Sir John Innes’ Regiment of Foot

Covenanter regiment of foot serving at Dunbar in the Third Civil War

Later Colonel James Innes’ regiment of Foot

• September: Recruited from Whiggamores and/or Kirk party supporters
• September: Ordered to quarter at Canongate in Edinburgh
• November: Innes made governor of Bog of Gight Castle, the regiment provide the garrison

• January to February: Quartered at Arbroath
• February: Quartered at Dundee
• February: Innes commissioned colonel to raise a regiment from Moray, Nairn and Inverness
• March: At Fife, the regiment mutinies with all except one company fleeing for fear they might be sent to Inverness
• Innes rounds up deserters
• June: Quartered in Highland garrisons
• July: 100 at Brahan and Chanonry Castles, 4 companies in Moray and Banffshire

• Winter: Also in garrison at Strathbogie and Bog of Gight Castles
• June: Garrison Brahan (50), Blair Atholl (50), Strathbogie (20), Eilean Donan (20) and Bog of Gight (30), the rest of the regiment join the army at Edinburgh
• September: Battle of Dunbar
• Autumn: Defence of Bog of Gight Castle from Middleton's Royalists
• Autumn: Defence of Strathbogie Castle from Middleton's Royalists
• Return to garrison in Northern Scotland

• January: At Aberdeen, fighting with the townsfolk demoralises the regiment
• June: James Innes replaces John as colonel
• June: Ordered to abandon Bog of Gight and Strathbogie Castles and assemble at Stirling
• September: Likely disbanded

A history of the unit is shown in Edward M. Furgol’s A Regimental History of the Covenanting Armies 1639-1651 Edinburgh, 1990. ISBN 0 85976 194 0

Flags are tentatively identified from those captured on the Dunbar campaign. The Colonel’s flag is white with a gold cockerel crest and a scroll with the motto COVENANT FOR RELIGION KING AND KINGDOM. Other flags are red with a white saltire and various distinctions in red; ring, crescent, ring and figure ‘3’, 3 cinquefoils; martlet and figure ‘4’, fleur de lis. The inscription reads Couenant for Religion King and Kingdome.¹⁾

A list of officers is shown in Stuart Reid's Scots Armies of the 17th Century 2: Scots Colours Partizan Press 1988 ISBN 094652550 1

A Kirk party supporter

• February 1649: 500 foot to be levied
• July 1649: 345 soldiers
• July 1649: 375 more levies ordered
• November 1650: 500 levies ordered from Banff and Aberdeenshire
• June 1651: 355 men
• July 1651: 414 men
• July 1651: 407 men