Sir Allan Apsley's Regiment of Foote

The second Regiment I painted up was that of Sir Allan Apsley. This was mainly because it was also a red regiment and I could paint it at the same time as the Guard even though I used a different shade of red. The Apsley family was typical of the day. Allan Apsley's sister Lucy was married to John Hutchinson who was to become Governor of Nottingham Castle for Parliament and Lucy was a staunch supporter of her husband whilst Allan served as a Captain in a Royalist regiment of horse before being commissioned to form a troops of Horse by the King.

Sir Allen then in Spring 1643 raised a Regiment of foot some 300 strong from Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall as well as some men from South Wales. Whilst it is not unusual for regiments to have men from different areas making up the strength it is not usual to have such a diverse force. It is possible that the mix referred to came later as it campaigned. Apsley was also the Governor of Exeter (from late 1642) and he would have used his regiment as part of the garrison. Despite this the regiment saw it's fair share of action, first in the siege of Wardour Castle in October 1643. 1644 began with Apsley's foot regiment and troop of horse being sent to fill out Hoptons army in the West and took part in the Heriton Wood skirmish and then absorbed into the Kings Oxford Army for the Cropredy Bridge Campaign. Whilst the Royalist foot saw little action at Cropredy itself they were marched and counter marched through the whole campaign. After the success of Cropredy the foot regiment then took part in the Lostwithiel Campaign, a devastating defeat for Parliament and the final ruin of Essex's name. It is also assumed that Apsley's regiment was also at Second Newbury as half of the Tercio was sent to fight this campaign and as his regiment was one of the stronger ones available it makes sense for them to have been sent.
1645 saw them in action at the storming of Leicester and then at the battle of Naseby but by then the name of the regiment had been changed to Sir Edward Hopton who until promotion to Colonel of the regiment had been Lt Colonel though much of the time he commanded the regiment in the field. The regiment was like many others destroyed at Naseby. Even so Apsley is again credited with having troops at the battle of Langport later in the year within Gorrings army. Whilst these could have been Naseby survivors it is fair to assume it would have been elements of the regiment left at Exeter on Garrison duty.