"Standards for New Model Army" Topic

I am trying to identify the colours of each of the foot regimenst within the New Model Army. Can anyone help with the 12 regiments ?

Mostly unknown IIRC

Correct. We are better informed about the Royalist regiments as so many standards were captured (at Naseby).

Its true most are unknown,but I can help you with a few…

According to the info that I own….

Edward Montague, Blue field..1645/46
John Pickering,Blue field..1645/46
Thomas Rainsborough,Green field…1645/46
Hardress Wallers,Black field..1645/46

The above four regiments fought at Naseby…

A few from a lot later…

Sir William Lockhart,White field…1658
George Monck,Green field…1658
John Hubblethorne…Black field 1658

desmondo,I hope this gets you started…..

Regards

Hi all, yep NMA foot colours are really very poorly recorded, although I hear on the grapevine that somebody is researching them but hasn't published yet.

Steelback- I've heard of Rainsborough's green flags somewhere too but never found the original reference, don't suppose you can recall it?

Another one is Col. Charles Fairfax's foot blue colours with FIDELITER FAELICITER motto on the Colonel's and the rest differenced by mullets (5-pointed stars), but this wasn't one of the original 12 rgts, being raised in 1648 and colours ordered in 1649.

There's a ref to Tom Fairfax (Lord General's) regiment being known as the green regiment, probably referrring to flags, but Charles above refers to Tom carrying blue colours previously (maybe pre-NMA though), so far so confusing!

Now for some speculation! OK, so what if the NMA kept the flags from their predecessor regiments? No idea if this is true or not but its at least a possibility.

Format
NMA regiment [flag colour]- (army) (E essex, W waller M manchester) – previous rgt [flag colour]

Fairfax [green or blue]- (E&M) – Essex [orange] & Manchester [green??]
Lloyd – (E) – Aldrich [blue with gold wreaths]
Skippon – (E) – Skippon [crimson or green]
Harley – (E) – Barclay [crimson or green]
Fortescue – (E) – Langham etc [crimson or green]
Ingoldsby – (E) – Tyrell [crimson or green]

Hammond – (M) – Crawford [red???]
Montagu [blue] – (M) – Montagu [?]
Pickering [blue] – (M) – Pickering [?]
Rainsborough [green?] – (M) – Ayloffe [?]

Waller [black] – (W) – Holborne etc [?]
Weldon – (W) – Weldon [crimson]

This isn't horribly inconsistent as far as it goes. The crimson or green colours are the sets ordered by Essex's army in Oct 44 to replace what they'd lost in Cornwall, these were:

Crimson with yellow mullets
Crimson with white balls
Green with yellow billets
Green with yellow half-moons
Green with white diamonds

But it wasn't noted which of Essex's regiments got which.

Whaddaya reckon?

My brief earlier post wasn't the most helpful, sorry! I think that Timbos reasoning is fairly good & that the regiments may well have hung on to their earlier colours. If nothing else, it is a fair starting point.

Thanks. I think that this approach will be fine and in 6mm, the regiments can pass as the original or the NMA

The story goes that levellers from Rainsboroughs regt tore strips from his regimental colours to create leveller tokens. These are often described as "sea green" which gives the idea that Rainsborough's colours were sea green which is a blue green tone. Sorry but I don't have a source for this tho.

I am a member of Col Robert Hammond's Regt in the Sealed Knot where we fly white colours with a black flame difference between companies. Now I have no idea where the evidence for this comes from but it at least is a start.

Having spoken with somebody who is researching the NMA it is most likely that regiments used the colours they already had when they joined the New Model Army just as many were probably wearing their old (ie NOT venice red coats at Naseby).

At this point the suggestions above are as good as any. I'll add that I don't think they were too bothered about there being several units with green colours – they never were in Essex's army. Just as coat colours and flag colours rarely matched I think what we would like to see as wargamers ie colour co-ordination simply didn't happen.

It's fairly likely that coats and colors were changed every year during the wars with little attempt at consistency

Howwver, that said From waht I remember, the units that came from Esex's army appear to have kept thesames coloursbut everyone else was given new ones.

I would also suspect that they were of the new "modern" geometric style (see Timbo's list about)

Hi all,

thanks Elenderil, that does ring a bell re Rainsborough.

