The History of the Re-enacted Regiment

The present Sealed Knot unit representing the historic Lifeguard of SirWilliam Waller is, in the best tradition of 20th century cavalry regiments, the result of both amalgamation and re-naming. The parent regiments were the society's finest cavalry units, The Captain Generall's Lifeguard of Horse and their erstwhile opponents in the army of Parliament, Sir William Waller’s Regiment of Horse. These units were merged in 1979 but were not formally re-titled until ten years later. The Captain General's Lifeguard, said to have been "made up of a team of leading film rough riders and stunt men", first appeared at Edgehill in 1968, within eight months of the inauguration of the Sealed Knot. As the title indicates, the regiment was the personal mounted lifeguard of Brigadier Peter Young, founder and Captain General of the Sealed Knot. Sir William Waller's Horse appeared in the spring of 1971, the first regiment of horse in the army of Parliament, and immediately commenced upon friendly rivalry with its counterparts in the Royalist army, from whom it was distinguished by a markedly dour image. For the next seven years the members of Waller's resolutely served with their chosen cause, surviving the emergence and disappearance of the relatively short-lived Papenheimer's Dragoons. By 1978, however, Waller's Horse was finding it difficult to field an effective troop and the Parliament cavalry was, more often than not, found in part by the Captain Generall's Lifeguard, which, (having given rise to Prince Rupert's Lifeguard, and suffered a couple of temporary changes of name on the way), was now increasing in size and reputation. To rationalise the situation, the decision was taken to amalgamate the two units and place the Lifeguard in the Parliamentarian order of battle.

The new regiment officially retained the title The Captain Generall's Lifeguard, but on the field served with the army of Parliament under the name and cornet of Sir William Waller’s Horse. Not until Brigadier Young's death in 1988 was the situation reviewed and on 1st January 1989 the regiment was formally accorded its present title of Sir William Waller’s Lifeguard of Horse in recognition of its joint origins. Brigadier Young, had taken a very great interest in his regiment; in the early years of its existence, mounted on one of his own horses, he commanded personally on the field, but after dispersing of his stable in 1977, increasingly left the task to his second in command, finally retiring from command in 1980; no-one more than he appreciated the delicious irony of the Lifeguard of such a determined royalist serving in the army of Parliament.

The regiment has always been at the forefront of moves in the society towards authenticity in drill, dress and equipment; it was the first to adopt buff coats of correct colour and thickness in the late seventies and from the same period, has consistently encouraged the wearing of cuirasses and the use of broader bladed swords. Authentic pattern bridles were introduced in the early eighties together with covers to disguise modern saddles and achieve the appearance of the seventeenth century originals. In recent years the use of correct commands in accordance with Cruso and Vernon has been adopted, a dragoon troop that rides with and supports the Ironsides has been formed, and many members now have authentic saddles. It is our intention to continue our march forward and remain the world's best ECW cavalry unit.

All text and images (C) Waller's Horse MMV-MMIX unless otherwise stated

For broken links etc contact Webmaster