Colonel Walter Lloyd’s Regiment of Foot
Flag Illustration | ![]() |
Active | 1645 to 1660 |
Country | England |
Allegiance | Parliamentarian |
Conflicts | First Civil War |
Second Civil War | |
Third Civil War | |
Glencairn’s Rising | |
Type | Foot |
Colonel | Walter Lloyd |
William Herbert | |
Robert Overton | |
George Fenwick | |
Timothy Wilkes | |
Thomas Hughes | |
Area Raised | |
Coat Colour | Red |
Flag Colour | Blue? |
Flag Design | Gold laurel wreaths? |
Field Armies | Holborne 1645 |
NMA 1645-6 | |
Horton 1648 | |
Cromwell 1648 | |
Cromwell 1650-51 | |
Monck 1652-60 |
Later Colonel William Herbert’s, Robert Overton’s, George Fenwick’s, Timothy Wilkes’ and Thomas Hughes’ Regiment of Foot
New Model Army regiment of foot, serving in the First and Second Civil Wars and thereafter in Scotland forming the garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
Service History
1645
- April: Formed from Edward Aldrich’s Regiment of Foot of Essex’s army, reinforced by elements of Lord Robartes’ Regiment of Foot
- May: Relief of Taunton
- May to July: Besieged at Taunton
- Lloyd killed at Taunton, William Herbert promoted Colonel
- July: Battle of Langport
- July: Siege of Bridgewater
- August to September: Siege of Bristol
- September: Siege of Berkeley Castle
1646
- May to June: Siege of Oxford
1647
- May: Herbert supports Parliament and is replaced by Robert Overton
- November: At Kingston
1648
- January: Quartered in Somerset
- May: Battle of St Fagans (8 coy)
- May: Siege of Tenby (8 coy)
- May to July: Siege of Pembroke (8 coy)
- 17th - 18th August: Battle of Preston (8 coy led by Lt Col Reade)
- August: Battle of Winwick Pass
- October: Garrison of Berwick
1649
- Garrison of Berwick
- May: Overton replaced by George Fenwick
1650
- Garrison of Berwick
- July: Five companies detached to form George Monck’s Regiment of Foot, Fenwick instructed to raise another five to replace them.
- 3rd September: Battle of Dunbar - 5 companies
- December: Garrison of Edinburgh Castle
1651
- February: Siege of Hume Castle
- March: Ordered to increase from 1200 men in ten companies to 1600 men in 12 companies
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- 20th July: Battle of Inverkeithing - 4 companies
- September to April 1652: Siege of Bass Rock?
1652
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- October: Mutiny over 12d a week stopped from their pay
1653
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
1654
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
1655
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- October: Reduced back to ten companies
1656
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- August: Colonel Timothy Wilkes replaces Fenwick
- Garrison of Leith (8 coy), Tomtallant and the Bass (40 men), ‘Innerloughy’ (1 coy), Edinburgh Castle (1 coy)
1657
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
1658
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
1659
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- December: Wilkes replaced by Thomas Hughes
1660
- Garrison of Edinburgh and Leith
- October: Disbanded
Notes
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.
Lloyd’s regiment was formed from Edward Aldrich’s Regiment of Foot, Lord Robartes' and probably drafts from other regiments of Essex’s army. Aldrich was originally named as Colonel, but he was replaced by his Lt Col Lloyd, after arguing about the officers chosen by Parliament. They missed Naseby, serving instead at Taunton where Lloyd was killed, on Fairfax’s Western campaign and at the siege of Oxford, led by Herbert.
In 1647 Herbert supported Parliament, not the army, so was replaced by Robert Overton. During the Second Civil War Overton was deputy-governor of Hull, so the regiment were led by Lt Col Thomas Reade. Reade, with 8 companies, was sent to join Horton’s force in South Wales, victorious at St Fagans they went on to besiege Tenby and Pembroke, then marched north under Cromwell’s command on the Preston campaign. They served until 1650 as garrison of Berwick on Tweed, and then moved to garrison Edinburgh and Leith, where they stayed until the Restoration. The regiment were disbanded in Scotland in October 1660.
