Fine figures in toy soldier style produced by

The Red Box Toy Soldier Company


1655 - 1684   The 'Ironsides' - representative figures

 

At this time, British uniforms were, in the main, a deep red colour (with facings) - the 'dye' used being a mixture of iron oxides (called Venetian red)

This Venetian red colour was notoriously fugitive and difficult to produce as an even dye colouring in production

  

   

The two figures above illustrate the basic style of uniform beginning to be adopted by the late Protectorate army during the 1650's and onwards, and throughout the armies of Europe

It should be noted that pikes were still in use during this period, though increasingly for ceremonial purposes (but they were still in offensive use until the late 1690's, and were probably available if not in regular use for a short time after this)

Early in this period, breast and back plates were still worn by the pikes, but this too was mainly for ceremony (for example, the pikes of General Monck's Regiment wore reversed colour coats, with breast- and back-plates to welcome Charles II), but later in many cases, the breast and back plates were given to the cavalry for use in action

The basic colour which we use for these early 'red' regiments is shown with (Venetian red) the line drawings below (many of which are copied or adapted from drawings in Bowling's book), but different colours were well in evidence through the early Civil War as material was available, and as dirt and army 'life' happened - of particular interest was 'Watchet blue',

The 'facing' colours in the Protectorate mainly continued to be those in use throughout the later part of the civil wars, that is white, blue, green, and yellow

 

 

 

 

 

'Uniforms' 1640 - 1655

The Restoration

Uniforms 1655 - 1684

Back to The Army, new modell'd


Phase 1 - The First 'British' Army

Phase 2 - The Civil Wars, Commonwealth, Protectorate and Restoration


Phase 3 - The Army of James II


Phase 4 - The Williamite Army and the Army of Queen Anne