Keep Your Powder Dry

Following on from Professor Furgol's talk at the Helion Century of the Soldier Conference, it became apparent my Irish men needed some spiritual leadership to take them into battle. (Too complicated to explain, I'm sure it will be in his new book.) I found a pack of monks from Magister Militum that pretty much fitted the image that Ed had shared of a Spanish tercio going into battle with a cross held high to inspire the soldiers. So here they are, no idea if the robes are accurate, but they 'feel' right. Irish you say? Yes, I've taken the plunge and started creating an Irish Confederate army, these Godly men will inspire the Confederates and the Irish Brigade fighting for the King with Montrose. There are quite a few spare monks in my spares box now, so don't be at all surprised if one or two appear in the command bases of a Confederate RoF. If you enjoyed reading this, or any of the other posts, please consider  supporting  the blog.  Thanks .

  The opening salvo in the Worcestershire ECW Travelogue entry... or is it? The 'big ticket' item for Worcestershire* is clearly Worcester - the Commandery and the Battles of Worcester and Powick Bridge . The Norman Church of St Augustine in Droitwich was badly damaged in a siege in 1642. The church was occupied by Parliamentarian troops. Royalists attacked, and in the process destroyed the nave, tower and south transept. The church would be rebuilt in the eighteenth century. It is thought that the area surrounding the church was fortified by the Royalists, a short length of backfilled ditch being discovered during excavations in the early 1980s. The vicar at the time of the Civil Wars was William Jones, was banished during the Commonwealth, returning in 1660 to resume his ministry.  Dudley** Castle was garrisoned for the King, the governor was Colonel Thomas Leveson . Besieged by Lord Denbigh in June 1644, the castle held out against his force of 3500 men and a 32 pounder

Today's post is a plug for an organisation that I am not a member of, but publishes exceedingly good books. And before you ask, no, I am not on commission. I take no responsibility for any large orders of books placed after reading this post. From the Society's website: Founded in 1973, the Pike and Shot Society is an international organization that promotes interest in the warfare of the Early Modern Period, a time that saw radical change in the way in which wars were fought world-wide. Its main activity is the publication of its highly respected bi-monthly journal Arquebusier as well as specialist books, monographs and booklets. The Society also has a presence on Facebook, a very good links page, and of course, the publications for sale page. The Society's publications don't appear to be available anywhere else (if they were I'd advocate buying direct so that all profit goes to the Society). Probably the most valuable books for anyone wanting to recreate specific

If Naseby was the start of the end of the Royalist cause in the First Civil War, Stow the knock out blow, Sherburn-in-Elmet was one of the heaviest blows in between. Oft overlooked, this very important battle garners little attention - Nick Lipscombe devotes a whole two sentences to it in his Atlas of the English Civil War, and doesn't even mark it on any of the maps. Oh, and this post hits a bit of a milestone, being post number 400. A celebratory small sherry might be in order later. Naseby saw the Army Newly Modelled decimate the foot element of the King's main field army, a large proportion of the King's cavalry, the Northern Horse being able to flee. Lord Digby taking the horse north with the plan of joining Royalist forces in Scotland under the command of Montrose. The old grammar school, built 1612 Sherburn was garrisoned with between 800 and 1500 foot, and possibly 400 horse under the command of Colonel Wren. Digby was approaching Sherburn from the north, and captur