OLD ROBINS FOOT : THE ARMY OF THE EARL OF ESSEX 1642-1645
Stuart Peachy and Alan Turton
Partizan Press
Reviewed by John Stallard
This is the second edition of a publication that was really just a pamphlet the first time around, so it is nice to see it brought fully to life as a hardback book from Partizan Press.
Well, it does not disappoint, anything from Peachy or Turton is going to be good and Partizan Press are once again to be commended for putting out quality books about the fascinating wars in the British Isles of the 17th Century. More please!
It’s a small formatted hard back, 110 pages, with 20 full colour pages, these of course cover the uniforms, equipment and flags of the Earl of Essex’s army. It gives a short but useful account of the field armies operations, but becomes a wargamers dream when it also lists not only Essex’s regimental coat colours as best attested, but also a whole host of other units, including known coat colours of royalist units too! This is of great resourse to any gamer. I would love to know the provenance of the two black coated Royalist units, I am always suspicious of ANY claims to black coated units..
Pretty much all you need to know about these famous formations is in this book: Officers names, unit strengths , potted histories and a splendid set of colour plates showing both uniforms and flags.
As a general book about regiments of English Civil War infantry I would award it as a well-deserved 9/10. As a wargamers guide to the subject matter on the title page, it gets a 10/10. Good value, and nicely produced.
