Sir William Marshall & retinue, Curteys Miniatures

This group of figures are shown carrying the arms of Sir William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke. The figures are produced by Curteys Miniatures and are taken from various sets within their medieval range. The majority are from the Crossed Lances range which was created to support a medieval tournament game (details here - Crossed Lances) of the same name. The mounted flag bearer is taken from the Curteys Miniatures Feudal Medieval Western range.

Sir William Marshall & retinue.

For detailed information about the life of the Marshall take a look (here)

Taken from the company website about the set:

'Sir William Marshall – Each set contains 1 mounted knight with lance and shield, 1 mounted knight with handweapon and shield, 1 dismounted knight with hand weapon and shield, HDF bases, and water slide transfers for all the figures.'

Code SKU: CLKSet01

Note that this set (£20 at the time of writing) contains two mounted figures and one on foot not the three mounted and two figures on foot shown here in this post. The 'Squire carrying sword & shield' is available separately (currently £2). The figures were original part of the wider Feudal Medieval Western range. Curteys gave the knight a jousting lance and made an all-you-need bundle which even includes the bases. The only thing you need to do is glue and paint the figures. Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed that the bases are not all the same, this is because the bases supplied in the set didn't match the ones I already had. As I intended to make a specific movement tray for this group I wasn't overly concerned. 

Mounted knight with lance and shield.

Also note that the set is supplied with water slide transfers for all the figures. A leaflet explains that the areas where the transfers will be applied have to painted (or sprayed) white. This is because the transfer is actually transparent and reveals the background colour when in place. I would recommend using a decal softener as the transfers will resist conforming to the curves of the horse barding and the surcoats. The shields have a slight curvature but the transfers adhere to the surface without any major problems.

Mounted knight with lance and shield

Mounted knight with lance and shield

The striped lance effect was achieved by initially painting the lance yellow and once dry wrapping a thin piece of masking tape around the lance as I rotated it in my fingers. Then I painted the lance green ensuring that the paint wasn't too fluid as it tends to seep under the tape. Once this layer was dry the tape was peeled away and any areas was touched up where necessary.

Mounted knight with hand weapon and shield

Dismounted knight with hand weapon and shield - front view

Dismounted knight with hand weapon and shield - rear view

As I had a spare shield transfer I applied it the shield being carried by the 'Squire carrying sword & shield' figure (Code SKU: CLH08) that I had purchased a while ago also from Curteys Miniatures.

Squire carrying sword and shield - front view

Squire carrying sword and shield - rear view

Squire carrying sword and shield - side view

Although this set of figures was initially designed for use with Crossed Lances I will of course be using the them for games of Lion Rampant. In order to maintain a similar look of previously completed units I realised I needed extra mounted figure to give me half (three models) of a Mounted Men-at-Arms unit.

Therefore I raided the lead pile and found an appropriate third mounted figure, this one is from the Curteys ME13 Mounted Knights-sergeants 1 set (lance upright, charging unbarded horses, currently £9). details (here) part of the Feudal Medieval Western range.

Marshall's flagbearer

Marshall's flagbearer

The flag was drawn on a CAD system and once glued into position was painted and highlighted with the usual acrylic paints.

Each of Marshall's five sons inherited the title but unfortunately the male line died out as none of his sons had children. The last son, Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke, died in 1245. I mention this because the helmet of the knight design is more appropriate for later 13th century whereas the 1st Earl died in 1219.

The figures are easy to paint up with enough detail to warrant the extra time I spent on them. The heraldic transfers are a quick and easy alternative to painting them yourself. I have another similar set to this, depicting a member of the Beauchamp family, which I will attempt to finish before the end of the year. It is my intention to record the making and painting of these models and eventually post the results on YouTube via the Wargaming For Fun site.

Update

After I mentioned to my brother that all of the sons of William Marshall had died without issue he asked if anyone one else carried these arms. I assumed that they did because they represented the arms of the Marshall of England. After a short bit of research (i.e. Google & Wikipedia) I found out that these became the:

'Arms of "Bigod Modern": Per pale or and vert, a lion rampant gules, adopted by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk, after 1269 following his inheritance of the office of Marshal of England from the Marshal family, of which these had formerly been the armorials.' (Wikipedia).

Given that the armour, particularly the helmet, is more suitable for the mid to late 13th century this figure is more appropriate to represent Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk.

Coat of Arms of De Brian, Crusader Miniatures

As with the Wyville figure, details of which can be found (here) this model doesn't actually represent anyone in particular but the coat of arms are based on floor tiles discovered at Shaftsbury Abbey.

De Brian

Arms: Azure, three piles conjoined in base or

Elizabeth, daughter of sir Guy De Brian married Hugh, the son of Hugh Courtney, second Earl of Devon. He was the owner of the East and East Coker in Somerset.

