Earl of Lothian’s Regiment of Foot for service in Ireland
| Active | 1640 to 1641 |
| 1642 to 1647 | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Allegiance | Covenanter |
| Conflicts | Second Bishops’ War |
| Irish Confederate War | |
| First Civil War | |
| Type | Foot |
| Colonel | Earl of Lothian |
| Area Raised | Teviotdale |
| Coat Colour | Grey? |
| Flag Colour | unknown |
| Flag Design | unknown |
| Field Armies | Leven 1640 |
| Leven 1642 | |
| Monro 1642-4 | |
| Argyll 1644 | |
| Urry 1645 |
Scots Covenanter regiment of foot serving in the Second Bishops' War, in Ireland then returning to Scotland during the First Civil War
Service History
1640
- Raised in Teviotdale
- July: March from Jedburgh
- August to August 1641: Occupy Newcastle
1641
- August: Return to Scotland and disbanded after the Treaty of London
1642
- March 1642: Lothian commissioned Colonel and the regiment raised anew for service in Ireland
- Sent to Ulster
- September: Campaign under Leven
1643
- Serving in Ireland, likely campaigning with Monro
1644
- February: Return to Scotland
- February: 3 companies in Renfrew, Govan and Pollock, 2 in Paisley
- March via Glasgow & Heiton to Selkirk
- Offer to defect to the Royalists comes to naught
- Sack Kincardine Castle
- April: Join Argyll's army at Dunottar Castle
- May: March via Aberdeen to sack Drum Castle
- May: Quarter in Turriff, Banff, Auchindoun, Drum
- June: Bribed to refrain from sacking Aberdeen
- July: Quartered in Roxburghshire
- August: At Linlithgow
- September: At Perth, Stirling, Aberdeen
- October: at Kintore & Inverurie
- October: Battle of Fyvie
- November to March 1645: Quartered in Aberdeen
1645
- March: At Brechin
- April: Return to Aberdeen under Urry
- May: March to Inverness
- 9th May: Battle of Auldearn
- May: Retreat to Inverness
- Likely sent to England to join the Earl of Lothian’s Regiment of Foot for Service in England
- December: One company in garrison at Home Castle, Berwickshire
1646
- January: Home Castle garrison moves to Berwick
1647
- At Peebles
- March: Proposed to return to Ulster, but disbanded instead
Notes
A history of the unit is shown in Edward M. Furgol’s A Regimental History of the Covenanting Armies 1639-1651 Edinburgh, 1990. ISBN 0 85976 194 0
Each company of the 1640 regiment had its own piper instead of a drummer. The regiment also had one fiddler but he was of little use, being an alcoholic.
The regiment served in Ulster then returned to Scotland in 1644, fighting at Fyvie. In 1645 they suffered heavily in the defeat at Auldearn and were considered 'broken'. Subsequently they may have been used to reinforce Lothian's other regiment in England, while a remnant remained in the Borders. In 1647 the regiment were due to be sent back to Ulster but the Ulster army declined reinforcement due to lack of resources, so they were disbanded.
Coats, Flags & Equipment
Notable Officers
A list of the regiment's officers is shown in Stuart Reid's Scots Armies of the 17th Century 1. The Army of the Covenant 1639-1651 Partizan Press 1998 ISBN 094652550
Earl of Lothian
Walter Scott
Lieutenant Colonel, led the regiment in Ulster in Lothian's absence
Officer List
- Captain William Douglas (Killed at Auldearn)
- Captain Alexander Drummond (Killed at Auldearn)
- Captain Gideon Murray (Killed at Auldearn)
- Captain Sir John Murray (Killed at Auldearn)
Strength
- 1640: 1200 men in 10 or 12 companies
- August 1642: 897 officers & men
- November 1642: 902 officers & men with 34 sick
- February 1644: 500 estimated
- July 1644: 700 men
- Winter 1644: 776 officers & men
- April 1645: 750 men
