Colonel Roger Alsop’s Regiment of Foot

Later Lord Ossory’s, then Lord Falkland’s Regiment of Foot

Protectorate regiment of foot serving in Flanders, notably at the Battle of the Dunes

• April: Alsop given command of a regiment raised for service in Flanders
• June: Arrive at St Quentin
• September: Siege of Mardyke
• October: Defence of Mardyke
• Garrison of Mardyke

• May to June: Siege of Dunkirk
• June: Battle of the Dunes
• Garrison of Dunkirk

• Garrison of Dunkirk

• Garrison of Dunkirk

• Garrison of Dunkirk
• April: Lord Ossory made colonel, Alsop demoted to Lt Col
• Lord Falkland made colonel in place of Lord Ossory

• October: Charles II plans to disband the regiment
• November: Dunkirk evacuated and the regiment disbanded
• The remains of the regiment are sent to Tangier where they reinforce the Governor’s and Lt Governor’s regiments

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

Alsop’s regiment were raised in England in 1657 for service in Flanders and likely included a draft from Colonel Pride’s. They were placed under Reynolds’ command and joined the French army of Turenne at St Quentin in the June, fighting at the siege of Mardyke, then forming part of the garrison over the winter. In 1658 they were drawn out to join Turenne’s army again and played a notable part in the victory at the Battle of the Dunes. Subsequently the regiment garrisoned Dunkirk, where they stayed for the next four years. In 1661 Lord Ossory was made colonel, but Alsop remained as Lieutenant Colonel, then Ossory was replaced by Lord Falkland. In November 1662 Charles II disbanded the regiment and the remaining soldiers were shipped to Tangier along with Alsop where they were eventually incorporated into the 'Old Tangier' Regiment. The Old Tangier Regiment became the Second, or Queen’s Regiment of Foot, the senior English Regiment of the line in the British army, where it has now been amalgamated into the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.

Red coats. New clothes and shoes were ordered for the garrison in January 1660.

Alsop had served as a captain in Pride’s regiment of the New Model Army, then as (provost) marshal general of the army. He led the regiment throughout the Flanders campaign and later served with distinction at Tangiers.

Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory was the son of the Earl of Ormonde.

Henry Cary, 4th Viscount Falkland was the son of Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount who had been killed at First Newbury in 1643. Henry died suddenly in April 1663.

• July 1658: 684 private soldiers and about 100 officers after the Battle of the Dunes