Again I removed the tail from the horse to give a more accurate historical representation of a mounted knight.

I have to admit that I'm not overly keen on this particular model of the horse and as a result I didn't spend too much time and effort painting it. In retrospect I should have painted the heraldic pattern on the caparison as well as on the figures surcoat but I'm not going to add any more to it now.

Coat of Arms of Wyville, Crusader Miniatures & Fireforge Games

This model doesn't actually represent anyone in particular but the coat of arms is once again based on floor tiles discovered at Shaftsbury abbey, once one of the richest abbey's in the country. More information about my visit to the town and figures based on the tiles can be found (here), (here) and (here).

From the note at Shaftsbury Abbey museum:

Wyville 

Arms: A cross argent fretty between four mullets of six points.

Robert Wyville (or Wyvil), was Bishop of Salisbury from 1330 to 1375. He was involved in a quarrel with the new newly ennobled Lord Salisbury in 1341 over the ownership of Sherbourne castle. This escalated into an argument that was nearly settled through (a very rare) trial by combat. At one time he held the high office of Lord Privy Seal.

As you may notice the figure, in terms of the style of his armour etc., predates the bishop by approximately one hundred years. The most interesting aspect of this character was his near involvement in a trial by combat. This dispute was due to be settled by two champions chosen by the two main protagonists, Wyville and the Earl of Salisbury.

However before the combat was due to start one of the men (the Bishop's champion if I remember correctly) was discovered to have been 'cheating' by having magic charms and amulets tucked into his clothing so the trial was suspended. Eventually the cause was settled so the trial by combat never actually took place. It would make an interesting basis for a 'what if' scenario.

The mounted knight and the knight on foot are both from Crusader while the horse is from Fireforge Games. As you may notice this is another model I have altered slightly. I've removed the tail and filled in the gap on the barding with greenstuff. The reasoning behind this decision can be found (here).

Apologies for the quality and strange colour of the photos (just like the good old days). I got a bit carried away with editing on Picasa and didn't want to waste time altering then back.

Sir Nicholas de Stafford, Crusader Miniatures

These models represents Sir Nicholas De Stafford.

These models represents Sir Nicholas De Stafford. Born about 1246 in Stafford, Staffordshire, England. de Stafford was sheriff of Staffordshire, married Anne de Langley and then Eleanor De Clinton. He was killed, along with several other knights, whilst inspecting a mine that had been tunneled under the walls of Rhys ap Maredudd’s Dryslwyn Castle during the siege in August 1287.

Both the mounted knight the the knight on foot are from Crusader Miniatures. You may have noticed that I have removed the tail from the horse. The reason for is is detailed in a post about Peter of Dreux.

Stone keep of Stafford Castle built by Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford

Later members of the family included Ralph Stafford, a founder member of the Order of the Garter, who became the1st Earl of Stafford. It was this particular Stafford that built the stone castle in 1347, the scant remains of which can been seen on top of the motte.

In 1444 Humphrey Stafford was created Duke of Buckingham, he was later killed at Battle of Northampton in July 1460.

The impressive remains of the motte and bailey can be seen from the M6 motorway between Junction 13 & 14.

King Edward I, Curteys Miniatures

Seeing as he was born this day in history (in 1239 to be precise) I thought it would be appropriate to post this model which represents English King Edward I. 

Perhaps best known now for being responsible for building a chain of some of the most impressive castles in Britain. Conway, Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris castles still stand and dominate the landscape seven hundred years after their construction. 

I could write several posts about Edward each one detailing his involvement in the Baron Wars, both the Welsh and Scottish Wars, castle building, crusades, treatment of the Jewish population, the Eleanor Crosses. However all this information is available and better written online and in books, a particular good read is "A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain." by Marc Morris.

If anyone is curious as to why the surcoat is left plain white it's because I based the model on the illustration of Edward from Christopher Rothero's book, published by Osprey, Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250 - 1400. This image, I believe, is taken from the Great Seals of Edward which shows the king in a plain surcoat.

The model is from the Feudal Medieval - Western Europe range from Curteys Miniatures

The heraldry is from Wargame Transfers by Battle Flag details:

EDI/01 28mm Medieval Mounted Knight King Edward I Transfer Kit and Standard.
The technical description for the King's heraldry is 'Gules three lions passant gardant in pale or.'

Useful online references for Edward I:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/edward_i_king.shtml

Hugh (not quite) Poyntz, Crusader Miniatures & Curteys Miniatures

These models were supposed to represent Hugh Poyntz as part of my old 'Shaftsbury' series (if you can't remember, more details can be found here & here). I say supposed because it was whilst browsing through the excellent Brian Timms heraldry website - which you can find (here) I chanced upon the name of a certain Hugh Poyntz. It's such an unusual surname that I recognised it straight away as one of the names featured on the tiles from Shaftsbury abbey. I have already painted, quite a while back now, several knights to match these tiles including the figures shown here.