Coats, Flags and Equipment
Red coats.
Lloyd’s regiment continued to carry the colours which they had carried as Aldrich’s regiment (Illustrated Above). Aldrich had ordered eight blue colours from Alexander Venner in December 1644 to replace those lost on the Lostwithiel campaign. These were: new ensigns for Col. Aldriches regt. made of blew Florence sarsnet with distinctions of gould culler laurels and tassels. In April 1645 Aldrich’s regiment was issued 2 new colours to bring them up to the ten required for New Model Army regiments. How long they continued with these colours is uncertain. In June 1651 Fenwick’s regiment was given £19/-/- for the purchase of new colours (number and colour unspecified). This could possibly be for the two additional companies raised at this time, but appears too high a sum (in 1650 colours were £2 to £3 each), though consistent with also buying flags for the five re-raised companies or a complete re-fit.
Notable Officers
Colonel Walter Lloyd
Previously Lieutenant Colonel under Aldrich, he had been praised by Skippon for his service in leading the forlorn hope at the Second Battle of Newbury. He was killed at Taunton.
Colonel William Herbert
Herbert had been major of Merrick’s foot in 1642. Shot through the hat at the storm of Bristol, he backed the wrong side in the dispute between Parliament and the Army in 1647 and was replaced.
Colonel Robert Overton
Colonel George Fenwick
Colonel Timothy Wilkes
Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment from 1651, he was a Londoner and Independent. He had also served in Needham’s regiment. In 1659 he annoyed Monck by performing badly in critical negotiations, so was replaced.
Colonel Thomas Hughes
Previously Major of the regiment.
Officer Lists
More detailed lists of officers for April and May 1645, December 1646, May and August 1647 and May 1649 are shown in Reconstructing the New Model Army. Volume 1, Regimental Lists April 1645 to May 1649 by Malcolm Wanklyn, Helion & Co. 2015. ISBN 978-1-910777-10-7.
May 1645
From Anglia Rediviva2)
- Colonel: Walter Lloyd
- Lieutenant Colonel: Adjutant-General James Grey
- Major: Thomas Reade
- Captain: William? Wilks
- Captain: Paul? Gettings
- Captain: Richard Lundy
- Captain: Benjamin Wigfall
- Captain: John Melvin
- Captain: John Spooner
- Captain: Nathaniel Short
December 1646
From Anglia Rediviva3)
- Colonel William Herbert
- Lieutenant Colonel: Thomas Reade
- Major: John Wade
- Captain: Richard Lundy
- Captain: John Melvin
- Captain: John Spooner
- Captain: Nathaniel Short
- Captain: Robert Reade
- Captain: Edward Orpin
- Captain: Thomas Cooper
August 1648
- Colonel: Robert Overton
- Lt Colonel: Thomas Reade
- Major: John Wade
- Captain: Thomas Hughes
- Captain: Edward Orpin
- Captain: Robert Reade
- Captain: William Knowles
- Captain: William Gough
1656
Colonel Timothy Wilkes' Regiment of Foot4)
- Colonel's company at Leith
- Lt Colonel Robert Reade's company at Innerloughy
- Major Thomas Hughes' company at Leith
- Captain William Knowles' company at Leith
- Captain William Collinson's company at Leith
- Captain John Miller's company at Leith
- Captain Thomas Hunt's company at Leith, Captain Hunt's Lieutenant and 40 men at Tomtallant and the Bass
- Captain William Newman's company at Leith
- Captain Timothy Langley's company at Leith
- Captain Richard Clifton's company at Edinburgh Castle
Strength
- 1645: Established at 1000 men in ten companies (probably not up to strength)
- 1651: Ordered to increase from 1200 men in 10 companies to 1600 men in 12 companies
- 1655: Reduced back to 10 companies
See Also
Links
The regiment is re-enacted by Col. George Fenwick's Regiment of Foote of the English Civil War Society.