Sir Thomas Blackwell’s Regiment

Sir Thomas Blackwell’s Regiment A Regiment of the Kings Army of the English Civil War Society. 17th Century Reenactment

18/06/2026

Everything you wanted to know about bread in the seventeenth century, but were too afraid to ask. Presented by our lovely Erika at last weekend’s event at Wythenshawe Hall.

Not so far north, this time, but a contingent of Blackwells are making their way to Wythenshawe Hall at the kind invite ...
10/06/2026

Not so far north, this time, but a contingent of Blackwells are making their way to Wythenshawe Hall at the kind invite of Montagu's Regiment.

2026 sees the 100th anniversary of the hall and lands being donated to Manchester Council.

Wythenshawe Hall was held by the Tatton family, who were Royalist supporters (like Sir Thomas) and went under siege several times until its final surrender 27th February 1644.

This isn’t the only time the Hall has been in danger. In 2016 it was subject to an arson attack, and it took 6 years for the Hall to be restored and reopened.

We are delighted to support this event in its centenary year and hope that many of you in the area will be able to join us .

No, they aren’t spears. This is often the conclusion made by the public when they see a pike or pikeman for the first t...
04/06/2026

No, they aren’t spears. This is often the conclusion made by the public when they see a pike or pikeman for the first time. They simply haven’t seen one before and that’s where we step in to explain a bit of military history.

The musket was a relatively new weapon being used en masse on the battlefield and, being so slow to reload, was left vulnerable at times. This is where the pike came into play.

While smaller in scale on this particular battlefield, here is an approximation of the pike being used to defend a charge of cavalry.

The pikes were 16 feet long and, when held to the fore, would be enough to keep the rider at bay.

Sometimes, with the best will in the world, things go wrong. Our lovely housewife, due to personal circumstances, had t...
12/05/2026

Sometimes, with the best will in the world, things go wrong. Our lovely housewife, due to personal circumstances, had to drop out of our recent event with only a week to spare.

As our Regiment had been lined up to provide a soldiers lunch, it was a joy to see everyone step up, work together, and deliver the deal….in the rain.

And that’s the lovely thing about what we do. We don’t give up. And we do what we do for the best of our friends in the Society and the event.

I’m pretty sure no one wants to see a bread roll for a while, though. Especially a soggy one.

Spoiler - they weren’t really soggy.

A very rare capture of the shotte and pike division in the same photo!While in reality, one pike division would have pro...
10/05/2026

A very rare capture of the shotte and pike division in the same photo!

While in reality, one pike division would have protected two musket divisions, it is difficult to portray that with modern day numbers. We have to go where needed to help the display work.

However, it’s a joy to see a specking of our musketeers with their white wooled friends, Sir Thomas Tyldesleys Regiment of Foote.

📸 Rachel Moore

07/05/2026

It would be impossible to leave this beautiful piece of film work hiding in the shadows. You can see several of us black coated folk enjoying what we do.

🎥 credit - DigiFin

Greetings from Sunderland!The north has certainly rained down on us but we’re still standing.Today we were joined by a f...
03/05/2026

Greetings from Sunderland!

The north has certainly rained down on us but we’re still standing.

Today we were joined by a face from the past. Alastair - the commanding officer of Blackwells up to 1985.

This is us back in 2023. (Yes, really. We’re in the tents on the left)Three years in, we make our return with many othe...
30/04/2026

This is us back in 2023. (Yes, really. We’re in the tents on the left)

Three years in, we make our return with many other members of the The English Civil War Society.

Whether we follow the Great North Road, or live a little closer, our members travel far and wide to support events in many areas.

If ypu are in the Sunderland area, why not drop by and see us this weekend? We’d love to meet you.

It’s time. The door is opening to the 1640s once again, and we’re going to step through it.Sir Thomas Lunsford's Regime...
28/04/2026

It’s time.

The door is opening to the 1640s once again, and we’re going to step through it.

Sir Thomas Lunsford's Regiment are calling us to the north, to the mighty Hylton Castle.

If you are in the area, we’re holding that door open for you too. Step through it and enter another world…..

We’re sorry we have been so quiet for a while. Having lost our dear friend and brother Andy Procktor on 13th February, ...
10/04/2026

We’re sorry we have been so quiet for a while. Having lost our dear friend and brother Andy Procktor on 13th February, we wanted to take time away out of respect for his passing.

Today, we said our farewells at his funeral; an event where the chapel was full to the brim; not only of current and ex Blackwells, but also friends from the other groups and societies that he supported so well, and of course his family.

Andy lived his life to the full. And we know our regiment played an integral part in that. We say our final goodbyes in sadness, but we hope, in another place, we will meet him again.

We will meet with you far beyond that mortal shore, Andy. Someday.

Address

Mansfield Woodhouse

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sir Thomas Blackwell’s Regiment posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category