Unfortunately, well for me at least, is that fact the Timms site also shows colour illustrations of the coat of arms for the knights and said that Poyntz is 'Barry of eight or and gules' or in plain English 'red and yellow horizontal stripes'. 

From the note at Shaftsbury Abbey museum:
Poyntz

Arms: Barry of eight (eight horizontal bars)

The title probably commemorates either Sir Nicholas Poyntz who married Elizabeth, namesake of Dame Elizabeth, the last Abbess, who surrendered the Abbey in 1539; or his son Hugh who served in the Scottish wars and married Margaret Paynel of Brook, Westbury, Wiltshire; or their son Nicholas. There is a family chapel in Sutton Poyntz near Weymouth dating from the 13th century. 

Curteys Miniature

Unfortunately, well for me at least, is that fact the Timms site also shows colour illustrations of the coat of arms for the knights and said that Poyntz is 'Barry of eight or and gules' or in plain English 'red and yellow horizontal stripes'. 

Now some eagle eyed readers may have already noticed a slight discrepancy here. Yep, because I didn't check the accurately of the museum's display I've painted the model the wrong bleedin' colours. Doubts should be been raised as traditionally black cloth was very expensive to produce during the medieval period. However as I've not a complete rivet-countering anorak I'm not overly concerned. These figures are generally used to play skirmish style games loosely set during Second Baron War and the Welsh wars. I'm not limiting myself to characters that took part in these campaigns (which in itself can be quite difficult to research). I often just paint figures that I find interesting and attractive such as Peter of Dreux. Despite the figure looking quite striking I will probably paint another figure to match the historical Poyntz as he seems an interesting character. Plus it's quite similar to the heraldry of the Harcourt family which may add to the confusion (and fun) on the tabletop.

The mounted knight is from Crusader Miniatures and the knight on foot is a from Curteys Miniatures.

Crusader Miniature

Roger de Somery, Baron Dudley, Curteys Miniatures

This figure represents the local (to me at least) Baron of Dudley, Roger de Somery. 

Shield of arms for Sir Roger de Somery:
Or two lions passant azure.

Usefully, due to the lack of imagination when it came to thinking up original Christian names, this chap can represent a Roger de Somery throughout the 13th century. There are three barons named Roger de Somery, all associated with Dudley Castle. The cycle was finally broken by John who was apparently a Robber Baron (or a "bad 'un" as my nan would have said). At his death the Dudley estates passed, through marriage, to the Sutton family.

• Roger de Somery I (d.1225),
• Roger de Somery II (d.1272),
• Roger de Somery III (c.1254-1291),
• John de Somery (1280-1322).

Whoever controlled Dudley Castle were referred to as being King's Men, in the sense that they generally remained loyal to the king (although there are a few notable exceptions). 

In this short post I'm going to try briefly focus on the two later Rogers of the family. It was Roger de Somery II who supported King Henry III during the Barons' revolt, fought (and was captured) along side the King at the Battle of Lewis in 1264. As a reward to his loyalty he was granted permission to castellate his mansion (i.e. turn it into a castle).

Both the second and third Somery's took part in Edward I's campaign against the Welsh Prince Llwelyn ap Gruffudd and his brother Dafydd. After their deaths, another (one of the many during the late 13th century) revolt flared up this time lead by Rhys ap Maredudd of the Welsh royal house of Deheubarth in 1287-88. The English response was led by Earl Edmund of Cornwall as his brother, King Edward I, was overseas at the time. There were several notable sieges including that of Dryswlyn and Newcastle Emlyn castles with de Somery serving under the command of Roger Lestrange.

I have to admit I find it quite difficult keeping track of the Welsh princes and their actions. Not only because I find the names are difficult to pronounce but also because when the Welsh weren't fighting the English (and also fighting with the English), they were fighting amongst themselves.

I will hopefully go into more detail of this small slice of history in the future as I want to make it the basis of a gaming campaign using the forthcoming Lion Rampant rules from Osprey Publishing. So Rhys ap Maredudd may rise again and change the course of history.

The figure itself is from Curteys Miniatures from their 'Feudal Medieval - Western Europe' range.

The heraldry is hand painted and may initially look a bit odd particularly the lions. However it is based directly on the stained glass shaped heraldic medallion John de Somery which can be seen (Here). This glass is probably from the chapel, the remains of which can still be seen at Dudley Castle.

If you fancy your own piece of miniature family history, please feel free to entry my special give-away competition, details of which can be found (Here).

As today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings I'd like to dedicate this post to my granddad Perks who died before I ever got a chance to really know him.

