PROJECT LEWES

  Any type of missile or bow armed fighting men are not recorded as having been present at Lewes in significant numbers or having made any significant impact. Nevertheless, they were sure to have been present if only to enabled harassment of an enemy force before the large bodies of spear and mounted soldiery came to grips with one another. There is every reason to assume that crossbow armed foot would have been included in the general call-to-arms on either side and so it is that I have elected to furnish my rebel reserve ward with a small unit. I love these sculpts from Crusader Miniatures (pack MCF031) which I ordered through Northstar Miniatures . They were no-fuss constructions - very little clean up needed and just glue in the crossbows. I chose of round off one of the more peaked helmets through filing just to add variety. I don't often get to build small units so this was a rapid treat for me. Next up ... some spear armed foot.  

  I seem to be forever saying , 'these figures have been a long time coming' and so they have. I think I finished painting them several months ago but only finished the bases today. Of all the shots to cover this post with, I decided my top-down view would best shop my injured horse with that gorgeous smile. For the visitors of this blog (as opposed to the followers), this posting is of the last half of my Reserve Ward knights of the rebel army at Lewes which I am also fielding as Simon de Montfort's bodyguard. Above is my depiction of William de Vescy charging in alongside Walter de Colville. All of these figures as with the rest of the Bodyguard unit are Crusader Miniatures and Gripping Beast (pretty sure). I'm pretty well wedded now to my lances of thicker wire and home made grapers. I have Humphrey de Bohun with an improvised red difference on his family blazon (arms) and thought to give him a brass finished helm. In the centre is Robert de Ros and the leftmost in

It's been a long time since I advanced this army and painted some knights but here they are - at least half of the unit. The miniatures are a combination of Griping Beast and Crusader Miniatures - my two favourite manufacturers for knights of this era. These five gentlemen represent the first half of the Reserve Ward knights for Simon de Montfort's rebel army. It is the last unit of ten knights I have to paint for this army so I suppose it represents a benchmark. The second half of the unit is already underway. I don't normally paint half-units but as I wanted to represent them fighting from horseback as well as on foot, ten figures in heraldry is quite enough to be getting on with at one time. I am representing these knights on foot as well as horseback becasue I want them to be capable of acting as Simon de Montfort's bodyguard. As such, I've developed a Special Rule for Hail Caesar rules and for the time being I'm calling it 'Household'. Quite simply,