Percy later Col William Murray's	White (Symonds notebook 13th February 1644 )
Col Thomas Pinchbeck later Sir Henry Bard’s	Grey (Symonds notebook 13th February 1644 )
The Queen’s Lifeguard Prince Rupert's	Red (Symonds notebook 13th February 1644 ) Blue (Shrewsbury Borough Records billeting document 1643; Thomason Tracts E 6/23)
Prince Rupert’s Lifeguard	Wore red coats at the storm of Leicester (Officers and Regiments of the Kings Army Vol 2 L-Z, S Reid) and marched out of Bristol in September 1645 "all in red coats" (Thomason Tracts E 302/3)
Sir Barnaby Scudamore	Possibly red there is a reference to Herefordshire folklore tales featuring Scudamore’s troops as ‘the red men of the dusk’
Sir Nicholas Slanning later Sir Thomas Bassett's	Possibly blue - Slanning owned a dye works in Taunton, and its often been supposed that blue was a likely colour for Cornish coats, but there's no real explicit evidence. possibly red - see note on Cornishmen above.
Sir Edward Stradling later Col John Stradling's, then Col Thomas Stradling's	Either all red or all blue suits of coats, breeches and montero hats in July 1643 (Luke's Journal p119; Wood's diary p103)
Col John Talbot (Irish) later Sir Gilbert Talbot’s	Yellow (Symonds notebook, Aldbourne Chase Muster 19th April 1644)
Sergeant-Major-General Henry Tillier	Green (Symonds diary p75; Thomason Tracts E6(23))
Col John Trevannion later William/Richard Arundel Sir Thomas Tyldesley	possibly red - see note on Cornishmen above. Red (likely) (Lancashire Royalist Composition Papers 337)
Sir Charles Vavasour later Sir Matthew Appleyard	Yellow (Ludlow's Memoirs p72)
Prince of Wales (Welsh Marches)	Blue (Shrewsbury billeting records)
Col Henry Warren	Fanshaw lists red when they served in Ireland as the Lord Lieutenant's Regiment in 1640 (quoted in An English Army for Ireland, I Ryder). On arrival in Chester, November 1643, their clothing was so bad that the Mayor of Chester "sent through all the wards to get apparel of the citizens" (A Collection of Original Letters and Papers, Carte London 1739 Vol5) to clothe the troops returned from Ireland, prior to a clothing issue arriving for them.
King’s Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard	Red The Yeomen wore, as they still do, a scarlet uniform of the Tudor style
Duke of York	Deduced to be white by Peachey and Prince but not definite

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