Living History a flavour of the pastA Brief Chronology of events involving the Earl of Northampton's Regiment
When you read most popular 20th century histories of the Civil War you will find few references to the activities of the Regiment or its personnel. However dig deeper and a rich story emerges, involving characters that would have a lasting impact on events in the latter half of the 17th century. In the war itself, the main characters took part in a great many of the major incidents, and on a smaller scale the day-to-day activities of the regiment give an insight into general life in the Kingdom during this period of turmoil, since the daily struggles were mirrored across the country. This brief history should be considered a basic primer for anyone in the current Earl of Northamptons Regiment, for you to think about who we are attempting to recreate.
1637/38 The 2nd Earl of Northampton Spencer Compton, a lifelong friend of King Charles, gains military experience on the continent alongside Prince Rupert, under the Prince of Orange. At the siege of Vlotho, near Hanover in present-day Germany, Rupert is captured but Spencer escapes and returns home.
1639/40 Spencer attends the King against Scottish rebels, but the King is eventually defeated.
Summer 1642 Spencer executes Commission of Array in and around Warwickshire to raise troops for the King.
August 1642 Spencer lays siege to Warwick, eventually relieved by a strong force under Lord Brooke for Parliament. The King raises his Royal Standard in Nottingham. Spencers troops are outnumbered and defeated at Southam by Brookes and Hampdens troops.
September 1642 Spencer with 100 horse are involved in the Kings victory at Powick Bridge, taking several prisoners.
October 1642 Spencer, in command of a troop of the Prince of Wales Regiment, and his three eldest sons (James, Charles and William) take part in the Battle of Edgehill. James and Charles are both knighted for gallantry. Afterwards Banbury is captured and given to Spencer to garrison, who delegates governorship to Lt Col Sir Henry Huncks, his most senior field officer. The Banbury Garrison quickly becomes notorious as a den of theeves, due to the amount of plundering that takes place in the local area.
February 1643 Spencer is commissioned as a Colonel General of Horse and Foot. Parliament forces under Lord Brooke lay siege to Lichfield. Brooke is soon killed by a boy shooting him in the eye from a cathedral tower, but the siege continues.
March 1643 Spencer marches north to help relieve Lichfield. After closing roads between Warwick and Lichfield he occupies Stafford. He hears of a large rebel force under Gell and Brereton advancing from Cheshire, and meets them on Hopton Heath. The rebels are beaten off but Earl Spencer Compton is killed in the battle. His 20-year old son James succeeds as the 3rd Earl of Northampton. Gell keeps Spencers body as a ransom for the return of rebel artillery pieces. However James refuses the demand.
May 1643 Cavalry under Earl James Compton defeat many rebels in a skirmish at Middleton Cheney, just outside Banbury, capturing their arms. James removes the Governor of Banbury, Sir Henry Huncks, on a charge of corresponding with the enemy. Lt Col Anthony Greene replaces him. A feud develops between James and his younger brothers William and Charles, mainly to do with the running of the Banbury Garrison.
August 1643 James with his cavalry attends the Kings siege of Gloucester.
September 1643 James distinguishes himself as a cavalry commander at the First Battle of Newbury, but the rebels win the day.
December 1643 Charles Compton leads a troop of cavalry under Sir John Byron, who defeats Brereton near Nantwich in Cheshire.
June 1644 The Earls family home of Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire, is captured by rebel forces after a two-day siege. However the King defeats the Earl of Essexs army at Cropredy Bridge, aided by the Earl of Northamptons Cavalry. James and his cavalry then assist the King in pursuing Essex all the way to Cornwall.
August 1644 The first great siege of Banbury begins. The siege severely damages Banbury Castle and the surrounding buildings, but the garrison valiantly hold out under the exemplary leadership of Lt Col Anthony Greene and William Compton, though vastly outnumbered by rebels.
