Colonel Peter Stubber’s Regiment of Foot

Commonwealth regiment of foot serving in Ireland

• May: Raised from disbanded volunteers in Kent
• May: March for Chester in a disorderly fashion
• June: Diverted to the West Country where they are nicknamed Gorum’s Bastards for their thievery
• Winter: Land at Dublin and over-winter at Kinsale

• July to October: Siege of Limerick

• May: Garrison Galway

• August: Disbanded, except for one company remaining in garrison

A history of the regiment is given in The Regimental History of Cromwell's Army by Sir Charles Firth and Godfrey Davies, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1940

The regiment were formed in 1649 in Kent from disbanded volunteers of the Second Civil War and, allegedly, captured Royalists. They gained a reputation for disorderly conduct in England, perhaps their nickname referred to the notorious plunderers of Lord Goring’s forces in the First Civil War. Shipped to Ireland, they garrisoned Kinsale, then served at the siege of Limerick before garrisoning Galway, where Stubber was appointed governor. In Galway they controlled the transplantation of the Irish and Stubber was given authority to transport troublemakers to the West Indies. Apparently Stubber’s method was to take people out of their beds at nights, and sell them for slaves to the Indies, and by computation sold out of the said county above a thousand souls. The regiment was disbanded in 1655 save for a company likely retained in garrison in Galway.

In June 1649 the Treasurer at War provided £20 to buy flags for Stubbers' regiment.

Stubber had previously served in Ireland and was adjutant general in England during the Second Civil War. He was part of the Guard of Halberdiers at the execution of King Charles and was accused by some of being the King’s masked executioner.