The King's Life Guard of Foote

The King's Life Guard of Foote
being the regimental & reconstructed history of
King Charles I's own regiment in the English Civil War.

The Restoration

Two Cheshire men, and a widow of another, also claimed pensions as maimed soldiers. One of the soldiers was Sergeant Randle Whittacker of Captain Richard Walthall's Company, who had served with the Lifeguard from Edgehill (1642) to Stow-on-the-Wold (1646). Another, William Pemberton, served from Edgehill (1642) to Naseby (1645), when he was taken prisoner, and had even fought again at the battle of Worcester (1651), during the Third Civil War.

Perhaps the most battle-scarred of all the veterans of the Life Guard to survive to see the Restoration, was William Booth of Nantwich, Cheshire, a common soldier, who on January 15th, 1661, petitioned the County Justices for a pension, saying:

"Your poor petitioner hath been a true and faithful soldier for his Majesty of Ever Blessed memory both in England and Ireland and did continue in his Majesty's service of two years, and never received any satisfaction for the same but was wounded and maimed to his great prejudice, yet never deserted his Majesty's cause. He was in fights in Ireland, first at Ross, at Swords, at Finlays, at Mulingar and had his head broke in pieces and three pieces of his skull taken out, then shot in shoulder, cut in leg, run into the breast with a pike, then his Majesty was pleased to send for him out of Ireland to be one of his Guard..."

While there is no direct connection as regards actual personnel between King Charles I's Life Guard, and the regiment, now the Grenadier Guards, raised by his son, King Charles II, then in exile, in 1656. The lineage certainly extends through the badges which have endured in the Brigade of Guards, and even the redcoats, so it is obvious that the King's Life Guard of Foot can trace its history to the present day

The officers and men of King Charles I's Life Guard of Foot suffered varying fortunes in the years following the Civil War. Some officers and men did not live to see the Restoration, such as Captain Robert Levinz, who was hanged as a Royalist plotter in 1650. Others were more fortunate, and received some preferment when Charles II regained his throne, being among those who claimed part of the Ł60,000 granted by King Charles II to his, "Truly - Loyal and Indigent Party," after his restoration. Among these were:

Montagu Bertie, Earl of Lindsey	Among other honors was made a Knight of the Garter and Colonel of His Majesty's Regiment of Horse
Sir William Leighton	Capt., His Majesty's Own Regt. of Foot, 1664-65
Charles Fox	Capt., Lord Morpeth's Regiment of Foot, 1678
Sir Henry Wroth	Capt., Royal Regiment of Horse, 1661
Sir Edward Brett	Capt., His Majesty's Own Regiment of Horse, 1674