Sir John Gell’s Regiment of Horse

Sir John Gell was a bit of a favourite here at Château KeepYourPowderDry due to the Derbyshire connection, and having oodles of his belongings survive in museums. However, a little bit of research into the man himself reveals that even by seventeenth century standards he could be described as somewhat misogynistic. 

We've already met his Regiment of Foot (another wargamer favourite - possibly the only military unit that we can, hand on heart say we know what their coats and flags looked like); Gell also had a Regiment of Horse. Well, when I say a Regiment it only existed as a 'Regiment' on paper. In reality it was independent troops who came together for the rumble at Hopton Heath, and were nominally under Gell's command.  Obviously as Gell was a little busy commanding the army, actual command of the 'Regiment' fell to Major Thomas Saunders. Gell and Saunders didn't really get on too well. Some of their mildly acrimonious letters still exist.

Whilst there is considerable surviving correspondence regarding the Regiment, their recorded activity is very limited. 

Apart from the aforementioned outing at Hopton Heath; Barton's troop stormed and skirmished around Oswestry for a few months in 1644; Barton's troop skirmished in Burton the next year; and 300 men under the command of Major Saunders fought at Rowton Heath and Denbigh Green.

As always the cornet is from Maverick Models; there are a handful of headswaps and a mounted casualty. I picked up the grey coats of Gell's Foot for the herald, as I wasn't brave enough to attempt a black/white tabbard matching the background colour of the corner.

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