Sir William Pennyman’s Regiment of Foot

-
Believed to be one of the first Regiments to be raised in support of the King.

Sir William Pennyman commanded a  Yorkshire Trained Band which was raised in 1639 and fought in the First Bishops War (they are believed to have worn grey coats).


This incarnation was raised in 1642, many of Sir William's Trained Band joining his regiment of volunteers.


Believed to have been at the siege of Hull, they fought at Edgehill, Brentford and were present at the Turnham Green standoff. They stormed Marlborough before taking up a garrison posting in Oxford. Venturing out of Oxford with Prince Rupert to storm Cirencester, and fight at the Battle of Caversham Bridge.

Sir William died in the Oxford 'epidemic' of August 1643 (Pennyman Papers held at Hull University  Archives). It is believed that there was a large outbreak of typhus in the Thame valley, and this was what the phrase 'the epidemic' referred to; although outbreaks of plague were also common place, so plague too is a potential contender. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography gives his death as 'consumption' (TB), so we have no definitive cause of death.

On Sir William's death command of the Regiment passed to his half-brother Sir James.


James led the Regiment at the Siege of Gloucester, First Newbury. They were part of the muster at Aldbourne Chase where from Symonds's reports we can deduce that they wore either all red, or all blue (I plumped for blue).

They went on to fight at Cropredy Bridge, Lostwithiel, Second Newbury, Ledbury, Leicester and Naseby.

Brushwork on these by Alan Tuckey, basing by my own fair hand.

Sir William, who was briefly Governor of Oxford is buried at Christ Church in Oxford.



If you enjoyed reading this, or any of the other posts, please consider supporting the blog. 
Thanks.

Comments

  1. Steve-the-Wargamer15 June 2020 at 08:00

    Love that shade of blue...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar15 June 2020 at 09:16

      It is, now if only I could remember what it was. As Mr H. Simpson would say "d'oh"

      Delete
    2. nundanket15 June 2020 at 17:38

      I’m with Steve on that.

      Delete
  2. Graham C15 June 2020 at 22:09

    I'm fortunate to live in Pennymans home village of Marske where his family house is now a most impressive charitable care facility.
    Local historian Phil Philo has done a number of pieces on the local small actions that took place in the area including this piece involving the Pennyman family
    https://youtu.be/T--t3JXfV4g

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar16 June 2020 at 08:39

      What a lovely house, you are very lucky to live close by. Many thanks for the link.

      Now thinking about Parliamentarian amphibious assault parties...

      Delete
  3. Unknown16 June 2020 at 20:58

    Hi
    First, thanks very much for the blog - I found it through Twitter. Really like the regular features on the units that you create. Just wish I'd started on 15mm, rather than 28mm. I've got about 600 ECW painted - another 400+ to go! The latest regt - Pennyman's – is great, and would love to share your sources for some of the information you include with it. Reason for my interest is that I live about a mile down the road from Sir William's house at Marske-by-the-Sea and am fascinated by his story. I recently submitted an essay to Pike and Shot competition (didn't win!) and should be pleased to share it with you if interested. Please let me know. Keep up the good work and thanks again.
    Keep safe!
    Regards
    Phil
    Phil Philo, Co-Chairman, Battlefields Trust North East - South (Co.Durham & Tees Valley)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar16 June 2020 at 22:46

      Many thanks for your kind words Phil, glad you enjoy my rambling.

      I do occasionally look at some of the beautiful 28mm figures and question, albeit briefly, why I didn't go for 28mm. Reality soon kicks in and I accept that I have neither the skill or the patience to paint vast numbers of 28mm figures. 15mm seems just the right amount of detail with the ability to individualise figures (Peter Pig headswaps) and that I can see well enough to paint (heavy washes thankfully disguise and hide most of my brush work -I'm very much a technique rather than skill painter.

      My research usually starts with the BCW Project, and very occasionally Wikipedia: both give an overview that helps identify what search terms ai need to employ. Surely I can't be alone in having 'find a grave' bookmarked in my browser? The ODNB is a great resource, when I am able to access it (in other words I'm continually in the habit of putting my library card away 'somewhere safe'). I have of course tidied up entries, and added snippets of information to the BCW Regimental Wiki on a number of occasions.

      I also data mine my own library - in this case it was Reid's Cavalier Army Lists. A note to any authors out there - an Oxford Army version of Old Robin's Foot would be a sure fire winner. Gardiner's Great Civil War is a little akin to the BOW project in that it often throws up a number of lines of enquiry. Sometimes I get lucky and find digitised contemporaneous documents, more often than not I have to put up with abstracts. Now wondering if I could borrow #1 son's uni library card to access - JSTOR.