A nice little quote from one of Dave's old mags (ECW N&Q) ! "Sir Thomas Fairfaxes colours are blew" (Perfect Passages 1st May 1645, which also noted the whole army in red coats except the firelocks in tawney and that regiments were distinguished by the facings of their coats). So another vote for blue for Sir Tom (though I guess it could refer to his horse).

A couple of confessions of dodginess to own up to –

1) I don't know the flag colour for Manchester's foot, though green seems a good guess as it seems the Earl's favourite (cornet colour etc).

2) Crawford's with red colours is very tenuous based on a mention of the 'bluecoats under the bloody colours' at Marston Moor which is probably referring to Crawford's but might not be.

Dave – great to hear from you!

Probably all too true re coat changes unfotunately, though I'm not so sure on colours. At least for the Royalists there are some that persist a little eg the Blue with white cinquefoils (prob Stradling's) at Edgehill and noted by Symonds in 44 and likewise eg King's Lifeguard and Rupert's from 44 to Naseby, where some of the captured ones looked very old and battered indeed. But point taken.

Dave, what do you mean by 'modern geometric style'? Is this the balls, mullets, billets half-moons and diamonds kind of thing?

Hello all,

I have searched through the archives at The National Archives, SP 28/-. These show that in April 1645 payments were made for the regiments of Essex's old army to purchase just two new colours, so they appear to have continued to carry their old ones.

On the other hand those of Manchester's Army received 10 new ensigns.

Unfortunately the warrants do not say what colours the ensigns were.

I have not come across any references to Sir Hardress Waller's Regiment, which was formed Sir William Waller's old army.

I hope this helps.

Hi Pappenheim,

Excellent, thanks very much for this! So it looks as if Essex's men in the main hung on to what they have. Also its very interesting that the order is for two colours, as the crimson and green sets were bought in sets of eight, so two more would be needed per regiment to bring them up to the NMA 10 company establishment.

Any indication of who the 10 new colours for Manchester's army were given to? Certainly Montagu and Pickering received new sets of colours, is there any way of telling if the 10 new were for them or Hammond/Rainsborough?

Hello Timbo W,

My notes are at home so I will check them and get back to you.

Hello Timbo W, as promised here are my notes on NMA colours.

2 April 1645

By virtue of an ordinance of Parliament made 28 March last past we desire you out of the £80,000.00 GBP… to be advanced by way of loan for the payment of the Army under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax to pay Sir Thomas Pickering the sum of £55.00 GBP to furnish his regiment with 10 colours and £20.00 GBP 15s 6d for 10 partizans at £6.00 GBP, 20 halberds at £6.00 GBP 19 drums at £22.00 GBP 16s

1 April 1645. Similar warrant for Colonel Rainsborough's regiment to buy 10 colours

2 April 1645. Similar warrant for Colonel Montagu's regiment to buy 10 colours

3 April 1645. Similar warrant for Colonel Aldrich's regiment to buy 2 colours.

11 April 1645. Order dated 28 March 1645 to pay Lieutenant General Hammond to furnish his regiment with 2 colours at £4.00 GBP 3s SP28/29 f209

16 April 1645. Similar warrant for Colonel Fortescue's regiment to buy 2 colours,

19 April 1645 Similar warrant for Skippon's regiment to buy 2 colours

23 April 1645 Similar warrant for Crawford's regiment to buy 10 colours

23 April 1645 Similar warrant to Sir Thomas Fairfax's regiment to buy 10 colours

27 November 1645 Paid unto Christopher Crisp to furnish Colonel Weldon's regiment with ten colours £20.00 GBP 15 shillings, the partisans at £6.00 GBP 24 shillings, halberds at £7.00 GBP 4s and for 20[?] drums, £57.00 GBP 19s

25 June 1649 Treasurer at War to Colonel Hercules Hunckes for drums, colours and surgeon's chest etc., for his regiment for Ireland £110.00 GBP 00 00

25 June 1649 Treasurer at War to Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Colonels Hewson, Ewers, Cooke, Ireton, Venables, Phaire and Stubbers for eight officers above named £20.00 GBP each for colours for their regiments £160.00 GBP

