Colonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foote
First  Captain's Company

Historically, also known as "Hampden's Greencoats".

"AGAINST MY KING I DID NOT FIGHT
BUT FOR MY KING AND KINGDOMS RIGHT"
Inscription on jewel worn by John Hampden now in The Bodleian Library, Oxford

Colonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foot seems to have been one of the best regiments in Parliament's service, no doubt partially due to the presence of William Barriffe, first as Sgt.-Major, and then as Lt.-Colonel, of the regiment. Barriffe was a respected soldier, and his drill book (which the ECWSA uses as its main drill book) was widely used by both sides during the Civil Wars, having been reprinted six times. Throughout the First Civil War, Hampden's Regiment was with the Earl of Essex's Army in all of its major engagements, which was raised as the primary field force to prosecute Parliament's Cause, and therefore the history of the regiment is similar to that of Essex's Army. After the death of John Hampden (24 June 1643, from wounds suffered at Chalgrove Field six days earlier), the regiment eventually became Colonel Thomas Tyrrell's Regiment of Foot 1644, and then by 1645, became Colonel Richard Ingoldsby's Regiment of Foot, who took it into the New Model Army. The reconstructed Colonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foot was formed in California in April 2004, from the "renegades and reformadoes" of the regiment of that infamous turncoat, Sir John Urry.

Contact::All interested wouldbe soldiers and campfollowers are invited to join the regiment. Please contact Kim Calvert (Commander), 8330 E. Starcrest Ct., Anaheim, CA 92808; Phone: 714-280-9807.

Geographical Base:  West Coast, mainly CA.

Current Members: 20+ members.

Membership Policy & Fees: Each company/unit sets their own regimental fee (if any) for members, but the Society has annual dues.

Affiliation: Provisional unit of the English Civil War Society of America (ECWSA)

Uniform: The uniform and equipment depicted by the recreated Colonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foot in the ECWSA is that of the 1642-43 issue. For complete information on the uniform and equipment, along with photos, click on the link of Hampden's Soldiers page.

Colours: The only known mention of any colours that could possibly be associated with this regiment is that two "red and white colours", which were amongst the fourteen colours captured by the Royalists at storming of Cirencester (2 Feb. 1643). This could either mean two separate colours - one red, the other white - or two red and white colours, possibly meaning that they were of the gyronny system of flags. While these are not directly associated with the regiment, the regiment was indeed part of the Parliamentarian units engaged in the battle since two companies were detached to help garrison Cirencester. Therefore, it is conjectural that these two colours could have possibly belonged to regiment and were lost in the storming.

While another belief is that the colours of Hampden's regiment had a green field, but no devices are known (as often mentioned in more modern sources). However, no known contemporary information exists to support this claim (confirmed by researchers at Caliver Books/Partizaon Press). This also follows the old (and incorrect) 'same flag as coat colour' theory. Instead, this is probably borne out of the fact that the colours that were previously believed to be those of the regiment was a green field with the phrase VESTGIA NULLA RETRORSUM in black letters on a white scroll in the center of the field. This has been proven to not be the colours for the foot regiment, but rather instead, those of the cornet of the troop of horse raised by John Hampden.

Currently, the reconstructed Hampden's Regiment in the English Civil War Society in the UK uses a colour with a white field, having a St. George's canton, with two blue pile wavys (First Captain's?). This was possibly reconstructed as conjecture, based on John Hampden's coat-of-arms, being a white field with blue devices. Recreated Colours: While there is no contemporary evidence to support the current colours, the slight reasons for the conjectured colours are as stated above. Therefore, the reconstructed Hampden's regiment in the ECWSA flies a conjecture of the Sgt.-Major's colour: White field with the St. George's canton in the upper left 1/6th of the field; One blue pile wavy extending from canton; White sleeve; White tassels & Cords of 2' length.

For complete information on John Hampden (from where his portrait and coat-of-arms used on this site are taken from, with permission), please go to the link for The John Hampden Society (...honouring a great Englishman) in the UK.