Colonel Edward Montagu’s Regiment of Foot
Flag Illustration | ![]() |
Active | 1645 to 1660 |
Country | England |
Allegiance | Parliamentarian |
Conflicts | First Civil War |
Glencairn’s Rising | |
Booth’s Rising | |
Type | Foot |
Colonel | Edward Montagu |
John Lambert | |
Sir William Constable | |
John Biscoe | |
George Fleetwood | |
Sir Henry Cholmley | |
Area Raised | East Anglia |
Coat Colour | Red lined blue |
Flag Colour | Blue |
Flag Design | Unknown |
Field Armies | NMA 1645-6 |
Monck 1654 | |
Lambert 1659 |
Later Colonel John Lambert’s, Sir William Constable’s, John Biscoe’s, George Fleetwood’s and Sir Henry Cholmley’s Regiment of Foot
New Model Army regiment of foot, serving in the First Civil War, then mainly in garrisons, with an excursion to Scotland to suppress Glencairn’s rising
Service History
1645
- April: Formed from Colonel Edward Montagu’s Regiment of Foot of Manchester’s army
- June: Battle of Naseby
- June: Siege of Leicester
- July: Battle of Ilminster (det)
- July: Battle of Langport
- July: Siege of Bridgewater
- July to August: Siege of Sherborne Castle?
- August to September: Siege of Bristol
- September: Siege of Devizes
- September to October: Siege of Winchester
- October: Storm of Basing House
- October: Taking of Langford House
- Montagu resigns, replaced by Colonel John Lambert
- October to April: Siege of Exeter?
1646
- January: Siege of Dartmouth
- February: Battle of Torrington
- March: At Hopton’s surrender at Truro
- May to June: Siege of Oxford?
1647
- July: Lambert given command in the north
- December: Sir William Constable appointed Colonel
1648
- January: Garrison of Gloucester
1649
- Garrison of Gloucester
1650
- Garrison of Gloucester, Bristol and Wallingford
1651
- October: Voted that six of the ten companies should be disbanded
1652
1653
1654
- February: Recruited up from 700 to 1200 men
- April: Ordered to Scotland (7 coy)
- May: Arrive in Scotland
- September: Skirmish at Dumbarton?
- December: Recalled to England
1655
- June: Constable dies
- December: Lt Col John Biscoe promoted to Colonel
1656
1657
1658
- July: One company in Dunkirk garrison
1659
- August: Battle of Winnington Bridge (4 coy)
- Garrison of Chester (2 coy)
- December: Sent to besiege Portsmouth (5 coy), but join Hesilrigge
1660
- February: Biscoe replaced as Colonel by George Fleetwood
- May: At York
- June: Fleetwood replaced as Colonel by Sir Henry Cholmley
- 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.
Montagu’s regiment was formed from his own Regiment of Foot of Manchester’s army. They fought at Naseby, under Cromwell’s command at a series of sieges, and on Fairfax’s Western campaign.
Montagu resigned from the army at the end of 1645, command passing to John Lambert then to Sir William Constable in 1647. In the Second and Third Civil Wars the regiment remained in garrison, mostly at Gloucester.
1654 saw the regiment sent to Scotland to put down Glencairn’s rising. In 1658 one company was in garrison at Dunkirk and in 1659 four companies helped defeat Booth’s rising in Cheshire. After a succession of Colonels they were disbanded in October 1660.
Coats, Flags and Equipment
Montagu's regiment received red coats lined with blue on joining the New Model Army2). The regiment were paid for ten new flags in April 1645, and were noted as flying blue flags at the storm of Basing House in October of that year3). The designs of the flags are unknown.
Notable Officers
Colonel Edward Montagu
Edward Montagu, later Earl of Sandwich, not to be confused with Edward Montagu, the Earl of Manchester
Colonel John Lambert
Sir William Constable
Colonel John Biscoe
Previously Lt Col of the regiment.
Colonel George Fleetwood
Sir Henry Cholmley
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 and December 1646
From Anglia Rediviva4)
- Colonel: Edward Montagu
- Lieutenant Colonel: Mark Grymes
- Major: Thomas Kelsey, replaced by Wroth Rogers
- Captain: Francis Blethin
- Captain: Lawrence Nunney
- Captain: John Biscoe
- Captain: Wroth Rogers promoted Major and replaced by Samuel Ross?
- Captain: William Wilkes replaced by Matthew Cadwell
- Captain: Thomas Disney
- Captain: Giles? Sanders
Strength
- 1645: Established at 1000 men in ten companies (probably not up to strength)
- 1651: Six companies ordered to disband (appear to have re-formed later)
- 1654: Ordered to recruit from 700 up to 1200 strong
See Also
Links
Montagu's are re-enacted by Montagu's Regiment of the English Civil War Society.