The Armies of Sir Ralph Hopton: The Royalist Armies of the West 1642-46 (Century of the Soldier)

ECW armies are changeable beasts as regiments wax and wane, and men join, depart and die. Sir Ralph Hopton has a reputation as a doughty warrior, though only (it seems) within range of his power base in the South-West. This is a valuable book that looks at his campaigns and forces as a single topic rather than popping up in annual summaries of more general works.

Another gem from prolific author Laurence Spring, courtesy of Helion and Co. arrived last week, number 62 in their extensive Century of the Soldier series. Hopton is a well known personality for enthusiast of the British Civil Wars, throughout which he was an active supporter of the King. The book doesn’t just focus on the man, and his life, service and death, but also looks in detail at his contemporaries and all aspects of a soldier’s life from, for example, recruitment, clothing, training, arms and equipment. In doing so, the book follows the well tried structure of other Helion publications. Contemporary sources have been used extensively, and these are noted in the bibliography.The accounts of Hopton’s campaigns, of the three Royalist armies he commanded during the war, are well written and like the rest of the book include excerpts from contemporary correspondence which in my opinion at least always adds to an understanding of the human side of war. The maps accompanying these chapters, outlining the campaigns as well as several maps of key battles, are clearly drawn and do not disappoint, especially when used in conjunction with the narrative.No Helion book of this genre would be worthy without the usual central spread of glorious colour illustrations showing in this case the dress of soldiers and details of the colours carried by the regiments. A nit picker or button counter could say that a soldier in Hopton’s army would look just the same as one, say, in the Kings Oxford army, but I don’t hold that viewpoint, and it doesn’t matter anyway. These illustrations relate to this book, which is reason enough to include them.The several appendices cover various aspects of Hopton’s forces, such as lists of regiments and officers in the Cornish Army in 1643, rates of pay and another extensive list of regiments that served with Hopton throughout the wars, including the fates of their commanding officers. One feature I particularly like is the chapter covering “what happened next” to the participants in the campaigns, senior officers and common soldiers alike.Overall then, this is another marvellous escape into the subject. I actually like the trend of publishing very focussed studies of the various and varied aspects of the Civil Wars, and in my opinion it works well as we, the reader, gain the benefits of the author’s very deep digging when researching their book. It could easily fail and end up as a rather dull thing, but Laurence’s growing series of books are excellent and for any serious student of the era this publication is a very welcome addition.

Laurence Spring introduces us to Sir Ralph Hopton, a veteran of the Thirty Years War and a solid soldier, but not much of a commander if results determine those things. Hopton joined the Marquess of Hertford’s army, then commanded three of his own during the English Civil War. He won one significant battle but lost all his major engagements. Spring narrates Hopton’s career and describes the processes for forming and maintaining an ECW Royalist Regiment.Spring starts his survey with a general overview of army organisation but with Hopton’s armies in mind. A close look at Royalist officers follows, and from there to the men and recruitment. At first the soldiers were mostly volunteers, but that well ran dry until conscription became the usual method. Once recruited they were called to muster for the regiment, trained to fight, and given clothing with varying degrees of uniformity. Spring turns to the arms and armour of the Royalist soldiers. These were difficult to get and expensive. Many weapons were imported, while the aristocracy furnished some, which created a problem with a lack of standard measurements. All the accoutrements of war had to be bought, manufactured, or recycled, adding to the expense of war. The Regiment also required colours. Spring examines discipline and punishment, covering issues such as desertion and proper conduct. Keeping with administration, Spring reviews pay and provisions with the burden for the latter falling on hard-pressed parishes. He addresses casualties next, which makes grim reading as you might expect.Hopton’s three armies are considered in the second half of the book. These chapters follow Hopton’s operations, including skirmishes, sieges, and proper battles. Hopton’s first army operated in the West in 1643, highlighted by the battles of Stratton and Lansdown Hill. Hopton was wounded while at Bristol but stayed busy organising his second army under orders to clear Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire. He made the classic mistake, however, of dividing his army in the face of the enemy, led by Sir William Waller, in late 1644 and managed to lose a large portion of it in the process. Worse followed in March 1645 when Hopton lost to Waller at Cheriton, and with it the rest of his army. Hopton took command of his third army at the siege of Taunton in May 1645. Despite the Royalist cause becoming a losing proposition, Hopton continued into 1646, commanding about 7,000 men. Then Halifax defeated him at Torrington and Hopton surrendered soon afterwards before fleeing to Europe. He died in exile in 1652. Spring follows that with the fates of some of Hopton’s men through the Restoration and beyond. He adds four appendices, including a useful list of regiments that fought for Hopton.If nothing else, Sir Ralph Hopton was committed to his cause, and he has found a solid military biographer in Laurence Spring. Indeed, Spring weaves Hopton’s story into a broader picture of the Royalist armies in the west very well. His nuts and bolts description of the Royalist regiment is useful for readers wanting to peek behind the generalist curtain, and his superior use of limited sources is supported by tables, charts, maps, and some attractive colour plates of soldiers. In addition, this volume of Helion’s excellent Century of the Soldier series dovetails nicely with other books in the series to help establish a mesh of works looking at ECW campaigns from different angles.

Laurence Spring's books are usually 'must haves' for anyone interested in the subject that he is writing about: this is very much the case with his latest ECW volume concerning Hopton's Royalist armies. Mr Spring does not disappoint.Helion, however, have a poor reputation with regards to their production values (editing and artwork can be very hit and miss - more often than not a miss). This is one of the books where they have got it right. Original artwork is of a high quality; colour reproduction is good; maps are correctly aligned; and photographs, where used, are appropriate (and in focus!).Footnotes, so often erratically used in Helion's volumes are consistent and appropriate.You've proved that it is possible Helion to bring quality text with proper production values to print: too often volumes have been let down by poor editing, and an absence of any semblance of graphic design and art/picture editing.

This is a excellent book covering Sir Ralph Hilton's armies in the western campaign during the first civil war. Another well written book by Mr Spring, and some lovely full coloured plates too. This book is really worth having on your book shelf if your even slightly interested in the civil war and the Royalist war effort in the West.