Of the Regiment Now:

The English Civil War Society was formed in the 1970s and comprises two groups: the King's Army and the Roundhead Association. Each of these comprises a number of regiments which are named for regiments that existed and fought during the Civil War. The King's Army includes our own regiment under the name of Sir Thomas Blackwell's Regiment of Foote.

Sir Thomas Blackwell's Regiment of Foote was formed in Spring of 1975 from elements of Prince Rupert's Blue Coats of the Sealed Knot. The original five members of the regiment met for the first time at the Clachan pub in Fleet Street where the fledging regiment was named Blackwell's, with 'Black Harry' Taylor the first Commanding Officer. The regiment was originally raised as a Dragoon regiment.

It's first muster was at Bradenham near High Wycombe where about fifteen members arrived by train and taxi, (virtually no-one having a car in those days). It rained for most of the week-end, and the nearest pub was three miles away. Alastair Fraser a future CO recalls that the only reason he stayed in the society was the 'Putney debates' style of the AGM which took place at that event.

Harry Taylor was succeeded by Jim Wallman as CO, which is when the regiment acquired some muskets and became the foot regiment that they are to this day. Jim's CO'ship did not last long and in 1976 Alan Kirkham took over. Alan and his wife ran a childrens home, from which Blackwell's recruited it's first drummer boy, giving it some much needed credibility.

In 1977 Alastair Fraser was promoted to CO during a telephone conversation with Alan, who had decided running a mainly London based regiment from Oxford wasn't practical. At that time Blackwell's numbered thirty to forty members. Often threatened with extinction, they received a much needed boost in 1980 with the adoption of some Pennyman's from Liverpool University.

Blackwell's has since continued to grow and has established itself as one of the major units of the Society. Many of our members now proudly wear the 'Forlorn Hope' award for twenty years service to the King's Cause.

Comprising Pike and Musket blocks, an Artillery piece as well as campfollowers, our recruits are drawn from across the country, with members from Northumberland to Cornwall, Kent to the Welsh Marches; we currently number some 100 people. 

The regiment takes part in major musters and smaller events in all parts of the country, from Powderham Castle in Devon to Berwick on Tweed, Battle Abbey to Sorn in Ayrshire, Caldicot Castle to Lowestoft.

As well as fighting as a regiment, Blackwells' members can take part in smaller events organised by the Society where, along with strays from other regiments, they make up part of notional companies. On such occasions they may temporarily respond to a variety of company names.

Arguably one of the Regiment's finest re-enactments (judge for yourselves because it's on show at the Royal Armouries in Yorkshire) came on an occasion when we weren't even playing ourselves! In 1995 Blackwell's took part in a filming event for the Civil War exhibition at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Today we can be seen, sporting white coats rather than the customary black, doing what we do best to the refrain of the regimental anthem: dying gloriously in a ditch.