22 October 1650

For 5 colours of blew taffeta with staves and tassels £13.00 GBP 18s
For 5 colours of green taffeta with staves and tassels £13.00 GBP 18s
For 3 colours for Colonel Hanksworth £8.00 GBP 13 s 10d
2 boxes to put the colours in £10.00 GBP[?] 1s 2d*
That Captain Goodley paid for colours £4.00 GBP 5s
For silk and making of colours £4.00 GBP 4s

[entry cross out]

* £10.00 GBP seems too much for a two boxes, it is possible £1.00 GBP
24 April 1651

These are to will and require you out of such moneys as are next to be sent into Munster to the Lord Deputy for the pay of the forces there to pay unto Colonel Daniel Abbott or to whom he shall appoint the sum of £240.00 GBP upon accompt for buying colours for 10 regiments of foot in the service of Ireland of which you are not to fail and for which this shall be your warrant. Given at the Council of State at Whitehall this 22 of April 1651. Signed in the name of the order of the Council of State appointed by authority of Parlianment, John Bradshaw, president. Acknowledgement of receipt of £240.00 GBP on 24 April 1651

28 June 1651. Major General Harrison to George Rowell for colours for George Fenwicks regiment £19.00 GBP 00 00

3 July 1651 Item this day ordered that Robert Smith Esq., shall forthwith pay unto Major Champneys the sum of £28.00 GBP 17 6 pence out of the moneys he hath received for drums, colours etc,

Received the 16 August 1651 of Mr Alderman Smyth treasurer for the moneys raised for drums, colours and other emergencies the sum of £100.00 GBP according to an order of the Commissioers of Militia bearing date the 14 of this instant Aug for use of Colonel Matthews Regiment. Signed J Matthews.

August 1651 Paid for colours for Colonel Peyto and a staff, £2.00 GBP 18s 7 pence

1 October 1651 Treasurer at War to John Allen for 10 colours for Colonel Ralph Cobbett's Regiment £25.00 GBP 9shillings 6pence

These are to will and require you out of the £9,380.00 GBP 11 shillings 10½ pence by you received for the excise for the present emergencies of the Commonwealth to pay until Mr John Allen or to whom he shall appoint the sum of £25.00 GBP 9 shillings being in full satisfaction for ten colours for the regiment of Colonel Ralph Cobbett by his provided and delivered of which you are not to fail and for which this shall be your warrant. Given at the Council of State of Whitehall the 2nd of October 1651. Signed John Bradshaw to Treasurer at War. Paid 9 October 1651

15 August 1659 to John Rogers for the colours and banner of the life guard £29.00 GBP 2 shillings 6 pence

16 August 1659 G Frost to Captain William Angel for drums, halberds, and colours for the 12 companies of Sir Henry Vane's regiment £120.00 GBP

As to coat colours In 1645 the Surrey recruits being sent to the NMA were issued with red coats faced tawney, but unfortunately the receipt did not say which regiment they were going to.

If I come across any more I will let you know.

Oh wow! Fantastic job Pappenheim!

Knocks a few of my suppositions on the head I expect, but I'm more than happy as it is solid evidence!!

So for Naseby era at least:

Fairfax [blue, possibly green]- (E&M) – Essex [orange] & Manchester [green???] – 10 new colours Apr '45

Lloyd – (E) – Aldrich [blue with gold wreaths] – only 2 new colours Apr '45
Skippon – (E) – Skippon [crimson or green] – only 2 new colours Apr '45
Harley – (E) – Barclay [crimson or green]
Fortescue – (E) – Langham etc [crimson or green] – only 2 new colours Apr '45
Ingoldsby – (E) – Tyrell [crimson or green]

Hammond – (M) – Crawford [red???]- 10 new colours Apr '45
Montagu [blue] – (M) – Montagu [?]- 10 new colours Apr '45
Pickering [blue] – (M) – Pickering [?]- 10 new colours March '45
Rainsborough [green] – (M) – Ayloffe/Russell [?] – 10 new colours Apr '45

Waller [black] – (W) – Holborne etc [?]
Weldon – (W) – Weldon [crimson] – 10 new colours but not unitl November '45

The odd one is in March to pay Lieutenant General Hammond to furnish his regiment with 2 colours. I've read that Hammond was given Crawford's regiment after Crawford decided against joining the NMA. So is it possible that Hammond was originally assigned one of Essex's regiments? This stirs some vague memory, but from where?

