Sir Horatio Cary’s Regiment of Horse

Flag Illustration 1	1)
Flag Illustration 2	2)
Active	1643-1645
Country	England
Allegiance	Royalist
Conflicts	First Civil War
Type	Horse
Colonel	Sir Horatio Cary
Area Raised	West Country
Flag Colour	Red
Flag Design	Cartoon & Motto
Field Armies	Hopton 1643-4
	Oxford 1645

Royalist regiment of horse raised by Sir Horatio after changing sides from Parliament

• December: Skirmish at Westbourne?

• March: Battle of Cheriton?

• May: Storm of Leicester
• June: Battle of Naseby
• July: Ordered to Bristol
• August to September: Besieged at Bristol
• October: Battle of Sherburn in Elmet??

• May to June: Besieged at Oxford

The regimental history is confused by Symonds's mistaken suggestion that the regiment was taken over by the Earl of Cleveland who was colonel of Lord John Stuart’s Regiment of Horse. It is believed that Cleveland took command of Cary's brigade not his regiment.³⁾

Cary's cornets were noted by Symonds in April 1644.

Cary's own troop's cornet was red with a creature in a barrel and the motto 'come out you cuckold' (Illustration 1); Richard Symonds offers further detail about the creature in his Notebook⁴⁾ description “a fox pulling the roundhead by the ears”. The major's cornet simply bore the motto 'cuckolds we come' (Illustration 2).

The cuckold taunt of the colonel's cornet is often believed to be a reference to the failed marriages of the Earl of Essex; but, when taken with the wording on the major's cornet, it is more likely they are a general insult aimed at all roundheads.

Previously led Sir Horatio Cary’s Regiment of Foot in Waller’s Parliamentarian army of the Western Association.

• May 1645: At least 200 at Leicester⁵⁾