The Queen’s Regiment of Horse
Flag Illustration | ![]() |
Active | 1643 to 1646 |
Country | England |
Allegiance | Royalist |
Conflicts | First Civil War |
Type | Horse |
Colonel | Queen Henrietta Maria |
Lord St Albans | |
Area Raised | Lancashire |
France | |
Flag Colour | Blue |
Flag Design | See below |
Field Armies | Oxford 1643-5 |
Royalist regiment of horse raised on the Queen’s return to England, included French volunteers and served with the Oxford Army
Service History
1643
- July: Storm of Burton on Trent
- July: Storm of Bristol
- August to September: Siege of Gloucester
- September: Skirmish at Stow on the Wold
- September: Battle of Aldbourne Chase
- September: First Battle of Newbury
- November: Battle of Olney
1644
- March: Battle of Cheriton (under Raoul Fleury)
- July: Battle of Horsebridge?
- August: Taking of Bodmin
- August: Taking of Respryn Bridge
- August: Battle of Lostwithiel
- August: Skirmish at Caradon Down
- October: Skirmish at Blandford
- October: Skirmish at Basing
- October: Second Battle of Newbury
- November: Relief of Donnington
1645
- March: Skirmish at Winchcombe?
- April: Skirmish at Islip
- May: Storm of Leicester
- June: Battle of Naseby
- June: Besieged at Leicester
- August: Storm of Huntingdon
- September: Battle of Rowton Heath
- October: Skirmish at East Bridgeford
- November: Besieged at Shelford House
1646
- January: Skirmish at Marlborough?
Notes
There is a history of the regiment by Bob Giglio available online at the old ECWSA website via the Wayback Machine
Flags & Equipment
The flag illustration above shows a cornet captured by the Parliamentarians, its attribution to the Queen's regiment is on stylistic grounds only, showing a field of gold fleur de lis on blue and a crown. A very similar flag taken at Naseby displayed Henrietta Maria's monogram, an intertwined 'M' and 'H' next to 'R', in gold instead of the crown; this had blue and gold fringing.
According to Blount: Sir John Cansfield's devise savour'd of piety; for he used without any figure this motto out of the 121 Psalm, FIAT PAX IN VITUTE TUA2).
A Parliamentarian news-sheet alleged that the Queen's troop colour was Three Crowns supported and a Motto Per Gladium Catholicum, Another Parliamentarian news-sheet alleged that; Sir John Kempsfield an eminent commander of the horse, who never charged without a crucifix on his breast. Which had for his embleme, the Pope and a Cross, with words which a blind King might read with jealousie. However these might very well both be anti-Catholic propaganda.
Notable Officers
Queen Henrietta Maria
Queen Henrietta Maria was nominal commander of the regiment.
Henry Jermyn, Lord St Albans
Lt Col Sir John Cansfield
Led the regiment on the Naseby campaign
Lt Col William Crofts
Sir Edward Brett
Captain Brett's troop escorted the Queen to Exeter in 1644, then departed from the Queen's regiment, joining the The King’s Lifeguard Regiment of Horse during the Lostwithiel campaign.
Strength
- March 1644: 7 troops at Cheriton
- May 1645: 150 horse at Leicester3)