I think, if we accept the above for the moment, this is looking good.

As far as can be seen, Essex's regiments each got an extra 2 colours to bring them up from the old sets of 8 to the 10 authorised for the NMA. This argues that they did indeed keep the crimson or green sets (and Aldrich's blue).

All of Manchester's regiments, and Tom Fairfax's new regiment, were kitted out with brand new sets of flags, but we know the field colours of all these except Hammond's that remain a bit mysterious.

Of Waller's army Hardress Waller's we know were black, but Weldon's seem very likely to have kept their old crimson colours through 1645 until they were replaced in November.

Very interesting also on the recruits. Essex recruits were in red coats faced blue perhaps these went into the ex-Manchester regiments while the tawney-faced redocats from Surrey went into Waller's old Southern Association regiments? Would be nice to think so but probably not that neat!

The later refs are also fantastic.

Cheers,

Timbo

The flags of the New Model Army are unknown. The colours for Charles Fairfax's Regiment were ordered, but there is no record of whether they were actually made and delivered. Thus it seems reasonable to make them up. The suggestions so far above are all eminently sensible and accord with what we think might be the case. The system of plain colonel's colour (violated by Charles Fairfax), the lieutenant colonel with a plain colour only bearing the St. George in the canton; the (Sergeant) Major bearing the same as the lieutenant colonel with a pile wavy, and the captains bearing as many devices as their seniority. This is a particulalrly English system and does not appear to have been used by anyone else. It is the pattern that is observed in some of the London Trained Bands flags, and regiments such as Devereux's. The devices used in this system are very simple geometric shapes as a rule. The suspicion that Thomas Fairfax's regiment bore green colours is a backwards extrapolation from the colours carried by Monck's regiment when he was Lord General at the point of Restoration. Hope this helps.
Les Prince

Many thanks Les!

On Tom Fairfax's there are references to blue (though not 100% conclusive) while the green colour ideas seem a bit weaker, as you say.

Threadomancy here, but just in case anyone's interested, I think I've found another flag reference.

This is for a regiment raised under the Commonwealth, Matthew Alured's Regiment of Foot later led by Thomas Talbot, then John Hubblethorne. In Firth and Davies' Regimental History of Cromwell's Army, there's report of a Chaplain Gumble describing the regiment as 'the brave black colours' while they were with Monck in Edindurgh in late 1659. F&D opine that this may indicate 'facing colour' but I think it's far more likely to be flag colour.

Unfortunately this regiment weren't involved in any of the major battles, having been raised in 1650 they spent their time either in garrison or pacifying the Highlands.

Doh! Many apologies, just noticed that Steelback had already shown this in post 4 – ho hum….

The Green Colours for FAIRFAX's own Regiment come from a petition of 1647 from the officers and men of the Regiment. HOWEVER the reference to Blue Colours comes from a reference in the newsbook 'Perfect Passages' in April 1645 which is often referred to but very rarely does anyone go back to the original (you can tell this because the first modern source that quotes it gives the wrong date and it is this incorrect date that is virtually always cited by modern writers – if they HAD checked the original, as they all claim to have done, they would quote the correct date of the issue). All of which is incidental, of course, BUT the main point is that the reference to 'BLUE' is actually to the colours of Fairfax's Lifeguard and Regiment of Horse which do indeed have a blue field – they are recorded in the 'Turmile Mss' in Dr Williams' Library.

The other confusion is in the colours of RAINBOROWE's Regiment. These are recorded at Worcester in 1646 as YELLOW. The reference to green comes from 1648 and is a reference to Rainborowe's personal colours, i.e. his heraldic, livery colours and has been misinterpreted as referring to the colours of his Regiment.

With reference to the colours carried by the first Regiments of the New Model – the issue warrants in the National Archives show that the Regiments from Essex's Army all brought their colours with them (they had, after all, only been issued in the Autumn of 1644) whereas all other Regiments received new colours. Unfortunately the warrants do not cite the hue of these new colours, only their manufacture and issue.

