Lord Sinclair’s Regiment of Foot
| Active | 1639 |
| 1640 to 1647 | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Allegiance | Covenanter |
| Conflicts | First Bishops' War |
| Second Bishops’ War | |
| Irish Confederate War | |
| First Civil War | |
| Type | Foot |
| Colonel | Lord Sinclair |
| Area Raised | Aberdeen |
| Caithness | |
| Orkney | |
| Coat Colour | Grey? |
| Flag Colour | |
| Flag Design | |
| Field Armies | Leslie 1639 |
| Garrison | |
| Monro 1642-4 | |
| Callendar 1644 | |
| Leven 1644-6 | |
Covenanter regiment of foot raised during the Bishops’ Wars, serving in Ireland then in England.
Service History
1639
- Two regiments raised from Fife with command shared between Lindsay, Sinclair and Rothes
- March: taking of Dalkeith Castle
- June: Join Leslie’s army at Duns Law
- June: Standoff at Duns Law
- June: Disbanded following the Treaty of Birks
1640
- September: Raised anew in Caithness and Orkney
- October to February 1642: Garrison Aberdeen
1641
- Garrison Aberdeen
- August: Retained in service despite the general Scots disbandment
1642
- February: Leave Aberdeen
- March: Embark at Irvine, but wind-bound off Arran
- April: Land at Carrickfergus
- May: Take Newry (det of 200)
- Garrison at Newry
- Receive 500 reinforcements from Scotland
- August: Lord Sinclair arrives in Ireland alongside Leven
- September: Taking of Dungannon (800 men)
1643
- Sinclair returns to Scotland
- May: Skirmish at Tanderagee?
- May: Battle of Loughgall (300 musketeers under Maj. Turner)
- August to September: Siege of Charlemont
- September: With the Cessation, a local truce is agreed between Newry garrison and Col. Turlough O' Neill
1644
- February: Newry handed over to Lord Moore of Ormond's army, following an offer by Lt Col Sinclair to sell the town for £960
- February: Shipped from Groomsport, Ireland to Irvine, Scotland
- March via Paisley and Glasgow to Stirling
- Attempt to betray Stirling Castle to the Royalists unsuccessful
- April: March to the Borders
- June: March into England as part of the Earl of Callendar's force
- July to October: Siege of Newcastle
- Merged with Sinclair's other regiment, the ‘Levied Regiment’ of Foot
1645
- July to September: Siege of Hereford
- November to May 1646: Siege of Newark
1646
- May: Surrender of Newark
- Quarter in Durham or Northumberland
1647
- January: Return to Scotland
- February: Due to return to Ireland, but mutiny at Peebles
- April: Disbanded
Notes
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
Particularly badly behaved at Aberdeen the regiment were blamed for 65 pregnancies amongst honest women servants, as well as for drunkenness, fighting and swearing.
On reaching England in 1644 the regiment was amalgamated with Lord Sinclair’s second regiment, the Levied Regiment.
Coats, Flags & Equipment
Supplied with 200 muskets, 300 bandoliers and 100 pikes in April 1644.
Notable Officers
A list of the regiment's officers is shown in Stuart Reid's Scots Armies of the 17th Century 1. The Army of the Covenant 1639-1651 Partizan Press 1998 ISBN 094652550
Lord Sinclair
John, 9th Lord Sinclair
Lt Col David Sinclair
Lt Col to 1642
Lt Col Henry Sinclair
Lt Col after 1642, and effective commander in Ireland as Lord Sinclair was usually absent
Maj James Turner
Holding Royalist sympathies, he was involved in the abortive effort to betray Stirling and in 1646 offered to aid the King in an escape attempt from the Scots army at Newark, which offer was declined.
Strength
- October 1640: 438 men plus officers in 6 companies
- July 1641: 505 enlisted men
- December 1641: 477 enlisted men, 84 officers and others
- March 1642: 260 men after desertion following news of their deployment to Ireland
- April 1642: 486 officers and men
- August 1642: 1032 men and 109 officers in 10 companies
