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)

The British Army in the Restoration Period 1660-1680