Keep Your Powder Dry

The third of three Covenanter regiments of foot to get their time in the spotlight.   John Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford-Lindsay would serve as a Colonel in both of the Bishops' Wars; however, he did not share sole colonelcy of these regiments. He would not take sole colonelcy of a regiment of foot until he was commissioned in 1643 in both the Ulster Army, and the Army of the Solemn League and Covenant. It is assumed that most of the men, for the Ulster regiment, came from Fife. It is thought that the regiment may have taken part in expeditions led by Munro in 1643. Lindsay would return to Scotland in 1644 to join his 'other' regiment.  The Solemn League regiment was raised in 1643 in the Fife presbyteries of Cupar and St Andrews: they were commanded initially by Thomas Moffat, whilst Lindsay was in Ulster. There appears to have been a considerable amount of exchanges of officers between he two regiments during this time.  The regiment marched south with Leven's Army ta...

Another regiment that appeared only fleetingly: a Covenanter Regiment of Foot raised for the Bishops' Wars, then seeing service in England, Scotland and in the Second Civil War Originally raised in 1638 in Peeblesshire, they were involved in the capture of Dalkeith House, before they joined Leslie’s army at Duns Law. They were disbanded following the Treaty of Birks in June 1639. John, Master of Yester, received his commission late August 1643 to raise the regiment anew in Linlithgow and Tweeddale presbyteries. He selected a professional soldier, William Johnston, as his lieutenant colonel. The Master of Yester would spend most of 1642-3 accompanying the Royalist army in England. The regiment marched south into England and engaged in their first combat by storming the fort at South Shields. They would serve at the siege of York and Marston Moor, where they were brigaded with the Stirlingshire Foot in the Scottish second line. After Marston Moor they marched to Leeds. They would ret...

Not a 'new' Regiment, but another in the series of 'briefly mentioned, I'd better go into a bit more detail' posts. So here is fifteen minutes of fame for the Earl of Buccleugh's Regiment of Foot. Later known as Colonel Walter Scott’s, then Colonel William Baillie’s Regiment of Foot, they were also known as the Tweeddale Foot. The Tweeddale Foot were raised in August/September of 1643 by Francis Scott, the 2nd Earl of Buccleugh (now spelled Buccleuch). The majority of its men came from the presbytery of Selkirk. Numbering 1200 men they joined Leven's army in January 1644 and marched south into England. Their first engagement was at the Battle of Hylton to the west of Sunderland (also known as the Battle of Boldon Hills), closely followed by joining the besiegers of York. They were brigaded with Loudon's Glasgow Foot at Marston Moor, but fled the field after being broken by the left wing of the Royalist horse. They were then quartered in South Yorkshire, ...