October 1644 The siege is lifted after James and a large cavalry force arrive under orders from the Kings camp at Newbury. The garrison are saved from starvation, but due to the reduction in his cavalry force, the King marginally loses the Second Battle of Newbury. Soon after, William Compton is knighted, and becomes Governor of Banbury following the death of Col Anthony Greene.
January 1645 William and Charles lead a failed attempt to recapture Compton Wynyates with over 1000 troops. At least 60 of the Banbury Garrison are killed, and the rest are attacked by rebels from Northampton upon retreating to Banbury.
February 1645 William and Charles rout a strong force of rebels near Daventry who are attacking Sir Marmaduke Langdales troops, heading north from Banbury to relieve Pontefract. They return to Banbury with many captured horse, arms and colours.
March 1645 - The four eldest brothers (James, Charles, William, Spencer) fight in a skirmish at Kingsthorpe near Northampton, where they "charged and rescued one another so often, that if any of the foure had beene absent some of them might have fallen".
May 1645 The King leaves Oxford and heads to Cheshire with his army of 5000 foot and 6000 horse, including the Earl of Northamptons cavalry. Prince Rupert leads a force which includes James cavalry that captures Leicester.
June 1645 Earl James Compton leads a large cavalry brigade in the Battle of Naseby, helping Rupert to smash Parliaments left flank. However the Kings Oxford Field Army is destroyed.
September 1645 In vindictive reprisals for the Royalist defeat at Naseby, the Banbury Garrison destroy several great houses owned by rebel families in the areas neighbouring Banbury. Remnants of the Kings Army, including two troops of the Earl of Northamptons cavalry, are defeated at Rowton Heath in Cheshire.
January 1646 Second great siege of Banbury begins. Again the garrison is valiantly lead by Sir William Compton, who allegedly had Prayers four times every day, the spiritual armes seconding the temporal, so eminent his piety.
April 1646 Earl James Compton is ordered by Parliament to leave the Kingdom by 1st May or face prosecution as a spy. The King leaves Oxford in disguise and heads for the Scots camp at Newark.
May 1646 Earl James Compton takes the National Covenant and Negative Oath before heading overseas with 20 of his officers. The King surrenders to the Scots at Southwell. The Banbury Garrison finally surrenders to Parliament forces, although the record of supplies inside the castle indicates they could have held out much longer. William and other officers are allowed to march free with their arms, and are given two months liberty to make arrangements to travel overseas.
Dan Howe
An old song of the time thats a great campfire tune
Who's the Fool Now or Martin Said to His Man
Martin said to his man, fie, man, fie
Martin said to his man, who's the fool, now
Martin said to his man, Fill thou the cup and I the can
Thou hast well drunken man, who's the fool now
I saw the man in the moon, fie, man, fie
I saw the man in the moon, who's the fool, now
I saw the man in the moon, Clouting of St. Peter's shoon
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool, now
I saw the goose ring the hog, fie, man, fie
I saw the goose ring the hog, who's the fool, now
I saw the goose ring the hog, saw the snail bite the dog
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool, now
I saw the hare chase the hound, fie, man, fie
I saw the hare chase the hound, who's the fool, now
I saw the hare chase the hound, Twenty miles above the ground
Thou hast well drunken, mn, who's the fool, now
I saw the mouse chase the cat, fie, man, fie
I saw the mouse chase the cat, who's the fool now
I saw the mouse chase the cat, Saw the cheese eat the rat
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
I saw a flea heave a tree, fie, man, fie
I saw a flea heave a tree, who's the fool now
I saw a flea heave a tree, twenty miles out to sea
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
I saw a maid milk a bull, fie, man, fie
I saw a maid milk a bull, who's the fool now
I saw a maid milk a bull, at every pull a bucket full
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
Martin said to his man, fie, man, fie
Martin said to his man, who's the fool, now
Martin said to his man, Fill thou the cup and I the can
Thou hast well drunken man, who's the fool now
Printed in Popular Music of the Olden Time, Chappelle
Licensed in 1588 to Thomas Orwin.
