Drummers
Civilians
Drummers
In the 17th Century you would probably hear an advancing army
before you saw it. Getting a large body of men on foot to arrive at
more or less the same time, they need to march - and that is best
achieved with drumming. Marching tunes kept morale high and the men
together. It was also realised that shouting out orders to be heard
over the noise of battle or over distance was difficult, so critical
orders - advance, attack, and retreat for example - were relayed by
the drum. Thus drummers would have been the "walkie-talkie" of the
day. It was then just a short step to making drummers official
communicators with the enemy, and used to negotiate or to make
arrangements for parleys.
Drummers therefore had as much importance on the battlefield as
any soldier. In fact the role carried some considerable status. In
summary, the jobs of drummers were:
- To provide a beat for an army to march to;
- To relay orders to the companies from the commanding officers
(There were specific sequences of beats for each of the major
orders);
- To act as messengers/runners both between officers of the same
army, and between officers of the opposing armies during parleys;
- They would also play tunes along with other musicians in order to
raise the spirits of the troops. Other musicians on the battlefield
played instruments such as the fife (similar to a recorder or a
flute) or in some cases bagpipes.
Drummers in the Sealed Knot are mostly used for marching to and
from the battle or around the battlefield. However there is a
growing enthusiasm for using drums more authentically to communicate
manoeuvres. Most regiments take pride from their own drummers, and
the Earl of Northampton's Regiment is no exception. On some
occasions the Sealed Knot organises a mass turn-out of combined
Parliamentarian and Royalist drums, and this is an impressively loud
display that is great to be a part of.
The Earl of Northampton's Regiment of Foote has some 7 drummers
and 4 junior drummers listed, and they are led by the Drum Major. As
a drummer you are likely to be able to wear a smarter uniform than
the common soldier in the Regiment, as befits your status. If you
are considering drumming, consult with the regimental drum major
before making any purchases. Initially it will be possible to loan
you a drum and kit. Eventually you will almost certainly want to own
your own drum, in the same way that pikemen buy their own armour and
musketeers their guns. Please consult before you buy. As a general
rule, bigger and undecorated drums are more authentic.
Being a drummer is a challenging, high profile but rewarding role
critical to the overall performance - but one in which you are
unlikely to be physically attacked. You don't have to be able to
read music. As a rough guide, if you can dance you can probably
learn how to drum. Even if you choose another arm, in the Earl of
Northampton's Regiment you would be welcome to learn drumming just
for the fun of it!
For further information about the regimental drummers please
contact the Drum Major:
Ray Costello
Tel. 01442 822900
Civilians
Civilians form an extremely large and important
part of the regiment, and of the Sealed Knot. The regiment and the
society are very much family oriented, with a diverse cross-section
of people of all ages from all walks of life. Therefore many people
find themselves unable for many reasons to take part in a physical
role in a battle re-enactment, perhaps due to age, health, or family
commitments. Other people simply choose not to engage in the
battles, preferring to undertake non-combatant activities; after
all, we aim to recreate what it was like living in the 17th century
as much as what the battles were like.
Nearly half of all members of the regiment are registered as
non-combatants or children, and this proportion is also fairly true of the whole
society. For this reason there are many other roles that people can
fill, or create for themselves. Children under 16 cannot go onto a
battlefield, but this does not prevent them learning the
skills-at-arms. The Sealed Knot runs a corps of Apprentices at Armes
for children between 12 and 16, to teach them how to use the various
weapons used on the battlefield. They can even receive promotion
within the Apprentices, however any rank is lost once a child is old
enough to graduate to the battlefield. There is also an impressive
mock cannon, constructed by Brian Osborne of this regiment, which is
used to teach children the drill routine of a gun crew!
The Baggage Trayne which operates on the battlefield has the
purpose of bearing supplies and (most importantly) water for the
troops. Soldiers can lose several pints of water during a battle, so
it is crucial that there are sufficient water carriers to help
prevent soldiers dehydrating.
Living History is a large and important part of what the regiment
and the society does. The term is used to describe the nature of the
authentic camp which can almost always be found at a re-enactment.
Within the Living History camp will be found numerous authentic
style tents housing a wide variety of characters living in authentic
conditions. There people prepare and cook food over open fires,
discuss the gossip of the day, whilst doing craftwork such as wood
turning or metal working, wool spinning or even dentistry! There is
room within the regiment for just about any 17th century character
you can think of, if you would prefer not to take a combat role. For
further information about civilian roles within the regiment please
contact the Living History Coordinator:
Maggie Pingram
Tel. 01827 892920
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