Sir Arthur Loftus’s Regiment of Foot

Later, Colonel William Knight's Regiment of Foot

Protestant foot raised in England and serving in Munster

• December: Loftus to raise 300 men in London, “by beat of drum”, to serve in Duncannon.¹⁾

• January: Parliament appoint Loftus Governor of Duncannon fort in place of Lord Esmonde. Captain Lawrence Larcan of that garrison commissioned as Lt-Col to Loftus.²⁾ However on the 20th January, Duncannon was placed under siege by the Catholic Confederates and when it surrendered in March Lord Esmonde was still in command with Larcan having been killed during the siege.
• June Inchiquin request that parliament pay to “complete that Part of a Regiment sent over with Sir Arthur Loftus to a Thousand Men”.³⁾
• July: Parliament orders “That the Soldiers formerly transported by Sir Arthur Loftus for the Service of Ireland, who deserted the Service of the Parliament there, and joined with the Rebels, and returned into England by a Pass from the Marquis of Ormond, shall be proceeded against according to Martial Law”.⁴⁾

• January: Listed as one of 8 foot regiments in the Munster Forces.⁵⁾
• May: Loftus in London.⁶⁾
• July: Regiment intended as Garrison of the Earl of Thomond's house at Bunratty.⁷⁾
• July: Bunratty taken Lt Col MacAdams killed.⁸⁾
• September: Loftus raising a regiment for Ireland in the Eastern Association counties.⁹⁾

• Before May: beaten up by the country and broken to pieces
• August: Knight promoted to Colonel

• April: Inchiquin declares for the King. Officers who do not support his action ordered to leave Ireland
• May: Loftus and his officers arrive in London

In 1642 Loftus was serving as Lt-Col to The Earl of Kildare's Regiment of Foot. He appears to have raised two regiments. One in the spring of 1645 the second in autumn 1646. The second regiment was intended to form part of a brigade under Lord Broghill together with the regiments of Colonel's Sterling¹⁰⁾, Francis Roe and Needham.¹¹⁾.

In 1645 The regiment was issued with 800 sets of coats, breeches, caps, shoes and stockings. They also received 20 “red and grey suites for seargents & drummers”, although this would only have been sufficient for one or the other.¹²⁾

Sir Arthur Loftus

Lt Col to Loftus until promoted at the end of August 1647.

Officers 1645

• Colonel Sir Arthur Loftus
• Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Larcan (Killed before he could take up command)
• Major ??
• Captain Thomas Jephson (ordered to sail to Duncannon 28/02/45)¹³⁾
• Captain [ ] Ellis (Ordered to sail to Duncannon from Portsmouth 04/04/45)¹⁴⁾

July 1646

• Lieutenant Colonel MacAdams (Killed at Bunratty)¹⁵⁾

New Regiment 1646

• Colonel Sir Arthur Loftus
• Lieutenant Colonel Le Hunt¹⁶⁾
• Major Henry Philips¹⁷⁾

Officers in London 1648¹⁸⁾

• Colonel Sir Arthur Loftus
  • Captain Lieutenant Dudley Loftus
• (Lieutenant-)Colonel George Hooper
• Captain William Tynte
• Captain Henry Gibbon
• Captain Thomas Harte
• Captain John Jefford

• 1645: c.300 men sent from England. From clothing issue this was raised to 800 men in 10 companies on arrival in Ireland.
• 14/08/47: 462 men + officers