Click the Shield below to go to the Earl of Northamptons Home Page
Earl of Northamptons Regiment of Foote
We are a regiment of The Sealed Knot society. Our objective is to re-enact as accurately as possible, for both educational and entertainment purposes, what life was like for both soldiers and civilians during the period of the British Civil Wars in the mid-17th Century. This was arguably the most significant period of political and social turmoil in British history.
The Regiment Today
This regiment was one of the founding regiments of The Sealed Knot Society, which was formed in 1969 by Brigadier Peter Young, a highly renowned WW2 army officer and English Civil War historian. Today the Earl of Northampton's Regiment of the Sealed Knot has more than 100 members and fights with Prince Rupert's Tercio in the Royalist Army, alongside the foot regiments of Prince Rupert (who was the Prince Palatine, a nephew of King Charles and expert cavalry commander), Earl River, and Sir Thomas Glemham. We still retain links with the original regiment, as we are honoured to have as our patron the present Marquis of Northampton, who, along with his son Lord Daniel Compton, maintains a keen interest in our regiment and its activities. We have displayed at the family homes of the Compton family, Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire, west of Banbury, and Castle Ashby in Northamptonshire, just east of Northampton.
Compton Wynyates (or "Compton in the Hole" after the topography) is an impressive Tudor mansion complete with great crenellated towers, like castle battlements. At the time of the Civil Wars it was moated, and was initially garrisoned by Royalist forces, one of a ring of garrisons protecting the Royalist heart at Oxford. However the house was captured by Parliament forces on 9th June 1644 after a three day siege. Compton Wynyates was to remain in Parliamentary hands until the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 when it was bought back by the family on payment of a fine. By this time the moat had been drained and the outer fortifications demolished so that it was no longer defensible.
We have members all over the country, with social groups found in and around Ashby-de-la-Zouch (Leics.), Bodelwyddan (N. Wales), Harpenden (Herts.), Bishops Stortford (Herts.), and Kettering (Northants.). But members of the regiment are spread far and wide, from Essex to Cornwall, Lincolnshire to Manchester, and everywhere in between. If you do not live in one of the major areas above do not worry, feel free to contact us to see if any members are local to you.
The regiment is divided into three main companies (as well as the regimental staff):
- Earl Spencer Compton's Company of Pike;
- Col. Sir Charles Compton's Company of Musket (comprising Cptn. Flamock Colbourne's Squadron, Cptn. John Moore's Squadron, and Cptn John Clark's Squadron);
- Col. Sir William Compton's Company of Artillery.
- We also have a substantial Drum Corps, Baggage Trayne and Living History arm.
As you can see, our regiment has a wide range of roles for its members. As new members you are welcome to try any or all of these to see which you might prefer to do in the long run. There are both combatant roles e.g. the Pike, Shotte and Artillery, or non-combatant activities with the Baggage Trayne. Members from all these companies are also involved in Living History displays and events at musters and other events. The regiment has members from all sorts of backgrounds with all sorts of interests, and welcomes families and children; we currently have about 25 children in our membership. With a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and such wide range of roles we think that anybody could find a comfortable niche in the Earl of Northamptons Regiment. If you would like any more information about us or how to join please Contact Us.
God save the King!
Elizabeth / Henry, our double barrelled Cannon, one of the three cannons within the regiment:
Sgt Scott Firing a Matchlock Musket
The Pike Block in Action
Earl Of Northamptons Regiment of Foote's Friend Space (Top 22)
Earl Of Northamptons Regiment of Foote has 35 friends.
