Bristol Trained Bands
- Bristol Trained Band (Col Charleton, later Col Thomas Colston, Col John Taylor)
- Bristol Volunteers
The Bristol Trained Bands of 1638 consisted of 300 men armed with 210 muskets and 90 corslets (body armour, signifying pikemen). They mustered no cavalry.
Between 1658 and 1660 Robert Aldworth was colonel of Bristol militia.
Bristol Trained Band Regiment of Foot
| Active | 1639 to 1645 |
| Country | England |
| Allegiance | Parliamentarian |
| Royalist | |
| Conflicts | First Civil War |
| Type | Foot |
| Colonel | Andrew Charleton |
| Thomas Colston | |
| John Taylor | |
| Area Raised | Bristol |
| Coat Colour | |
| Flag Colour | White |
| Flag Design | Motto & Hearts |
| Field Armies | |
Trained Band Regiment of Foot of Bristol, initially under Parliamentarian control, then supporting the Royalists
Service History
1639
- Detachment of 60 sent to York for 1st Bishops' War
1640
- 200 men to be raised for the 2nd Bishops' War
1643
- Garrison of Bristol
- March: Yeaman's and Bowcher's plot to betray Bristol to Prince Rupert suppressed
- July: Besieged in Bristol (With Bristol Volunteers)
1644
- Garrison of Bristol
- May: Hopton orders the Trained Band to be increased to 1000 men
1645
- Garrison of Bristol
- August to September: Besieged in Bristol
Notes
The Bristol volunteers consisted of around 1000 townsmen hastily raised to defend the city in July 1643. After the storm of Bristol by Prince Rupert and Lord Hopton they likely disbanded.
By 1645 the Royalists had two regiments of Trained Bands in garrison at Bristol, under colonels Colston and Taylor.
Coats, Flags and Equipment
The drummers and fifers of the Bristol Trained Band were equipped by the City 1), but no colours were recorded: “17th October 1642 £22/6/6 was paid for 16 suits of cloth with triming and smoking for the drummers and fifers” 2)
On July 25th 1645 Symonds noted that Colonel Taylor's Regiment carried six white flags each with the motto 'Pro Deo & Rege' and distinguished by different numbers of red heart devices 3). Needless to say this design was probably not carried when they were Parliamentarian.
Notable Officers
Colonel Andrew Charleton
Charleton was noted as Colonel in April 1643, he led the Trained Band under the Parliamentarians and died in November 1643. He was previously Sheriff, then Mayor of Bristol.
Colonel Thomas Colston
Royalist Sheriff of Bristol.
Colonel John Taylor
Killed during Fairfax's storm of Bristol in September 1645.
