Purple coats

[Wargaming Dad]

Being fairly new to ECW, I have very knowledge re coat colours but I had understood from fellow wargamers and some limited research(mainly from borrowed literature ) that Lord Brooks regt was really the only documented regiment that wore purple but from topics on this forum I know understand John Lilburnes regt wore purple coats also, is this correct ( I have already painted a purple regt for Brooks). I am currently painting Lilburnes as a grey coated regt for my Eastern Association Army.
Pleeease advise

- Don't know what this means but I love it!!!

[westwaller]

If I remember correctly, I have read somewhere that John Lilburne was a Captain in Brooks regiment at Edgehill. I seem to remember reading he was a captain of the pike, but cannot think where I read it. He then was then in one of the Earl of Manchester's regiments, until he later became a Lieutenant Col. of Manchester's dragoons.

[HobbitMiles]

Bagot's also wore purple - I can't remember the original source on this but their SK incarnation wear purple and they do/did have an excelent reputation for authenticity. I think that purple is more of a purpleish shade of blue though rather than a proper bright purple.

Lilburnes in the SK wear red with green turnbacks - this is their Manchester's Dragoons incarnation.

[mrtn]

I think that purple is more of a purpleish shade of blue though rather than a proper bright purple.

I'd guess it was indigo then, dyed with the indigo plant.

[Wargaming Dad]

I think that purple is more of a purpleish shade of blue though rather than a proper bright purple.

I'd guess it was indigo then, dyed with the indigo plant.

Thanks chaps, I will go for a mid/dark blue washed with purple, that should do nicely

Cheers
W-D
" Grrr,keep still, dammit"

[1642]

I know of only 1 contemporary (1642) reference to Purple coats and that refers to Lord Brookes Regiment.

It was in a letter (I believe from a Clergyman) following the battle of Edgehill.

I think that ot is important that all such statements of uniform/coat colour should be confirmed by a contemporary source in verification,in order to stop the spread of what is otherwise misinformation.

[Cuchulann]

Well I never knew that! All these years wargaming the ECW and I never knew that there was another purple coated regiment and from Lichfield too. Obviously coat colours are something that is a subject of countless debates, but I would imagine that a Sealed Knot regiment would have done a fair amount of research to arrive at an educated guess at the very least. they have a web page with lots of nice photo's on it, so I may well paint up a unit. Anyone know what design they used on their nice purple flag? Although I may ask them myself via email.

[Wargaming Dad]

Well I never knew that! All these years wargaming the ECW and I never knew that there was another purple coated regiment and from Lichfield too. Obviously coat colours are something that is a subject of countless debates, but I would imagine that a Sealed Knot regiment would have done a fair amount of research to arrive at an educated guess at the very least. they have a web page with lots of nice photo's on it, so I may well paint up a unit. Anyone know what design they used on their nice purple flag? Although I may ask them myself via email.

I used the one supplied by Warlord in their Battalia box (Purple with white stars for the captains), check it out on their webstore -Kings Colours

W-D



Still can't hit the pesky critter

[HobbitMiles]

You need to be very careful when taking info from Sealed Knot units. Many of them have their own "modern" history and have adopted a coat colour and/or flag design as a "best guess" and are then, understandably, reluctant to change these even if new info comes to light. My own old unit, Hoghton's, had entirely conjectural coat colours and flag designs (In reality they probably were never issued with coats).

Even well documented units may have only very fragmentory info on coats and colours and even these are only a snapshot at a specific moment. Coat colours and even flag designs could change over time - complete new sets of colours for example are recorded as having been issued out of stores - clearly these can't have matched up with the previous design.

The truth is probably that even well equipped units had many different coat colurs within them.

[1642]

The document that mentions Purple coats for Lord Brookes Regiment is titled Speciall newes from the army at warwicke since the fight and was published in London 29th October 1642 6 days after the battle.

The Colours mentioned are as follows and I am being specific in the quotesd extracts.

The Kings red Regiment

First routed by my Lord Generalls Lifeguard of horse (Essex) and then smitten down by the Orange coats and Sir William Constables Blue coats.
Colonel Holles his regiment of red coats
Lord Brookes purple coats
Lord Robartes his red coats
Lord Saye his blue coats
Colonel Ballards Grey coats

Royalist coat colours are less well recorded although Thomas Bushell dressed many more Regiments than the oxford army.

He later provided uniforms for John Paulets,Lord Inchiquins and many others (my book of notes from Mss. source is out of reach).