Sir Bevil Grenvile's stand of pikes, which certainly preserved our army from a total rout with the loss of his most precious life:they stood as upon the eaves of a house for steepness, but as unmoveable as a rock." wrote Richard Atkyns.
Firing Musketeers by Replicants, others and pike by A Call to Arms.
The flag shows the Grenville arms of 3 clarions. Ensign from ebay and drummer ACTA with a Maros Models head.
Sir Bevil leading his bold regiment up the slopes of Lansdown into the teeth of the Parliamentarian battery and several hundred Cuirassiers. He was killed by a blow to the head with a poleaxe, presumably wielded by one of the armoured cavalrymen. Accompanying him is his bodyguard, Anthony Payne, so called "the last of the Cornish Giants" who stood over seven feet tall. Legend has it as his master fell, he hoisted Grenville's 13 year old son into the saddle so the regiment would still have a Grenville at it's head. Sir Bevil is a Del Prado figure, and Payne a massive 54mm Peipp Miniaturen model.
Her is Anthony Payne in later life depicted in a painting at The Tree Inn at Stratton , a pub where I have spent many bibulous hours.
A monument was erected on the battlefield to the memory of Sir Bevil in 1720,
picture from Wikipedia as I have mislaid all my battlefield shots.
Brilliant! The campaign undertaken by the Cornish regiments under Hopton from Braddock Down up until the siege of Bristol, when many of the remaining Cornish leaders were slain (principally Slanning and Trevanyon), is indeed a fascinating one. It is stated that not even men from Devon could not understand the speech of the Cornish rank-and-file (a good proportion of who were tin miners), which must even at that date still have been a form of Cymric. Great work on brave Sir Bevil and his boys.
ReplyDeleteAnother great unit there and a great way to depict Anthony Payne.
ReplyDeleteA fine looking regiment ! , Tony
ReplyDeleteHoorah Sir ! a most splendid regiment.
ReplyDelete