Sir Thomas Blackwell’s Regiment

03/10/2026

Ssshh….we swapped sides.

We don’t seem too perturbed by the statue of OC.

So….Reenactors portraying a Royalist regiment….who are now portraying a Parliamentarian Regiment for the day. In the meantime, the Scots Covenanter Regiment who normally oppose the King played the Royalists.

Got it? Good!

28/09/2026

A fabulous late season event comes to a close. Mapperton House, Gardens & Wildlands, what a glorious venue. And what excellent hosts.

Thank you to Lord Ralph Hopton’s Regiment of Foote for a great weekend.

And also a thank you to our friends in Collonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foote and Sir Thomas Tyldesleys Regiment of Foote for all their support and company in our cooking tent. We love you.

23/09/2026

The season is drawing to a close….

But not quite yet! We have one last place to take ourselves before the autumn well and truly takes hold.

At the gracious hosting of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, Blackwells will support Lord Ralph Hopton’s Regiment of Foote in the first English Civil War reenactment to be held at Mapperton House, Gardens & Wildlands.

We really have had a season of beautiful venues and this one closes our season beautifully.

26/08/2026

About this time, we would be announcing we were preparing for our last major of the season, but sometimes things don’t go the way we expect.

As we still remain in a drought, the ground and everything on it is still tinder dry. Even with the early precautions the Society had planned, it ultimately wasn’t safe enough to go ahead with all the sparks and embers we produce. Therefore, the decision was made to cancel the event at Newport Pagnell. We thank the organisers and sponsors for all the effort they put in.

It isn’t just our Society. We know other reenactment groups have made the same call. So, members of our regiment will be heading to a field in Somerset to spend the time together, because the friendships are what keep it all together.

We wish all our reenactment friends, both in and out of the Society, a good Bank Holiday weekend, wherever they end up. And we hope to see you all in a field very soon.

18/08/2026

We do get fed well. Our living history team do a lot of research into what we will eat at lunch, and we’re pleased to say it’s not just pottage (an early form of strew which formed the staple diet of the common folk)

We sometimes get treated to these delicious Banbury cakes. They aren’t Eccles Cakes, as they don’t really gain their name until the eighteenth century, although they would have been being baked earlier than this.

We do know that Banbury Cakes are documented by a well known seventeenth century writer, Gervase Markham, in 1615 and they probably looked a little different to these. And before that, a man named Edward Welchman had his “Original Banbury Cake Shop” in the town on 1638.

Our members probably didn’t mind the origin story. They were too busy eating them.

16/08/2026

You’re right. Those definitely aren’t our colours (no greyhound in sight). Sometimes you can be on the artillery crew and the next thing you know you are Ensigne for another regiment. At smaller events sometimes the “regulars” can’t make it, so you can find yourself in the most unexpected situation.

We understand from The Earl of Loudoun's Regiment of Foote that our soldier carried out his (her) duties perfectly on the field, so well done that man (woman)

14/08/2026

ECWS event - new venue!

Wishing Lord Ralph Hopton’s Regiment of Foote every success at their first event at Sudeley Castle this weekend.

If you live or are holidaying in the Cotswolds be sure to put it on your visit list.

23/07/2026

We’re gearing up for the big one down in the west country.

This weekend is the second of our major events for this year. Thanks to the wonderful organisation of Sir Marmaduke Rawdon's Regiment of Foote and the partnership of Chippenham Town Council, we will be bringing history to life at Monkton and Island Parks.

Join us if you can!

Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July 2026 Chippenham will be transported back into the English Civil War, as the Town welcomes the English Civil War Society for a spectacular weekend … Continue reading "Battle of Chippenham Re-enactment 2026"

08/07/2026

The joys of cleaning an artillery piece.

For those of you less familiar with what we do, anything that fires black powder will be left with gunk that will corrode the barrel.

So with a nice bit of water and some carefully applied pressure, the excess can be jettisoned out.

And our Artillery Officer didn’t get a faceful either, which is always a bonus.

🎥 Robert Crookes

07/07/2026

The colours on display at the front of Lullingstone Castle. We happy few, composed of our Regiment, Lord Ralph Hopton’s Regiment of Foote, the Norfolk Trained Bands, Col. George Fenwick's Regiment of Foote, and Colonel Nicholas Devereux's Regiment of Foote delivered a charming event over the weekend.

We also would like to big up Lullingstone Castle and The World Garden for being excellent and supportive hosts.

If you live in Kent or the surrounding area, pay them a visit. You won’t regret it.

📷 Jacques Le Roux