There were many Parliamentarian Regiments raised during the Civil Wars and they usually took their name from the surname of their Colonel who was responsible to the Army for their pay, drill and appearance.

In theory, a full size Regiment consisted of about 1200 men, divided into 10 Companies of unequal size, dependent upon the rank of the field officer who led them. However, most regiments were well below their theoretical strength.

At the start of the war, when pikes were the quickest method of turning out armed men, there was usually one pikeman for every one musketeer, but this eventually changed until the average was two muskets to one pike. Variations between regiments and armies were common.

Each Company was commanded by either the Colonel, the Lieutenant Colonel, the Sergeant Major or one of several Captains. To assist these officers, each Company had a Lieutenant (Captain Lieutenant for the Colonel’s Company), an Ensign, two Drummers, two Sergeants and three Corporals.

Each Company carried its own colour for which the Ensign was responsible. Each colour was about six foot square, made of silk or taffeta, the rank of each Company commander being indicated by a set pattern.

Drummers were regarded as the senior NCO’s, responsible for conveying orders through the beat of the drum. Drummers were often experienced soldiers responsible for carrying messages and spying in addition to their more obvious duties.

The musketeers were the offensive arm. They were usually drawn up six ranks deep, although this sometimes extended to eight or even ten ranks deep. There were a number of different firings, allowing the muskets to fire one rank at a time, thus maintaining a constant fire. These manoeuvres enabled the body to advance or retire whilst firing. The muskets could also double their front to three ranks to deliver a massed volley. This usually occurred before receiving or delivering a charge. The effective range of muskets was no more than 60 paces. The muskets were relatively slow to load and therefore were vulnerable to attack by the horse.

The pike were the defensive arm, who provided protection beneath which the muskets could shelter when the enemy horse came up. Sometimes the engagements came to hand to hand combat, when the pikemen lowered their pikes to the charge and advanced upon the enemy to engage at push of pike. These affairs were often quite brief but had the effect of disorganising the regiment, often putting it out of action for the rest of the battle. Musketeers were able to defend themselves against pikemen by clubbing their muskets or using their swords. Often one side would break before contact and most casualties would be inflicted during the rout and pursuit.