Earl of Stamford’s Regiment of Horse

Flag Illustration	1)
Active	1642 to 1643
Country	England
Allegiance	Parliamentarian
Conflicts	First Civil War
Type	Horse
Colonel	Earl of Stamford
Area Raised
Flag Colour	Blue
Flag Design	One known
Field Armies

Parliamentarian regiment of horse serving in Gloucester under Robert Kyrle

• January: Skirmish at Burford?
• January: Siege of Sudeley Castle
• March: Battle of Highnam

Two troops were raised, the Earl of Stamford’s troop and Robert Kyrle’s troop. Stamford garrisoned Gloucester then was transferred to command in Devon, leaving his regiment of foot under Lt Col Massey and Kyrle’s troop of horse at Gloucester. Presumably Stamford’s own troop accompanied him to the West and defeat at Stratton, but this is currently unclear.

A record of quartering in the parish of Kelwiston (Kelston Somerset) between Bristol and Bath includes “for Quartering my Lord Standford's regiment of horse Comanded by Major Gould, by Capt Halse [Halsey?], Capt Drake, Capt Bescone [Boscowen?] etc a fortnight 20-00-00” All these are known commanders of horse troops in Devon. But whether this was a formally constituted regiment of just a loose collection of independent troops is unclear. (N.A. SP28/42/713)

The Earl of Stamford had no figure in his coronet, which was inscribed thus, FOR RELIGION, KING AND COUNTRY, and under that AIMEZ PUISSANCE²⁾. The Bill Carman/Gary Gibbs collection, using “Sketches of regimental banners from the English Civil Wars” ³⁾ as it's source, shows the background colour as solid blue, rather than the blue and white bands of Stamford's coat of arms illustrated above⁴⁾. Both of these could be considered artists impressions based on Blount's description.

Henry Grey, Earl of Stamford

Defected to the Royalists, and then in September 1644 betrayed Monmouth to the Parliamentarians.

Previously in charge of an independent troop of dragoons, Captain Edward Freeman’s Troop of Dragoons