Supplying The New Model Army

Be still my beating heart. A book on the supply of clothing and equipment that relies heavily, and quotes, contemporary documents. 

Somehow, this book really ticks my boxes. Who'd have thunk it? What do you want to be when you grow up? Someone who gets excited at the mention of the Tangye Collection manuscripts, and any hint of SP28 (Commonwealth Exchequer Papers) has those close by reaching for the smelling salts. That last sentence wouldn't have been on the shortlist, or even the longlist.

Authors writing about the New Model Army supply chain tend to limit their attention to what are known as the Mungeam Contracts, a 'sample' of the London Museum's* Tangye Collection which were transcribed and are easily accessible. As Dr Abram points out in his introduction, there is so much more source material.

But enough of my peccadilloes...

Dr Abram's latest tome homes in on the supply of the Army, Newly Modelled. Not just clothing, armour, weaponry, horses, horse furniture (that's saddles and bridles, not chaise longue for horses), powder, and more importantly for anyone who has ever followed the drum - food.

This is one of Helion's hardback books, why some are hardback and some softback I know not why; hopefully it'll stand up to regular handling (unlike some of their softbacks). Although the binding of my copy already shows signs that it is breaking down, something that is becoming a little too commonplace with my Century of the Soldier volumes. At £35 this is more than a little disappointing (Helion sometimes send me books for review, I must point out that I purchased this one myself).

Running at 311 pages, this, like all Andrew's writings, is meticulously researched. Coming so soon after Spring's 'Soldiers Clothing of the Early 17th Century', and Glen Price's 'Soldiers and Civilians, Transport and Provisions' I think Helion are trying to corner the 'supplying the C17th soldier' book market. If anything this is a tandem volume for Price's book.

Those of you familiar with Andrew's 'More Like Lions...' treatment of Brereton's Cheshire Army will have a good inkling of what to expect.

Dr Abram briefly describes the origins of the New Model Army, and the various committees that oversaw its supply and governance. He then goes into the details.

My eye honed in on the thorny issue of coat linings/facings.

A contemporary account states that the regiments were distinguishable "by several facings of their coats" (Perfect Passages 30th April - 7th May 1645). We also know that contracts for coat supply in April 1645 specify  that coats were to be supplied with coloured tapes (white, blue, green, yellow and orange) - were these coloured tapes the facings that Perfect Passages mention? 

Dr Abram makes another suggestion, that the coloured linings/facings are indicative of where a soldier came from: soldiers from Essex were to be issued red coats lined blue "as has formerly been the practice"(Calendar of State Papers Domestic 1644-5 pp358-9), and those from Surrey and Sussex red coats lined orange. In other words local committees marked out their men and that they equipped them by the colour of the linings/facings.

Andrew's hypothesis has some correlation with the tradition of 'arming' pikes. There is considerable evidence of pikes being decorated with ribbons in the Trained Bands (this evidence dates from the late C16th up until the 1639, so clearly a long established practice): pikes decorated with ribbons were described as being 'armed', those without ribbons were 'unarmed' or 'bare'. In 1621 Leicester Corporation bought lengths of white ribbon and watched (watchett) coloured ribbon to give to the town's soldiers to distinguish them from others in their company (Records of the Borough of Leicester BR/II/18/12 f 16). We also know that Derbyshire Trained Band men were equipped with ribbons in their respective captain's colour in 1635 (BL Add MS 6702 f116). Local Committees and Corporations wanted people to know that soldiers were 'their men', that they had funded their equipment and clothing; has this tradition percolated through to NMA supply chains? Maybe he's onto something...

As with all of Andrew's books that I own ('More Like Lions...', '.For A parliament Freely Chosen..,' and 'Dragoons...'), I can heartily recommend this volume. It might not be to everyone's cup of tea, but if you have even the remotest interest in the supply of Civil War armies, then you need to find a space on your bookshelf.

*The Museum of London rebranded itself the London Museum in 2022. As an aside, everyone (okay, just me actually, the offspring are nonplussed) here at Château KeepYourPowderDry, is getting very excited about the new Smithfield site opening in 2026. 

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