      Recently, with a little more time on my hands, I have been going a little more in depth into my regimental histories. Since initially publishing this post I have edited Sir William's cause of death from plague to probably typhus/maybe plagure/maybe consumption. Oh to live within walking distance of the National Archive and the British Library. Why is it the manuscripts that I would most like to view are invariably the ones that haven't been digitised?

      Shame to hear your essay didn't win, and of course I'd love to read it. You can e-mail me at admin@keepyourpowderdry.co.uk

      Delete
    2. Steve-the-Wargamer17 June 2020 at 07:57

      Phil - I'd like a read as well... would you consider putting it up online somewhere?

      Delete
    3. Unknown17 June 2020 at 12:24

      Thanks very much for your response. Yes, share your frustration that I live so far from some of the original sources in 'The Smoke' that I'd so love to consult to beef up what I must admit is 'research' from secondary sources at the moment - having said that, there is still a lot of secondary stuff to keep anyone going for a long time!

      Steve, if you'd like to send your email to pphilo1958@gmail.com I'll send you a copy. Am reluctant to putting it online at the moment because I've never had it looked at by anyone who knows what they're talking about. I'm not a BCW academic and have only recently revived my teenage interest in the period (grew up in Leicestershire close to Ashby-de-la-Zouch) and got involved with the Battlefields Trust. I have articles and give illustrated talks/guided walks on the Battles of Piercebridge, Guisborough and Yarm and am trying to put something more substantial together on the Civil War in the Tees Valley (formerly Teesside - County Durham/North Yorkshire). Best wishes. Phil

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Colonel Philip O’Reilly of Ballynacargy’s Troop of Horse

-
Image
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...
Read more

Royalist Harquebusiers on Foot

-
Image
  Bit of an eye candy post today; where I finally get around to painting the Royalist harquebusiers on foot (they've only been sat in the 'to do' pile for nine months or so). For those of you new to KeepYourPowderDry, or the Civil Wars in general, you might be wondering why anyone would want dismounted cavalry. In a nutshell regiments of horse joined in the besieging of houses, but as horses weren't particularly useful when attacking a house, their riders dismounted to fight. They were often in the first wave of assault troops as their buff coats and armour afforded them considerable protection (in comparison to infantry). Plus it also gave them a share of any spoils if the assault was successful. For more information about the role of harquebusiers in sieges, and a look at my existing assault parties see  here . These are Steel Fist figures from pack ECWF 09, but as I have zero faith in Steel Fist swords (they are much too slender to be practical) I have replaced th...
Read more

Firenze

-
Image
Firenze/Florence? Well known exile location or has the ECWtravelogue decided to embark upon the grand tour? And what exactly has the birthplace of the renaissance got to do with the Wars of the Three Kingdoms? In all fairness, your immediate reaction of 'well that's got nothing to do with the Wars of the Three Kingdoms' would be correct. What Firenze did have was a ridiculously wealthy Edwardian Anglo-Italian gentleman, called Frederick Stibbert. An English pot Museo Stibbert.  Stibbert's family was incredibly wealthy, his grandfather making a fortune from his role as General Commander of the East India Company, and governor of Bengal.  You can get very close to many of the exhibits, possibly too close; but this brilliant to be able to see details that we normally see through a glass display cabinet  Stibbert's father would be a colonel in the Coldstream Guards; and, through a series of deaths in the family, Frederick would inherit the entire vast fortune. On the hi...
Read more

General Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill’s Regiment of Foot

-
Image
Who? You might be more familiar if I write Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill as Owen Roe O'Neill. But I won't because he was Irish, not English. Although there is some confusion if he was Eoghan Rua or Eoghan Ruadh. I'll stick with Eoghan Ruadh. Now please bear with me, as there's rather a lot of Ó Néills running around Ireland in the 1640s. Eoghan Ruadh had at least eight brothers and four sisters; and was connected through marriage to many of the leading native Irish families of Ulster. His nephews included Daniel O'Neill  and Hugh Dubh O'Neill both of whom were important figures in 1640s Ireland, as well as Conor, Lord Maguire, one of the original plotters of the 1641 rebellion, and his brother Ruari , who commanded a regiment in the Ulster army during the 1640s. In Spanish service, 1605–41 Eoghan Ruadh was accompanied by three of hisbrothers: Phelim, Art Óg, and Cormac. He secured himself a position as captain in the regiment of Henry O'Neill, son of the Earl of Tyro...
Read more

Novelty and Change

-
Image
The weather is rubbish: it doesn't feel right painting in the summer, but it is much too cold and wet to go on a big ECWtravelogue day out... so expect rather a lot of book related posts of the coming weeks. Helion curate a number of regular conferences linked to their extensive book series. I was lucky to attend the most recent Century of the Soldier conference as a guest of series editor Charles Singleton. The lectures given by the speakers are collated and published  by Helion with the subtitle of "Proceedings of the... Helion and Company 'Century of the Soldier' Conference". I must be clear and point out that Helion sent me this copy for review. So, what is this? A nice souvenir for everyone who attended? Or the 'handouts' for everyone who couldn't be bothered taking notes? If you didn't attend, is it worth splashing the cash? Clearly, at a very facetious level it is both a nice souvenir, and the 'handouts' from the lectures, for those ...
Read more