STRAWHEAD PLAY MUSIC FROM THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD AND BEYOND
Strawhead are appearing at The Wurzel Bush Folk Club held at Brinklow RBL Club Next Saturday March 10th see www.wurzelbush.co.uk Pleasse pass the word on there are plenty of tickets still available
A Brief Chronology of events involving the Earl of Northampton's Regiment
When you read most popular 20th century histories of the Civil War you will find few references to the activities of the Regiment or its personnel. However dig deeper and a rich story emerges, involving characters that would have a lasting impact on events in the latter half of the 17th century. In the war itself, the main characters took part in a great many of the major incidents, and on a smaller scale the day-to-day activities of the regiment give an insight into general life in the Kingdom during this period of turmoil, since the daily struggles were mirrored across the country. This brief history should be considered a basic primer for anyone in the current Earl of Northamptons Regiment, for you to think about who we are attempting to recreate.
1637/38 The 2nd Earl of Northampton Spencer Compton, a lifelong friend of King Charles, gains military experience on the continent alongside Prince Rupert, under the Prince of Orange. At the siege of Vlotho, near Hanover in present-day Germany, Rupert is captured but Spencer escapes and returns home.
1639/40 Spencer attends the King against Scottish rebels, but the King is eventually defeated.
Summer 1642 Spencer executes Commission of Array in and around Warwickshire to raise troops for the King.
August 1642 Spencer lays siege to Warwick, eventually relieved by a strong force under Lord Brooke for Parliament. The King raises his Royal Standard in Nottingham. Spencers troops are outnumbered and defeated at Southam by Brookes and Hampdens troops.
September 1642 Spencer with 100 horse are involved in the Kings victory at Powick Bridge, taking several prisoners.
October 1642 Spencer, in command of a troop of the Prince of Wales Regiment, and his three eldest sons (James, Charles and William) take part in the Battle of Edgehill. James and Charles are both knighted for gallantry. Afterwards Banbury is captured and given to Spencer to garrison, who delegates governorship to Lt Col Sir Henry Huncks, his most senior field officer. The Banbury Garrison quickly becomes notorious as a den of theeves, due to the amount of plundering that takes place in the local area.
February 1643 Spencer is commissioned as a Colonel General of Horse and Foot. Parliament forces under Lord Brooke lay siege to Lichfield. Brooke is soon killed by a boy shooting him in the eye from a cathedral tower, but the siege continues.
March 1643 Spencer marches north to help relieve Lichfield. After closing roads between Warwick and Lichfield he occupies Stafford. He hears of a large rebel force under Gell and Brereton advancing from Cheshire, and meets them on Hopton Heath. The rebels are beaten off but Earl Spencer Compton is killed in the battle. His 20-year old son James succeeds as the 3rd Earl of Northampton. Gell keeps Spencers body as a ransom for the return of rebel artillery pieces. However James refuses the demand.
May 1643 Cavalry under Earl James Compton defeat many rebels in a skirmish at Middleton Cheney, just outside Banbury, capturing their arms. James removes the Governor of Banbury, Sir Henry Huncks, on a charge of corresponding with the enemy. Lt Col Anthony Greene replaces him. A feud develops between James and his younger brothers William and Charles, mainly to do with the running of the Banbury Garrison.
August 1643 James with his cavalry attends the Kings siege of Gloucester.
September 1643 James distinguishes himself as a cavalry commander at the First Battle of Newbury, but the rebels win the day.
December 1643 Charles Compton leads a troop of cavalry under Sir John Byron, who defeats Brereton near Nantwich in Cheshire.
June 1644 The Earls family home of Compton Wynyates, in Warwickshire, is captured by rebel forces after a two-day siege. However the King defeats the Earl of Essexs army at Cropredy Bridge, aided by the Earl of Northamptons Cavalry. James and his cavalry then assist the King in pursuing Essex all the way to Cornwall.
August 1644 The first great siege of Banbury begins. The siege severely damages Banbury Castle and the surrounding buildings, but the garrison valiantly hold out under the exemplary leadership of Lt Col Anthony Greene and William Compton, though vastly outnumbered by rebels.
October 1644 The siege is lifted after James and a large cavalry force arrive under orders from the Kings camp at Newbury. The garrison are saved from starvation, but due to the reduction in his cavalry force, the King marginally loses the Second Battle of Newbury. Soon after, William Compton is knighted, and becomes Governor of Banbury following the death of Col Anthony Greene.
