ECW Units

[westwaller]

Maybe we need a section on the web site where people can go to find the answers to questions like these

Sealed Knot info is useful although I have seen contradictary info in other sources and have heard that some of their uniform choices are conjectural.

After the relief of Gloucester, some of those in Essex's Parliamentary Army are believed to have been issued with new coats that were grey (English Civil War Flags and Colours: English Foot v. 1 (E.C.W. flags and colours) by Stuart Peachey and Les Prince) so coat colours probably changed for some units during the duration of the war so that makes this subject more complicated. I believe the baccus info is based on that in the above mentioned, book. I am no expert though.

If no colour is known for a unit you fancy doing, it is probably safest to do them in Red or Blue as I have read that large quantities of Indigo dye were being imported into Bristol during this time, and Madder was easily available too. Steer clear of black coats though it is an absolute no no, as black dyes were very very expensive.

[grant]

I copied all of the old unit details off the old sealed knot website and saved them as image files. Oh how I love Windows 7 snip tool.

Message me your email addresses and I will email them to you.

Received and archived! Thanks again!

[Correus]

Received and archived! Thanks again!

Ditto!!

[Chesh]

Steer clear of black coats though it is an absolute no no, as black dyes were very very expensive.

Slightly off topic and with a bit of a sticky memory but I am sure that I heard/read somewhere that the Vikings didn't even have black dyes?

The offsted of this is that a famous Viking was called Bluetooth because he had a Blacktooth and Blue was the closest thing that they had (don't know who thou). On top of this when the Vikings came across Nubians when in Constantinople they called them bluemen.....

Vague memory but am sure it's right...if I am wrong please correct me.

[Cubster]

I think that's right. They had no word for 'black' and the black of night, for example, was simply a shade of blue.

[grant]

And in saga literature, men carrying an axe and wearing a blue cape are always about to use that axe to chop down another character.

[Invisible officer]

In that time black was won from the Gallapfel / Oak apple. In every country with oaks we must expect the knowledge how to use that. The Vikings did a lot of trading (and plundering) . Trade contacts and slaves brought informations, to think that the Viking did not know the colour black...., it would need some proof.
The problem is that oak apple colours need a lot of oak apples so it was rare and expensive.
Not like purple but scarce enough.

[grant]

In that time black was won from the Gallapfel / Oak apple. In every country with oaks we must expect the knowledge how to use that. The Vikings did a lot of trading (and plundering) . Trade contacts and slaves brought informations, to think that the Viking did not know the colour black...., it would need some proof.
The problem is that oak apple colours need a lot of oak apples so it was rare and expensive.
Not like purple but scarce enough.

The proof is in the saga literature. I studied Icelandic saga at university; one of the topics discussed was the absence of the word black from the sagas. In all instances where black could have been used as a descriptor, blue is used instead. Blue men is one example, blue capes are another.

The intent of the word blue is very clear that it means black in the context of the writing.

[Invisible officer]

Yes Grant, but the original question was: "that the Vikings didn't even have black dyes?
"
Not that they just named it blue.

For the miniature painter colour names are..... Remember some strange named modern miniature paints.

[grant]

Ok. Sure, maybe they did have black dye. Makes sense to me!