Seventeenth Century Living History Society
Military Life
Typically the Wardour Garrison portrays the life of a household Garrison during the English Civil War period. The seventeenth century was a the heart of a military transition, with a range of weaponry in common use.
Within field armies the army would have been divided into regiments. Regiments in the seventeenth century were named after the commanding officer that raised them. A seventeenth century foote regiment was typically divided into two main arms; The pike and the musket.
Due to the nature of the weaponry employed battles, skirmishes and sieges were fought at close quarter.
Far from the large battles of the civil war, the day-to-day experience would have been more mundane with soldiers being quartered in garrisons. Strategically important places were garrisoned and fortified, to control geographic areas and resources, principally money and food.
There were two types of garrisons. Military garrisons, formed by the field regiments being billeted on the civilian population. And household garrisons, these would be formed from local estates to protect the local fortified household.
Follow the links below to see more images and detail about each arm.