The King’s Lifeguard Regiment of Horse

Flag Illustration	1)
Active	1642-1646
Country	England
Allegiance	Royalist
Conflicts	First Civil War
Type	Horse
Colonel	King Charles I
Area Raised	Yorkshire
Flag Colour	Red
Flag Design	Known
Field Armies	Oxford 1642-1646

The King’s Lifeguard Regiment of Horse, serving with the Oxford Army throughout the First Civil War

• May: Raised in Yorkshire
• July: First Siege of Hull
• August: Repulsed from Coventry
• October: Battle of Edgehill
• December: Quartered at Oxford

• August to September: Siege of Gloucester
• September: First Battle of Newbury

• June: Battle of Cropredy Bridge
• August: Battle of Lostwithiel
• October: Second Battle of Newbury
• November: Relief of Donnington Castle

• March: Skirmish at Kidlington
• May: Storm of Leicester
• June: Battle of Naseby
• August: Storm of Huntingdon
• September: Battle of Rowton Heath Lord Bernard Stewart killed
• November to May 1646: Besieged at Newark

• May: Surrender of Newark

The cornet illustrated above was taken by the Earl of Essex's army sometime between 1642 and 1644. It is not definitely identified as one of the King's Lifeguard's cornets, but this appears probable based on its extra wide gold fringing, crown and royal cypher.

According to Blount: The coronet-devise of His Majesties own troop or Life-guard of horse was a Lyon Passant, Crowned Or, with DIEU ET MON DROIT for motto²⁾

By 1643 the Lifeguard were being issued with harquebusier equipment³⁾ though this does not necessarily preclude individuals wearing cuirassier armour.

King Charles I

Lord Bernard Stewart

Sir William Killigrew

Captain Edward Brett commanded a troop of The Queen’s Regiment of Horse that escorted the Queen to Exeter then was attached to the King's Lifeguard during the Lostwithiel campaign of 1644. Brett was knighted by Charles I on the field of battle and promoted to Major. It appears that The King's Lifeguard was reorganised at this time into the King's troop and the Queen's troop.

Led the Earl of Lichfield's troop in August 1645

The Lifeguard of Horse at Doncaster, 19th August 1645⁴⁾, commanded by Lord Bernard Stuart, Earl of Lichfield

• The King's Troop, commanded by Lord Bernard Stuart, Earl of Lichfield
• The Queen's Troop, commanded by Sir Edward Brett, Regimental Major
• The Earl of Lichfield's Troop, commanded by Lt Colonel Gordon
• Sir Thomas Glemham's troop, commanded by Sir Henry Stradling

The King's Lifeguard of Horse 'about 200' strong commanded by Lord Bernard Stuart, Earl of Lichfield

• The King's Troop, commanded by Lord Bernard Stuart, Earl of Lichfield
• The Queen's Troop, comanded by Sir Edward Brett, Regimental Major
• The Earl of Lichfield's Troop, commanded by Lt. Col. Gordon
• Sir Henry Stradling's Troop

• October 1642: 2 troops at Edgehill
• May 1645: 2 troops with 400 men at Leicester⁵⁾
• August 1645: 4 troops with 300 men at Doncaster⁶⁾
• September 1645: 4 troops with about 200 men at Chester⁷⁾