The British Army in the Restoration Period 1660-1680

Painting the Early British Infantry Regiments

Coldstream Guards

History

The Coldstream Guards were created from the regiment

of George Monck, a survivor of Cromwell’s New Model

Army. The name comes from the fact Monck marched

his regiment from the village of Coldstream on the

Scottish border to London to support the restored King

Charles II.

Uniforms

The musketeers of the Coldstream Guards are dressed in

the scarlet coats synonymous with the British Army,

with green cuffs, breeches and stockings. Attractively,

the pikes are dressed in reverse colours, that being

Green Coats with red cuffs, breeches and stockings.

Flags

The flags of the Coldstream Guards were plain blue for

the Colonels Colour, and a red cross lined with white on

a blue field for the Regimental Colour.

The wonderful thing about our North Star 1672 range is that the figures will do for many different nations armies in the

period 1665-1680. This is because it is a time just before uniforms, and the figures are all dressed in the fashions

common amongst soldiers throughout Western Europe. This of course includes Britain.

The years covered by our range is called the Restoration Period in Britain as it was the time the monarchy, represented

by Charles II, was restored after the English Civil War.

It was also the genesis of the British Army. Britain, tired of soldiers and war, had disbanded much of it’s forces after the

Civil War and Oliver Cromwell’s reign. With the return of Charles II to England in 1660, the units still under arms

swore allegiance to the King and became the senior units of the British Army.

Some of the infantry regiments:

Coldstream Guards

Grenadier Guards

Scots Guards

1st Regiment (Royal Scots)

2nd Regiment (The Queen’s)

3rd Regiment (The Buffs)