January 1645 William and Charles lead a failed attempt to recapture Compton Wynyates with over 1000 troops. At least 60 of the Banbury Garrison are killed, and the rest are attacked by rebels from Northampton upon retreating to Banbury.
February 1645 William and Charles rout a strong force of rebels near Daventry who are attacking Sir Marmaduke Langdales troops, heading north from Banbury to relieve Pontefract. They return to Banbury with many captured horse, arms and colours.
March 1645 - The four eldest brothers (James, Charles, William, Spencer) fight in a skirmish at Kingsthorpe near Northampton, where they "charged and rescued one another so often, that if any of the foure had beene absent some of them might have fallen".
May 1645 The King leaves Oxford and heads to Cheshire with his army of 5000 foot and 6000 horse, including the Earl of Northamptons cavalry. Prince Rupert leads a force which includes James cavalry that captures Leicester.
June 1645 Earl James Compton leads a large cavalry brigade in the Battle of Naseby, helping Rupert to smash Parliaments left flank. However the Kings Oxford Field Army is destroyed.
September 1645 In vindictive reprisals for the Royalist defeat at Naseby, the Banbury Garrison destroy several great houses owned by rebel families in the areas neighbouring Banbury. Remnants of the Kings Army, including two troops of the Earl of Northamptons cavalry, are defeated at Rowton Heath in Cheshire.
January 1646 Second great siege of Banbury begins. Again the garrison is valiantly lead by Sir William Compton, who allegedly had Prayers four times every day, the spiritual armes seconding the temporal, so eminent his piety.
April 1646 Earl James Compton is ordered by Parliament to leave the Kingdom by 1st May or face prosecution as a spy. The King leaves Oxford in disguise and heads for the Scots camp at Newark.
May 1646 Earl James Compton takes the National Covenant and Negative Oath before heading overseas with 20 of his officers. The King surrenders to the Scots at Southwell. The Banbury Garrison finally surrenders to Parliament forces, although the record of supplies inside the castle indicates they could have held out much longer. William and other officers are allowed to march free with their arms, and are given two months liberty to make arrangements to travel overseas.
Dan Howe
An old song of the time thats a great campfire tune
Who's the Fool Now or Martin Said to His Man
Martin said to his man, fie, man, fie
Martin said to his man, who's the fool, now
Martin said to his man, Fill thou the cup and I the can
Thou hast well drunken man, who's the fool now
I saw the man in the moon, fie, man, fie
I saw the man in the moon, who's the fool, now
I saw the man in the moon, Clouting of St. Peter's shoon
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool, now
I saw the goose ring the hog, fie, man, fie
I saw the goose ring the hog, who's the fool, now
I saw the goose ring the hog, saw the snail bite the dog
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool, now
I saw the hare chase the hound, fie, man, fie
I saw the hare chase the hound, who's the fool, now
I saw the hare chase the hound, Twenty miles above the ground
Thou hast well drunken, mn, who's the fool, now
I saw the mouse chase the cat, fie, man, fie
I saw the mouse chase the cat, who's the fool now
I saw the mouse chase the cat, Saw the cheese eat the rat
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
I saw a flea heave a tree, fie, man, fie
I saw a flea heave a tree, who's the fool now
I saw a flea heave a tree, twenty miles out to sea
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
I saw a maid milk a bull, fie, man, fie
I saw a maid milk a bull, who's the fool now
I saw a maid milk a bull, at every pull a bucket full
Thou hast well drunken, man, who's the fool now
Martin said to his man, fie, man, fie
Martin said to his man, who's the fool, now
Martin said to his man, Fill thou the cup and I the can
Thou hast well drunken man, who's the fool now
Printed in Popular Music of the Olden Time, Chappelle
Licensed in 1588 to Thomas Orwin.
Sgt Scott Firing a Matchlock Musket
The Pike Block in Action
