Welcome to Newcastle’s! We’re a regiment of the Sealed Knot Society, the largest re-enactment society in Europe. We take part in events up and down the country every year, depicting life in the 17th Century and putting on re-enactment battles of the English Civil Wars which took place across the British Isles from 1642 to 1651.
We thought the best way to convey what we get up to and what we’re all about was to show you:
You can find out all about the history of the original and the modern day regiment, what we get up to as a re-enactment regiment and what we’ve got coming up, by exploring our site.
If you already know you want to come along, head to the Joining Us page to get the ball rolling.
We also update our Blog regularly with all sorts of interest posts ranging from Q&As with member of the regiment, round ups of the events we’ve been at and wider historical interest posts about life in the 17th Century.
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🎉 One day only — July 20th! 🎉
Are you a Royalist or a Parliamentarian? Choose your side and witness the thrilling clash as Sir Lewis Watson fights to defend Rockingham Castle!
💥 Expect an action-packed day of living history, battles, and unforgettable drama. Don’t miss it!
👉 Mark your calendars — July 20th at Rockingham Castle!
2nd July - end of the morning (approx.): the Parliamentarian cannon open fire with 4 shots. Their Army then “falls to singing psalms”.
2nd July - 2pm: Newcastle’s Army belatedly starts to arrive, having been looting the abandoned Parliamentarian siege lines.
2nd July - 3pm: By this time the Parliamentarian Army has all returned to the Moor with the Scots infantry being the last to join the line. Two brigades are placed on the right of the first line, the rest are formed as a second line.
2nd July - 4pm (approx.): Newcastle and Prince Rupert meet. They come to the conclusion that nothing will happen so late in the day. Newcastle retires to his coach and most Royalist troops stand down.
2nd July - 5pm (approx.): By now the rest of Newcastle’s troops have arrived on the Moor and are in position.
2nd July - 6 to 7pm: an artillery duel begins on the Royalist right and Parliamentarian left. Both sides support this with two infantry regiments each.
2nd July - 7 to 7:30pm: Either as result of this fight or as a deliberate decision by their commander, Lord Leven, the Parliamentarians launch a general attack across the whole front. This is covered in part by a sudden summer thunderstorm sweeping across the battlefield.
2nd July - 7:30 to 8:30pm: Battle ensues. The eastern Association cavalry are successful against Rupert’s on one wing, but on the other wing the Royalists under Goring are triumphant over Sir Thomas Fairfax’s cavalry. There is heavy infantry fighting in the centre, and the outcome is far from certain. Some of the senior Parliamentarian officers leave the field.
2nd July - 8:30 to 9pm: Superior control of his cavalry allows Cromwell to hook round the Royalist Army and defeat Goring’s cavalry. They then attack the Royalist foot which starts to disintegrate apart from Newcastle’s Whitecoats who get into a ditched in enclosure. Their stand in this allows at least part of the Royalist army to escape. They hold for some time until a regiment of Scots dragoons under Hugh Fraser are brought up to break them up, allowing the cavalry to enter their body. Only some 30 of the Whitecoats survive to be taken prisoner.
2nd July - Midnight: Bodies of disorganised Royalist Horse remain on the field, the last being ordered at midnight to withdraw into York.
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All photos are by kind permission of members of the society, including the Sealed Knot Photography Team and members of the regiment.