So You Want to Know About the Armies of the Associations?

So what were the Associations, and give me a reading list...

During the Wars, Parliament devolved local government to local Associations of counties where it held sway. These local Associations raised money, provided supplies and men for Parliament's great field army, which was under the command of the Earl of Essex. Each Association also raised its own army, which was responsible for garrisoning towns, protecting the borders of their Association, and they were also called upon to augment Essex's force. Some also went about their own campaigning.

The Association Armies were*:

• The Midlands Association, covering predominantly Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire. A slightly complicated affair, there were briefly two Midland Association armies. Initially commanded by Lord Brooke, then Sir John Gell took command after Brooke's death at Lichfield.
• Cheshire is a little different (it still is a little different, I can say that having been born in the county): not specifically called an Association, it could almost be described as the North Midlands Association as it covered Cheshire, Shropshire, and bits of Lancashire and Staffordshire. Commanded by Sir William Brereton
• The Western Association is a complicated picture. There was an army in what we would now call the south west covering Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Somerset and  Bristol. Waller's Western Association Army drawing additional regiments from Hampshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire. Commanded by Sir William Waller.
• The Southern Association drawing men from Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex and the Kent Trained Bands. Commanded by Sir William Waller after the loss of his Western Association army.
• The Northern Association was primarily built around Parliament's Yorkshire supporters, it also recruited men from Northumberland, Cumbria, bits of Lancashire and Lincolnshire. Commanded by Lord Ferdinando Fairfax
• The Eastern Association possibly the most famous of the all of the Association Armies. The Eastern Association drew its men from Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge and Hertford; many of the regiments would be subsumed into the 'Newly Modelled' Army. The Eastern Association was commanded by the Earl of Manchester.

The Midlands Association, The Northern Association: so far I haven't found any decent published material specifically about these Associations. Here be a gap in the market!

Cheshire: whilst there are a number of volumes that look at Sir William Brereton (mostly his letters), there is a stand out book on his Army. "More Like Lions Than Men" (Helion) by Andrew Abram. Combining narrative and regimental detail, this should be on everyone's shelf regardless of whether they are building Brereton's Cheshire Army.

The Western Association: a very detailed look at the Western forces is covered by Stuart Peachey and Alan Turton, initially intended to be a companion volume (almost) to their "Old Robin's Foot". 

Initially planned as a 3 part "War in the West" series, only part 1 has surfaced. Produced as an 8 volume A5 pamphlet 'book', "The Fall of the West" (Stuart Press) runs to 852 pages and covers the period August 1642 to October 1643. 

Stuart Press really need to reset the typeface, commission better maps, include some relevant photos and reprint the whole thing as a one volume hardback book. I'd buy it. Brief narrative of events, contemporary documents and officer lists for all of the western regiments and those who were 'left behind' by Essex and Waller.

Waller's Western Association Army gets a good narrative in Laurence Spring's "The Campaigns of Sir William Waller 1642-1645" (Helion), which also crosses over into...

The Southern Association: Waller's Southern Army gets the "Old Robin's Foot" treatment by Laurence Spring in "Waller's Army, The Regiments of Sir William Waller's Southern Association" (Pike & Shot Society).

The Eastern Association: Laurence Spring covers the Earl of Manchester's Eastern Association with two volumes, through to the rise of Cromwell, and the creation of the 'Newly Modelled' Army.

For narrative see "Campaigns of the Eastern Association, The Rise of Oliver Cromwell 1642-1645" (Helion).

For regimental detail and officer lists "The Army of the Eastern Association, Officers and Regiments" (Pike & Shot Society).

Neal Gray's "Europe Had No Better Soldiers. The Army of the Eastern Association and the York Campaign 1644" (Partizan Press) provides a narrative of the formation of the Army, and its role at Marston Moor. Extensive appendices documenting the order of battle at Marston Moor, and a number of transcribed documents relating to the Army, and also Marston Moor.

* this is a very simplified description of the geo-political landscape and history of the Associations. The question 'who/what were the Parliamentarian Associations?' could be the basis of a PhD thesis, and follow up Helion title.

Suppliers:

• Helion 
• Partizan Press available from Caliver Books
• Pike and Shot Society 
• Stuart Press

Please note, whilst I do occasionally get sent books to review, I bought all of the above volumes with my own money. Nor do I get any commission for recommending any reading materials...

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