"Some more of the Marquesse (Newcastle) souldiers were taken prisoners also; they had white coats (made of the plundered cloth taken from the clothiers in these parts) with crosses on the sleeves, wrought with red and blew silk, an ensigne wee conceive of some Polish regiment."

It has been suggested that these crosses may have been some form of award for gallantry but this seems somewhat unlikely and it is rather more probable that the author of the Parliamentarian report quoted above was right when he suggested that it was a regimental badge, which of course, immediately raises the question of WHICH unit?

The likeliest regiment appears to be Colonel Anthony Byerly's Foot, commissioned in January 1644 and at first used to garrison their Colonel's own hone - Midridge House outside Bishop Aukland in the County of Durhan. Byerle's arms bore a red cross of the likeness shown at right and since his men had sufficient espirit de corps to get themselves known ae "Byerley's Bulldogs", it is not at all unlikely that they should also have borne their Colonel's device on their uniforms.

It may be objected that the Parliamentarian letter speaks of the crosses being embroidered with both red and blue thread (unless the reference be taken to mean that some had red crosses and some blue) but it is quite possible that the blue thread was used to provide a sharp outline to the red cross. If the assumption that the men so badged were Byerly's, it may also be that the regiment's colours made use of the device, in which case one would expect tham to be yellow, having the several companies distinguished by varying numbers of these red crosses.

After garrisoning Midridge Mouse, the regieent joined Newcastle's Army proper and helped defend York before disbanding in the aftermath of Marston Moor.

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