Colonel Charles Fairfax’s Regiment of Foot

Parliamentarian Regiment of Foot fighting in the Second and Third Civil Wars and serving in garrison in Scotland during the 1650s

• May: Raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire
• August: Battle of Preston
• August: Battle of Winwick Pass
• October to March 1649: Siege of Pontefract Castle

• February: Added to the establishment of the regular army
• March: Take Pontefract Castle
• May: Blue colours ordered

• July: March to Scotland with Cromwell
• September: Battle of Dunbar?

• September: Battle of Worcester

• Return to Scotland

• Garrison of St Johnstons

• Garrison of St Johnstons

• October: Garrison of Aberdeen (9 companies, 1 detached in England)
• October: Join Monck at Edinburgh

• January: March into England with Monck
• In garrison at York
• March: In garrison at Hull (det under Fairfax)
• October: Disbanded

A history of the regiment is given in The Regimental History of Cromwell's Army by Sir Charles Firth and Godfrey Davies, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1940.

Colonel Charles Fairfax’s regiment was one of three raised in 1648 in Yorkshire. They served with Cromwell on the Preston campaign and under Lambert at the siege of Pontefract. In 1650 they were in Scotland under Cromwell and in 1651 fought at the Battle of Worcester.

In 1652 they returned to Scotland and garrisoned St Johnstons. By 1659 they were in garrison at Aberdeen and marched to Edinburgh to support Monck. At the Restoration the regiment entered England in 1660 and were left to garrison York and later Hull, where Fairfax was appointed governor. The regiment were disbanded in October 1660.

Presumably they were issued with red coats. In 1649 Charles Fairfax ordered ten new colours in the best taffety of the deepest blue that can be got. The Colonel’s colour bore the motto FIDELITER FAELICITER within a well-wrought round and a handsome compartment. The Lt Col’s blue with a St George cross in a canton, the Major likewise with white streaks, and the Captains distinguished by white mullets. The Colonel's and second Captain's colours are illustrated above.

Charles Fairfax (1597-1673) was brother of Ferdinando, Lord Fairfax, and uncle of Sir Thomas Fairfax. He is not to be confused with the Charles Fairfax killed in the First Civil War.

• 10 Companies