Earl of Atholl’s Regiment of Foot
| Flag Illustration 1 |  1) |
| Active | 1639, 1640 |
| 1648, 1651, 1653 | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Allegiance | Covenanter |
| Royalist | |
| Conflicts | First Bishops' War |
| Second Bishops' War | |
| Second Civil War | |
| Third Civil War | |
| Glencairn's Rising | |
| Type | Foot |
| Colonel | 1st Earl of Atholl |
| 2nd Earl of Atholl | |
| Area Raised | Perthshire |
| Coat Colour | Grey? |
| Flag Colour | Blue |
| Flag Design | White saltire edged red |
| Field Armies | Montrose 1639 |
| Leslie 1640 | |
| Hamilton 1648 | |
| Charles 1651 |
Covenanter regiment of foot serving in the Bishops' Wars, on the Preston campaign in the Second Civil War, the Third and raised again during Glencairn's rising
Service History
1639
- June: Battle of Megray Hill
- June: Skirmish at the Brig o' Dee
- June: Occupy Aberdeen
- June: Likely disbanded
1640
- July: Raised in Perthshire as a condition of Atholl's release by Argyll
- Join Leslie's army at the Border
- August: Invade England
- August: Taking of Newcastle
- August to August 1641: Occupy Newcastle
1641
- August: Return to Scotland and disband after the Treaty of London
1648
- May: Raised in Perthshire
- July: Preston campaign
- July: Skirmish at Penrith?
- July: Skirmish at Appleby?
- July: Skirmish at Stainmore?
- August: Battle of Winwick Pass
- August: Surrender to the New Model Army at Winwick and Warrington
1650
- October: Atholl joins Middleton's rising
- December: Atholl commissioned as a colonel of foot for Perthshire
1651
- Re-raised in Perthshire
- May: Arrive at Stirling
- August: Sent to Atholl
1653
- Join Glencairn's rising
1654
- September: Surrender to Monck
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
While Reid places the regiment at the Battle of Worcester, Furgol states that they did not serve on the Worcester campaign.
Coats, Flags and Equipment
Identified as having blue flags at Preston with a red-edged white saltire and an inscription in gold Couenant for Religion King and Kingdoms (Illustration 1)2). Atholl's regiment of 1653 also carried blue colours.
Notable Officers
A list of the regiment's officers is shown in Stuart Reid's Scots Armies of the 17th Century 2: Scots Colours Partizan Press 1988 ISBN 094652550 1
John Murray, 1st Earl of Atholl
A Royalist in sympathy, he nevertheless raised forces for the Covenanters in the Bishops' Wars. In 1642 he died and was succeeded by his son, the Second Earl.
John Murray, 2nd Earl of Atholl
Strength
- 1639: 300 men at Aberdeen
- 1640: Between 500 and 800 strong
- May 1647: 800 authorised
- August 1647: 168 officers and men surrender at Warrington
- 1651: Estimated as 1000 men, likely wrongly
- June 1651: 856 men
- June 1651: 715 foot with 164 joining later
- July: 100 foot from Dunkeld assigned to the regiment
- July: 859 men
