Sir Horatio Cary's Horse

Royalist horse (2 squadrons of Rupert's and 1 of Horatio Cary's) in full cry! Just a few details to add (gold sash fringe on the officers, more highlights and the like...) and they will be ready for battle!

Searching around the web recently I found a great scholarly study of English Civil war flag emblems. The book is called "The English Emblem Tradition: Emblematic flag devices of the English Civil War" Vol. 3 of "Index Emblematicus" by Peter Maurice Daly, Leslie T. Duer, Anthony Raspa, Alan R. Young and published by University of Toronto ISBN-13: 978-0802057396 (unfortunately it's over $100 USD new and 88.00 used for a copy on Amazon). Fortunately, the google book site has 20 sample pages that show a bunch (30+) of ECW cavalry flag designs from original manuscripts as well as the unit, the commander, and a short biography of the commander and the unit, plus info on the side they fought on, plus the ground and fringe colors! It also provides a translation of the latin mottos and legends often found on the flags. It was like finding gold! I'm guessing real serious students of the period already know the reference, but I was pretty happy to find it none the less. I'm going to try to get it via interlibrary loan.

Just using the info from the sample pages I was able to find Sir Horatio Cary's horse unit and thus my next unit of Royalist horse was born complete with flag...and showing that great motto "Come Out You Cuckold!" ...according to the reference it's a sharp Royalist comment on the Parliamentarian Earl of Essex's marital "issues"! Now my Royalist horse can raid the Parliamentarian baggage train in style!

Now that's the kind of color and character that makes ECW and the 17th century so interesting as a subject for wargaming.