Friday 28 February 2014
Wednesday 26 February 2014
General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army
Have to thank Benjamin on my Monmouth Rebellion FB page for passing on info on this new publication by John Childs. The blurb reads
General Percy Kirke (c. 1647-91) is remembered in Somerset as a
cruel, vicious thug who deluged the region in blood after the Battle of
Sedgemoor in 1685. He is equally notorious in Northern Ireland.
Appointed to command the expedition to raise the Siege of Londonderry in
1689, his assumed treachery nearly resulted in the city’s fall and he
was made to look ridiculous when the blockade was eventually lifted by a
few sailors in a rowing boat. Yet Kirke was closely involved in some of
the most important events in British and Irish history. He served as
the last governor of the colony of Tangier; played a central role in
facilitating the Glorious Revolution of 1688; and fought in the majority
of the principal actions and campaigns undertaken by the newly-formed
standing armies in England, Ireland and Scotland, especially the Battle
of the Boyne and the first Siege of Limerick in 1689.
With the aid of his own earlier work in the field, additional primary sources and a recently-rediscovered letter book, John Childs looks beyond the fictionalisation of Kirke, most notably by R. D. Blackmore in Lorna Doone, to investigate the historical reality of his career, character, professional competence, politics and religion. As well as offering fresh, detailed narratives of such episodes as Monmouth’s Rebellion, the conspiracies in 1688 and the Siege of Londonderry, this pioneering biography also presents insights into contemporary military personnel, patronage, cliques and procedures.
With the aid of his own earlier work in the field, additional primary sources and a recently-rediscovered letter book, John Childs looks beyond the fictionalisation of Kirke, most notably by R. D. Blackmore in Lorna Doone, to investigate the historical reality of his career, character, professional competence, politics and religion. As well as offering fresh, detailed narratives of such episodes as Monmouth’s Rebellion, the conspiracies in 1688 and the Siege of Londonderry, this pioneering biography also presents insights into contemporary military personnel, patronage, cliques and procedures.
The drawback is the price - cheapest place I have seen it is on Google books where there are a few extracts.
Tuesday 25 February 2014
Pikeman 1633
Detail from a drawing by Jan Maritzen de Jonghe, dated 1633: a pikeman with a backpack. Thanks to Mark Shaftenaar. The full enlargeable version is here
Sunday 23 February 2014
Saturday 15 February 2014
Saturday 8 February 2014
40mm Figure Conversion
I have redressed, at long last, my dissatisfaction with the lack of a credible French infantry figure in the Prince August range of semi-round home casting molds with this effort:
More details on my blog.
Cheers,
Steve
More details on my blog.
Cheers,
Steve
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