Following on from last week

When I posted a thematic Blog entry focusing on my ACW collection and encouraged by the many positive comments it elucidated, I decided to reorganise the photos I had stored on Photobucket of my 28mm English Civil War collection and make a second thematic Blog entry.
Actually, its the third collection I have owned over the years, starting in the 1980's with a small Minifigs army, for Parliament of course, and then a 28mm scale Covenanter army made up of figures from manufacturers such as Essex, the long gone Sussex Miniatures {I really liked their pikemen}, and even some Lamming figures with the separate heads! The present collection I began when I retired from teaching in 2001 and comprises mainly Wargames Foundry and Perry Miniatures figures with a few from Warlord Games, notably the personality figures Matt sculpted for them.


We play now a days with my own rules,
"A Crowning Mercy", available from Caliver Books

My allegiance in the Civil War has always been to Parliament, I'm a republican to the very core of my being, detesting the monarchy, its fawning advocates, and the aristocracy in general. The end of the Commonwealth in 1660 signalled the end of any chance of true meritocracy developing in our country. So, "Death to Kings! Even 28mm ones!" will be our small scale battle cry! Our forces are lead by ~

Oliver Cromwell by Warlord Games

The Earl of Essex by Warlord Games

Obadiah Bykleigh, our local Parliamentary Hero, by Wargames Foundry

Of course, I've had to put my strong feelings to one side and paint figures for a Royalist Army as well as for Parliament. They are commanded by that staunch monarchist, Sir Marmaduke Gaylord Robinson, later Lord Rawnsley and by Lord Walton of Stafford ~

Sir Marmaduke Rawnsley by Warlord Games

Of course we have historical personalities too in the form of the Kynge {'God bless His Majesty!'} and that arch Royalist, Prince Rupert of the Rhine ~

Prince Rupert by Warlord Games

We mainly game a series of imaginary battles in a semi campaign format ranging over South Staffordshire, where Phil, Jon and I live ~

Obadiah Bykleigh and his 'Council of Warre' plan their next move

In recent years for this period I've moved away from 40 x 40mm bases and the like to larger bases for ease of storage and movement on the tabletop battlefield. The favoured size for the ECW armies has evolved to be 80 x 50mm. This enables a Regiment of Foote to have three bases, one of pike and two of shotte. I've also added a circular command base, an idea I lifted from Dave Imries's ECW armies on his blog ~

Essex's Tawney Coated Regiment of Foote



Sir Marmaduke Robinson's Regiment of Foote

A Troop pf Horse or Dragoons can be represented by a similar 80 x 50 base, usually with three mounted figures on it ~

Parliamentary Horse advancing to the fight!

I've added a few of the ephemera of battle over the last few years as well as a number of guns of various manufacturers and calibre ~

By Perry Miniatures

Baggage ~ an essential element of the ECW army

On a table 6'6", or 7', by 4' large scale battles in my preferred choice of 28mm figures are not always feasible. But, even on a smaller table the visual impact can be pleasing I think ~

A clash of horse on the army's flank

Or a push of pike in the centre ~ figures by Perry Miniatures

There's a good reason to collect those ephemera figures in the visual appeal of any game ~

The Rev Jeremiah Bykleigh invokes the Lord's blessing
on slaughtering those Godless Papists fighting for the King!

While Solomon Drinkswelle takes a more laid back approach

To finish then, some shots of the other units which have graced our games ~

Prince Rupert's Regiment of Foote

The Oxford Foote

Some action scenes from our battles ~

A shameless plug for my rules to finish off this second thematic post ~

I shall be interested to see what, if any, feedback and comment this Blog post produces. If it is mainly encouraging and folk would like to see more then I shall persevere with the reorganisation of my photos and post a third Thematic Blog entry, probably of one of my Colonial Collections...