A Brief History Of Lord Hopton's Regiment of Foote
Following the successful conclusion
of his West Country campaign at Stratton, Sir Ralph Hopton joined forces with
the Marquis of Hertford and Prince Maurice at Chard in Somerset on the 4th June
1643. Here, in his native county, was the birthplace of Hopton’s own Regiment
of Foote.
Formed
initially of recruits from the local population and trained bands (a letter
supporting Captain Charles Matthewe survives), little can be confirmed during
the Lansdowne and Babylon Hill campaign, but there is strong circumstantial
evidence that the embryo unit helped in the attack on Windmill and Water Forts
at the storming of Bristol on 26th July 1643. It is also possible
that the survivors of Brutus Buck’s Regiment were also taken into Hopton’s
ranks. Colonel Buck was killed in the attack on Bristol’s walls and his
regiment disappeared from the army’s strength.
On 20th
August, at least two companies of the now Lord Hopton’s Regiment marched under
Captains Neale Mackworth and Thomas Randall to the siege of Gloucester (10th
August – 6th September 1643), and from there on to the First Battle
of Newbury, where Randall was killed. Five other companies left Bristol for
Newbury direct, but failed to arrive in time for the engagement. Unusually for
this period of history, a “training battalion” of companies remained in
Bristol throughout the Royalist tenure, regularly supplying men to the
campaigning division of the regiment.
In the
winter campaign of 1643-4, Hopton’s own regiment formed the core of the army
that relieved Basing House, faced down Sir William Waller at Farnham Castle and
later garrisoned Winchester. Uninvolved in the Royalist disasters at Alton and
Arundel, they had their first full baptism of fire at Cheriton (29th
March 1644), forming the bulk of the left tercio on the field, where Captain
Herbert was killed. Withdrawing via Basing to Reading, they joined the main
Oxford Army, and presented five companies at the Aldbourne Chase muster on 10th
April.
Having
garrisoned Abingdon while their colonel returned to Bristol, Hopton’s Regiment
joined the King for the Cropredy Bridge action (29th June), and
remained within Sir Bernard Astley’s tercio for the long march into Cornwall.
They saw action in the battles of Beacon Hill near Restormel Castle on the 21st
August and Castle Dore on the 31st. The regiment concluded their part
in the Royalist victory when they helped take Lostwithiel on the 2nd
of September. Marching eastwards again, Hopton’s fought at the Second Battle
of Newbury (27th October), where they were in the eastern division of
the army facing the Earl of Manchester’s forces. On the 9th of
November they were involved in the relief of Donnington Castle, following which
the regiment wintered along with the rest of the King’s Army in Oxford.
Spring
1645 saw the unit rejoining Hopton in Bristol, most probably as part of the
Prince of Wales’ escort from Oxford. Here it had a relatively peaceful time
until part was drawn out to fight in Lord Goring’s campaign against the New
Model Army. Several companies were destroyed at Langport on 10th
July, with a series of officers killed and captured.
A second
division of the regiment was in Bristol and was heavily involved in the siege,
where Sergeant-Major John Garnier was killed in Fort Royal contesting Sir Thomas
Fairfax’s assault on 10th September.
Hopton’s
were also the garrison at Laycock House. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jordan
Bovill, they attempted to hold an indefensible site. Given good terms of
surrender, they marched out on 24th September supposedly to join Sir
John Berkeley at Exeter.
The end of the regiment is lost in the mists of time and the destroyed documents of a defeated army. They are not recorded in the final garrison lists at Exeter, or amongst the forces gathered at Torrington, although both are possible. Jordan Bovill certainly fought at Torrington (16th February 1646), and Hopton’s colour captured there has, from the descriptions available, the appearance of an infantry ensign rather than that of the cavalry. The final record showing known members of the regiment comes from the garrison at Pendennis Castle, the last Royalist stronghold in England. Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Brockett and Captain Neale Mackworth were among the garrison that held out for five long months with only daring little ships to bring them supplies. The castle finally surrendered on 16th August 1646.