Sergeant Major General Philip Skippon’s Regiment of Foot

Parliamentarian regiment of foot raised as part of the Earl of Warwick’s reserve army and fighting as part of the Earl of Essex’s army during the First Civil War

• November: Raised, partly from the remains of Colonel Denzil Holles’ Regiment of Foot

• April: Siege of Reading
• 20th September: First Battle of Newbury
• October: Taking of Newport Pagnell?
• December: Storm of Grafton House?

• May: Skirmish at Gosford Bridge and Enslow?
• August: Battle of Lostwithiel
• October: Second Battle of Newbury

• April: Join the New Model Army as Sgt Maj Gen Philip Skippon’s Regiment of Foot

Skippon's foot were issued red coats lined yellow in November 1642. In December 1642 they received flags of an unknown hue. In August 1643 they were issued new coats, likely red or grey ¹⁾. In November 1644, with the re-equipping of Essex's foot, they were issued either green colours (with differences of yellow billets, yellow half moons or white diamonds), or crimson colours (with differences of yellow mullets or white balls).

Philip Skippon

William Erbery was chaplain to Skippon's regiment and a radical theologian.

The core of the regiment seems to have come from Hollis's disbanded regiment with the Lieutenant Colonel, Major and at least one captain all having previously served as captains in it.²⁾

• Lieutenant Colonel William Burlz
• Major John Francis (Capt of foot under Col Denzil Hollis 30/07/42 - 20/11/42 Major of foot under Maj Gen Skippon 20/11/42 - 21/06/43 Lt Col of foot under Maj Gen Skippon 21/06/43 - 05/04/45” ³⁾ )
• Captain George Hurlock (In regt by December when he was issued with coats for his company ⁴⁾ )
• Captain Richard Beaton (In regt by May 1643 but likely earlier. ⁵⁾ )

• Captain Richard Ashfield (Ashfield claimed to have been in the regiment from November 1642. ⁶⁾ His first documented occurrence is in May 1643 when along with Burlz, Francis and Beaton he was paid outstanding wagon money. ⁷⁾ )

To these were ordered added a large group of companies “raysed in the City of London” ⁸⁾ )

• Captain Roger Clay
• Captain Samuel Turner
• Captain Peter Gale (one of Gale's soldiers served from 20/11/42 - 24/05/43)⁹⁾
• Captain George More
• Captain Ralph Tasker
• Captain William Hamond
• Captain Mathew Skaltrick (Actually joined Essex's regt.)
• Captain James Whyte (Actually Joined Langham's regt)
• Captain John Smith (Actually joined Essex's regt.)
• Captain Henry Gawler (Actually joined Essex's regt.)

A second Listing of captains issued with wagon money in December gives the first 6 of the above but adds two new names ¹⁰⁾

• Captain [ ] Harrison (Not the Harrison who was a Capt in June 1643)
• Captain [ ] Wade

This gives the following list for all officers known to have received wagon money.

• Colonel Sir Philip Skippon
• Lieutenant Colonel William Burlz
• Major John Francis
• Captain Richard Beaton
• Captain Richard Ashfield
• Captain Roger Clay
• Captain Samuel Turner
• Captain Peter Gale
• Captain George More
• Captain Ralph Tasker
• Captain William Hamond
• Captain [ ] Harrison
• Captain [ ] Wade

Even excluding Capt Hurlock this still gives more companies than the known number of colours issued.

The regiment is recorded as having 11 companies in August dropping to 9 by November

• Colonel Sir Philip Skippon
• Lieutenant Colonel John Francis (took over 21/06/43)
• Major Richard Beaton
• Captain Richard Ashfield
• Captain Morris Bowen (had been Lt to Lt Col Burlz, presumably took over his company ¹¹⁾ )
• Captain John Cluto (In regiment by June 1643 ¹²⁾ )
• Captain Christopher Stokes (In regiment by August 1643 ¹³⁾ )
• Capt James Harrison (18/06/43 - 05/04/45 ¹⁴⁾ )
• Capt Samuel Clarke (18/06/43 - 02/04/45 ¹⁵⁾ )
• Captain Edward Streater (17/07/43 - 05/04/45 ¹⁶⁾ )

By May the regt appears to have been down to 8 companies in line with the rest of Essex's Army ¹⁷⁾

• Colonel Sir Philip Skippon
• Lieutenant Colonel John Francis
• Major Richard Ashfield (from 25/04/44 ¹⁸⁾ )
• Captain Morris Bowen
• Capt James Harrison
• Capt Samuel Clarke
• Captain Edward Streater
• Captain John Clarke (In Sir William Constables regt till April 1644 ¹⁹⁾ )

From this point the regiment remained unchanged till it was transferred complete (with the addition of two new companies) to the New Model.

• December 1642: 12? companies 946 men
• February 1643: 1033 men
• May 1643: 765 men
• June 1643 657 men ²⁰⁾
• August 1643 527 men
• October 1643 353 men
• December 1643 192 men
• February 1644 262 men
• April 1644 382 men
• June 1644 559 men

Sgt Maj Gen Philip Skippon’s Regiment of Foot New Model

Skippon's are re-enacted by Sergeant Major Philip Skippon's Regiment of Foote of the Sealed Knot.