Soldiers' Clothing of the Early 17th Century

-
Image
The latest tome from Helion focuses on an issue that is right up there in the list of favourite topics at Château KeepYourPowderDry. Occasionally Helion send me books to review, for clarity I bought my copy. I might not be the intended audience for this book, as I know a little bit about the subject, and my bookshelves groan with the weight of Civil War books. But I bought it none the less. Laurence Spring is one of those Civil War historians/researchers whose books will always make me sit up and take notice.  This volume, unsurprisingly, takes a long hard look at clothing issues to soldiers both in Britain and also on the continent. I'm going to be honest, I've not read the 30YW chapters (plus I feel unqualified to comment upon their accuracy), but I have read the 'British' chapters four times. Yes, four. I'm that sad. On the subject of my copy being well thumbed, the cover is, somewhat disappointingly, already delaminating. Not good. This book is chock-full of acc...
Read more

Amsterdam

-
Image
 Amsterdam? English Civil War? Surely a questionable/tenuous link... or an excuse for a 'jolly'. Amsterdam, party capital of the low countries, is not too synonymous with the Civil Wars, standing in the shadows of Breda and The Hague. Detail from 'Militia Company...Bicker' Breda's claim is strong, where many adventuring young gentlemen learned soldiering before the outbreak of the Wars; The Hague, where so many Royalists exiled themselves during the Interregnum/Protectorate.  Amsterdam wasn't too popular with exiled Royalists; however, it did become home for many exiled republicans once the Restoration had returned the monarch to the throne. These exiled republicans would help build Amsterdam's wealth. What Amsterdam does have is a city landscape that very much entered its golden age during the mid seventeenth century. Amongst the pungent aroma of cafes, stroopwafels, extortionate chocolate shops, frites and ladies whose virtue can be easily bought, are a wh...
Read more

Comments. Again (!)

-
Image
Sorry regular readers, once again comments and the contact form have temporarily been turned off. Why? Someone on Twitter has got their knickers in a twist about an information panel at Newark Castle.  Why has she done that? Because the information board features an image of a man of African descent.  The man pictured is an actor, portraying a man called John Americanus, who fought for the King at Newark. John's role in the defence of Newark is well documented. And yes, John was of African descent. The National Civil War Centre created a Civil War Trail around the town, information panels are located at points of interest. These panels feature QR codes which accessed features on a now defunct smartphone app. Each location also featured an eye witness account - stories from real people who witnessed the events in Newark. Each information panel has a photographic representation of the person whose story was told in the app. The Castle's eyewitness account was John Americanus. Un...
Read more

Prison Wagon

-
Image
I've watched enough nonsense on the telly box to know that every historical/supernatural setting requires a prison wagon (effectively a cage on wheels) in which the good people round up witches/monsters, or alternatively the evil henchmen (who are all, almost certainly, called Igor) round up innocent civilians to aid their master's fiendish plans. (delete as appropriate). In fact, spurred on by a regular reader (hello), and their questions about Witchfinder General they asked me where my prison wagon was. Well, as I didn't have on, nor any excuse to not have one, I was spurred into action. I decided to utilise the chassis of Donnington Miniatures' CB14 Open 4 Wheel Wagon. The wagon comes as a kit, flat bed, separate sides and baggage. I ditched the sides, and will utilise the baggage elsewhere. Four Museum Miniatures' draught horses from my spares box will pull the cart. But how to fabricate the 'cage'? A few test pieces proved that I could utilise matches a...
Read more

Houses of Interest: West Yorkshire

-
Image
For more Yorkshire 'related stuff' you can find North Yorkshire here ,  South Yorkshire here ,   East Riding here . See also the Rupert Travelogue  entry for Yorkshire, and the entry for Adwalton Moor Oakwell Hall    was the inspiration for Charlotte Brontë's Fieldhead in "Shirley". More recently it has been used a number of times as a film set, including "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell". Located close to the M62 and the Leeds branch of purgatory on Earth (aka Ikea), this Tudor manor house is beautifully maintained by Kirklees Borough Council. The hall is presented as a seventeenth century home. I really like this approach, as so often historic houses have different rooms decorated for different eras, so it is really nice to see a house presented from one era in it's entirety. Oakwell was in the ownership of the Batt family, who supported the King; John Batt was a captain and most probably fought at Adwalton Moor. The retreating Parli...
Read more