Advice Please - WoTR with Lion Rampant

[Captain Blood]

I just used the names of the local medieval manors in the area of the Surrey countryside around where I live.
20 minutes research in your local library with old maps and a good local history book will cough up a whole load of evocative manorial names, and the surnames and titles of the landed families who once occupied them. If you trawl around the local churches, you can often find small, painted, family coats of arms too, for futher inspiration. I copied a couple of these, although mostly I made up liveries for my assorted cast of local magnates... All good clean inventive fun 

[guitarheroandy]

That's a good idea...
I have just found basic coats of arms for my own surname and that of my in-laws plus various other extended family folk, as I was getting bored trying to chase 'real' ones from the period. I may now borrow your idea of finding local manorial names and just stick the whole lot together and see what I come up with...

And I didn't get any models stuck together tonight either 

Must try harder...

[H.M.Stanley]

Just tapping into this thread as my Percy Retinue is already up and running.

Had a quick look at Arlequin's excellent blog which I shall be revisiting shortly.

Our resident Teutonic  Knights player was bemoaning the fate of his mounted MAAs yesterday as they kept being led into traps by lesser types ie everybody else.

Looking forward to seeing your work Andy  

[Chesh]

The thread is defiantly inspiring.  I nearly cleared the desk to put everything on hold to start my own retinue.  I was strong though and resisted but have plans to begin in the New Years instead.

Like the idea about theming the retinue locally.  Either were I grew up in Cheshire or where I liklve now in Birmingham

[UbiqueMatt]

Like the idea about theming the retinue locally.  Either were I grew up in Cheshire or where I liklve now in Birmingham

Hi Chesh,

If you're interesting in having a historical based retinue you might want to consider having it themed around the Lancastrians at the Battle of Blore Heath. The majority of the force were from Cheshire with elements also from the west midlands. The battle, the first major open pitched battle of the wars, is of interest as it had cavalry charges, clever use of terrain etc. The field itself has changed relatively little of the years, if you're ever passing through the area it's worth stopping and having a look.
 
There also a useful website dedicated to the battle:
http://www.bloreheath.org/protagonists.php?ref=protagonists

Another bonus is that if you chose to represent the Lancastrain Lord Audley (James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley) his son John Tuchet (6th Baron Audley) was a Yorkist and fought at the Battles of Mortimer's Cross, Barnet and Tewkesbury. So you can represent either side that takes your fancy.

Regards,
Matt

[Chesh]

Matt - wow vast amount of knowledge - thanks .  I have to say my knowledge of the era is very sketchy.  I haven't decided yet whether I want to do WOTR or late HYW yet.  The new Perry English army set looks very tempting.

[UbiqueMatt]

You're in luck again Chesh, the latest Perry plastics HYW could be used for playing the Battle of Shrewsbury, again with a strong Cheshire element involved - they got around a lot

First time in a major action that English archers fought against each other with Prince Hal taking an arrow shot to the face - all very interesting stuff.

[H.M.Stanley]

Memories of Henry IV Part II from school ...  

Twasnt Hal who copped it

[Chesh]

Hmmm sounds like lots of fun research coming up. 

Very tempted to dive straight in with the Perry's stuff.  Surely can't go wrong. 

[Arlequín]

Cheers for the plug H.M.! Although I am making slow progress on an expanded series of posts about WotR armies and I forget that some people actually do read my stuff... 

For my money the Perry WotR range has it all (or will have once the 'light cavalry' set are out at least).

Matt's suggestion for Blore Heath gets my vote too, although there were also contingents from Shropshire and Staffs with the Lancastrians too (Lord Dudley was the 2iC iirc).

The Cheshire/Shrops/Staffs area is quite fertile ground for low-level 15th Century gaming (whether in the early 1400s or anytime after), being a particularly lawless region. To this was added the status of Cheshire as a palatinate (it was the judicial domain of the king alone - so effectively it had no law as such), which meant that fleeing into Cheshire effectively ended any lawful pursuit of wrongdoers by local law enforcement (posses raised by constables etc). It wasn't quite the Scots Border, but similar in some respects!

The area has quite a heady mix of noble families of both sides and some digging around on the internet will usually unearth details about the minor supporting cast too... I think there were something like 26 major gentry families in Cheshire alone and within them a somewhat bewildering array of associations by marriage etc, along with a fair degree of animosity in some cases too.

Birmingham I know little about and it was pretty insignificant back then... a small village centred on what is now Digbeth. Nevertheless like anywhere else in England, it would have its share of local families either allied or at loggerheads with the others, which meant that occasional violence sparked up as a result.

You can always make up your own families, but some digging around often turns up stuff you could not make up! 

[Chesh]

Arlequin I look at your site yesterday very interesting! 

I also had a quick look around the net last night and quickly discovered the Bostocks of Bostocks and Vernons of Shipbrokes which would fit lovely into this, but then got sidetracked reading about the eigh Norman barons of Cheshire!  The above fit nicely as them and I both lived locally to Northwich.  Vast amount of opportunities and that was only with an hour or so of looking.

As for Birmingham yes it was the poor neighbour to both Warwick and Coventry at the time.  If I went down the Birmingham route I think it would be more fiction if made up families from the area I live in.

Hmmm
 A historical Cheshire retinue and fiction Birmingham retinue, now there is an idea.

Andy - sorry for hijacking your thread it was totally unintentional

[Arlequín]

Cheers! 

Well you have a scenario there that was not uncommon straight away; a local balance of power being upset by an outsider gaining local land through inheritance/marriage. A Cheshire gent gains a manor in Warwickshire and gains a local enemy with a claim on the same land as well.