‘The English Civil War’

Events from 1640 to 1651 re-created and explored with Dennis Wraight and Chris Poore (of the 17th Century Life & Times Re-enactment Group) on 21st November 2003.

Derek Trinder provided the following summary:

‘That one in colourful clothes, with the long hair and a feather in his hat – he’s a cavalier – and that other one wearing the black clothes, dull scarf, close-cropped hair – he’s a Puritan or a Roundhead, it’s the same thing’. 

Our first, obvious, conclusion.  They told us that at school.  And it was quite wrong.  Just the first myth of many to be exploded in an engrossing and very different Branch evening.  Having grasped individual dress codes, we moved to identically attired regiments, often with just a field sign (usually an item worn in the hat) to distinguish them on a battlefield.  Here, few people were killed outright.  Soldiers died a few weeks later from wounds sustained in battle and which later became infected.

Dennis and Chris soon had us back in the England of Charles I; a land of five million people, most making a living on the land and with just 5% of them in London.  We learned to fight with pikes; then swords; and next, muskets – 34 movements in the loading drill.  Reloading pistols was often problematic too.  We learnt of slow matches to fire our Matchlocks and what a ‘doglock’ is.  And why the early flintlock muskets were so important for the soldiers guarding powder stores.  And along the way we learnt the origins of phrases like ‘a flash in the pan’ and ‘hang fire’.

We put events preceding the War into perspective, then followed four years of battles (few) and skirmishes (many) – including two engagements near Newbury.  The Royalists could easily have won at what proved to be the ultimately decisive Battle at Naseby (Northants), before the final Royalist surrender in 1646 at Stow-on-the-Wold (Gloucestershire).  Charles I was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight before a ‘kangaroo court’ duly sentenced him to be executed – a sentence carried out on 30 January 1649.

Our Branch display featured information on tracing ancestors who fought in the Civil War (a trip to Kew and the National Archives is needed here).  We also explained those frustrating gaps which occur in many Church Records between 1642 and 1660 – including when Parish Registers often disappeared into the ‘care’ of Parish Registers (Commonwealth officials).

Our speakers brought enough artefacts to fill two tables.  Reconvening for questions (and pike practice) we examined coins, swords, muskets, a variety of musket balls, armour, lobsters (helmets), flags, scarves, knives, cups and much more, even a portable sundial for use in the field!

In summary a very different evening from most ‘conventional’ family history topics but absorbing and well recommended.  Want to know more? Look on the Group’s website – www.17thcenturylifeandtimes.com

updated 5^th December 2003