In conclusion to this study it is illustrative to compair the career's of the writers I have focused upon in understanding the broadly common background to their respective writings. As will be obvious, non were armchair theorists and most had considerable pre-1642 battlefield experience.

Henry Hexham was a renowned vetran of Dutch service who had held commissioned rank in Maurice of Nassau's army after many years of active service in their English regiments, particularly Colonel George Goring's. In England in the 1630's he became one of the most respected sources for reference on the Dutch practice's.

Colonel William Barriffe had seen no active service prior to the ECW yet his abilities in the fashionable military arts demonstrated in the elaborate quasi-military displays of the Society of the Artillery Garden saw him recognized as a leading exponent of the English style of infantry drill and training based firmly on the Dutch practice. A Lieutenant in the Trained Bands of the City Barriffe's prewar reputation saw him appointed at the outbreak of war to the prestigious rank of Sergeant-Major in Colonel John Hampden's Regiment of Foot. Sadly, he died in 1643.

Unfortunately there seems to be little known about Robert Ward other than that he was a County Militia officer who may have practiced with members of the Society of the Artillery Garden (although he was definitely not a member) prior to the ECW and was very familiar with Barriffe's work, although there is no evidence that he personally knew Barriffe.

Lieutanent-Colonel Richard Elton had been a member of the Military Company of Westminster at the start of the ECW with experience in the Parliamentary Army and friends in the New Model Army. By 1646 he was a Sergeant-Major in the City of London Auiliaries. Elton and Barriffe were contemporaries and both members of rival volunteer military groups-the Society of the Artillery Garden and the Military Company. Even if he had not personaly known Barriffe his work certainly strongly reflects Barriffe's work all be it increasingly influenced by Swedish concepts.

George Monck was a professional soldier who had first seen service in the abortive Cadiz expedition followed by considerable active service in the English regiments with Dutch forces fighting against Spain from 1629-38. He then saw a number of years active service in Ireland prior to his return to England in 1644 and capture. His writings represent Dutch practice as it was by the late 1630's (excluding though the ten deep block still used by the Dutch) with the addition of the shallower formations of only six ranks, a development not soley limited to the Swedish service. Sir James Turner had first seen active service in the Swedish Army in 1632 as part of Lumsdaine's Regiment. He remained in Swedish service until 1639/40 making him something of an expert in that service.

For example, in commenting about the short life of the Swedish Brigade, he saw it used '..for one year after the King's death; but after that time, I saw it wear out when defensive arms first, and then pikes came to be neglected...' quoted page 14 in Richard Brzezinski's 'The Army of Gustavus Adolphus'. He was to subsequently see active service in the Scottish army sent to Ulster in 1642 and the Scottish Army that entered England in 1648.

A final individual who linked the predominately parliamentarian manual writers who had pre-war experience in the London based military societies such as Barriffe and Elton with the royalist's of the ECW is Henry Tillier. He was a professional soldier who had served at Cadiz, the Isle of Rhe and in the Low Countries, and who, prior to the ECW, was a well known I expert' of the Military Garden. During the ECW he served as a royalist colonel and a major-general to Prince Rupert.

NB. I am most grateful to Keith Roberts for much of the above biographical detail, and for his great kindness in reading my original draft and making a number of suggestcd additions in respect of skirmishing and the relationships between the different methods of giving fire.

More Give Fire: ECW Formations and Tactics

Introduction
Skirmishing
Pre-War
Wartime
Post-War
Contemporary Battlefield Accounts
Conclusion
Biographical Notes
Troops Disposition Diagrams (slow: 143K)

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