Colours were issued every three to five years from the surviving warrants but we do not have the hue of the colours on any two issues for the same regiment (except Essex's in 1642 and 1644, which both have orange fields) so it is impossible to say if the hue of a stand of colours continued from one issue to the next.

I hope that this helps

Stephen Ede-Borrett

Excellent, many thanks for your contribution Stephen, much appreciated.

OK, so do you think that we can say conclusively that Fairfax's foot carried green colours in 1647?

Rainsborowe's with yellow colours in 1646, very interesting! I guess either the story of his foot ripping up their own colours must have become garbled somewhere along the way (does anyone have the original quote handy?) or they must have been issued new colours in the meantime.

Are you happy with Weldon's hanging on to their crimson flags till November 1645?

By the way I think TMP has managed to track down the Gentlemen Pensioners' standard of 1639 from here link and here link , not sure if this was generally known.

Of course, (Doh!) Rainsborough's regiment in 1648 wasn't the same regiment he'd led in 1645.

His original NMA regiment had been given to Col. Deane, but Rainsborough had only been appointed Colonel of the Tower Guard Regiment after two colonels (Needham and Shambrook) had been killed in quick succession at the siege of Colchester in 1648.

So if the sea-green does allude to flag colours in any way, (which is doubtful as Stephen Ede-Borrett explained) then it must be to the Tower Guard regiment.

Knew this was bugging me but couldn't remember quite why until now!

I think I would say that Fairfax's were 100% Green Colours in 1647 and this SHOULD have still been the same issue as in 1645 (they received a complete new stand of ten colours in April 1645, SP28/29/II) which shouldn't have been due for replacement until 1648/9.

I have heard the story of the Rainborowe's Regiment tearing up its colours but have not found the original source (nor had anyone tell me where it comes from, so anyone that can help pretty please ?). This being the case, and because the story itself seems like something that would be invented later, I would tend to discount it although stranger things have turned out true…. The warrant for these colours is, incidentally, SP28/29/I

I think that I would go with Weldon's keeping their original colours initially – which tends to be confirmed by the issue of ten new Colours to the Regiment (hue unknown) in November 1645 (SP28/32/II).

Fun trying to make sense of all this isn't it – I don't think out 17th C ancestors could have made the whole thing more complex and puzzling if they had tried !

Stephen E-B

Thanks Stephen,

Understood on the 'should' have been the same in '45, this is the ECW after all…..

Yep me neither on Rainsborow and the Levellers, heard the story, but exactly where from I'm stumped to say.

Agree, wouldn't be half so interesting if a big book had survived with every flag illustrated in it. Though it looks like we now have at least a plausible guess for all the regiments of the New Model apart from Hammond's.

I do have a very very tenuous one for Hammond's –

Crawford's might have been the regiment at Marston Moor described as 'the blue coats under the bloody colours' so they might have carried red flags, and the new set of 10 ordered for Crawford's in 1645 before Hammond took over might have been the same colour. This idea probably isn't worth the electrons it's written in though!

Hi Timbo

You know the ECW ! Any guess is better than nothing. I have yet to see the Worcester College Mss of ECW falgs but I understand that these are all horse cornbets like most of the other mss.

The Pike and Shot Society is planning a massive tome on Infantry Colours early next year I believe (lost of coloyr piccies etc) and are also hoping to republish some of the Cavalry Mss books in facsimile – a long term project though.

Stephen E-B

Hi Stephen,

great news on the forthcoming P&S publications, I'll be very interested in these.

I do have Alan Young's Index Emblematicus for the horse, but I guess there must be plenty non-emblematic cornets not shown there??

A quick recap of the accumulated 'best guesses' from the thread:

Fairfax – green

Lloyd – blue with gold wreaths
Skippon – crimson or green
Harley – crimson or green
Fortescue – crimson or green
Ingoldsby – crimson or green

Hammond – red??? (very very tenuous, most probably rubbish!)
Montagu – blue
Pickering – blue
Rainsborough – yellow

Waller – black
Weldon – crimson

The 'crimson or green' colours are the sets ordered by Essex's army in Oct 44 to replace what they'd lost in Cornwall, these were:

Crimson with yellow mullets
Crimson with white balls
Green with yellow billets
Green with yellow half-moons
Green with white diamonds

But it's not known who got which