Like a great number of other veterans he never talked about the war to his family, including my dad obviously, even when asked. Funnily enough my dad said the only thing his dad mentioned about the war was that he spilt boiling water down his leg in an attempt to dodge taking part in the landings, the punch line being that he was sent anyway. I now believe this was his light-hearted attempt at avoiding talking about his own experiences because I know for a fact he served as a gunner on 25-pounders with the Royal Artillery. He fought all through Normandy, Belgium and eventually was part of the occupying forces in Germany. He always had a family reputation for being some what of a rogue so I suspect he told that story with his usual mischievous look in his eyes, which I can still picture. Anyway, rest in peace Granddad Perks.

Peres de Corbet, Curtey's Miniatures

This colourful little chap represents Peres de Corbet. The model is my first attempt at using a transfer on a medieval figure, which feels like a gift from the heavens after attempting to paint even relatively simply heraldry. I started with him simply because I often visit Moreton Corbet church and castle in Shropshire where you can still see similar heraldry of the local Corbet family. 

Peter Corbet, according to the excellent Brian Timms website, succeeded his father in 1300 fought at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 and may have been at Bannockburn, 1314. He may have also been present at the Battle of Boroughbridge, 1322 dying the same year. This model isn't quite 'right' in the terms of that he needs more plate armour on his legs and arms, although he may have been a slightly less off. It's probably more appropriate to represent his father (Thomas?).

The figure itself is from Curteys Miniatures from their 'Feudal Medieval - Western Europe' range. 

The transfer for this figure is from Battle Flag (Wargame Transfers) : 'EDI/07 28mm Medieval Mounted Knight Peres de Corbet Transfer Kit and Standard Waterslide transfer kit for Barding, Shield and figure detail plus archival quality paper flag.' 

This particular model was painted well over a year ago but I will be painting another similar figure soon'ish which I plan to video and will hopefully go online to support Ade's website and YouTube channel. 

If your name is Corbet then you may want to enter my special give-away competition to win a personalised model, details can be (Here). Don't worry even if your name isn't Corbet as I will be painting a model to suit the winner's surname.

Special Give-Away Competition

I've previously mentioned that I was working on a special (mainly because it's my first ever) give-away competition to reward the long suffering followers of this blog. After a great deal of thought I've finally managed to work out the details. So to put it simply:

The winner of this special give-away competition will receive a model of a 13th century style mounted medieval knight miniature painted in the follower's own personal coat of arms. 

To win this prize all you have to do is be a public follower of this blog and leave a comment below, even if it's something like, "Hi my blog is 'Garry's Blog' and I like winning free stuff, regards Garry." No tricky questions to answer (like how do you actually produce 'Ubique'), it really is as simple as that. 

Image for reference only. Unless the winner's real name is actually
Peter of Dreux then they won't be getting anything looking like this.
The winner will however win a model painted and finished to the same standard.

I have to admit that the idea for this comp isn't entirely original. The initial idea for all this came about having a chat, during a demo, to the makers of a new'ish medieval tournament game Crossed Lances at a recent show. They have started to introduce, in conjunction with Curteys Miniatures and  Battle Flag, branded sets of figures for their game and mentioned in passing that they'd eventually like to produce individual transfers for their customers (it is also mentioned somewhere in the rulebook). I thought I could use this idea to make and paint a unique figure for one of followers of my blog. I'd like to point out that I have no personal connection to the Crossed Lances game or to the creators of the game, two nice and very knowledgeable gents called Peter Bradford and Martin Knight. So if they happen to enter and win there has been no sneaky deals or tricks behind the scenes, honest.

I'm currently working on a similar project for my dad which I know is destined to go straight into his display cabinet. So even if you don't play medieval games or use different size figures then I still hope you will take part, even if the model will simply end up in a display cabinet or given away as a gift to a member of your family.

Now then the all important Terms & Conditions which I recommend you actually read in full because (most of) it will be relevant: 

• This competition is free to enter. 
• One entry per follower. 
• Entries (i.e. comments below) must be in before 1st July 2014. 
• This competition is open to all followers of the blog, so whether you've been following since the start (blimey, way back in late 2008) or from just a few minutes before midnight on 30th June 2014 GMT all are welcome to take part.
• The winning entry will be chosen at random by myself or by a glamorous assistant (if I can find one). 
• I will paint for the winner a single 13th century style mounted medieval knight miniature. Either a plastic or medal 28mm sized model will be used, depending on what I think is suitable for the winner's heraldry but probably a plastic FireForge model (see model above). 
• The model will painted especially for you and finished to my own usual standard i.e. one I'd be happy to display online as one of my own collection (again see model above). It won't be a rushed job so it might take a while to complete (so don't moan if you have't received it within a few days of the close of the comp). 
• I will be painting the model by hand, by this I mean I won't be using transfers for any of the heraldry details. 
• The heraldry will be displayed on the shield and on the horses barding but, unless it is a very simple design, not of the figure's surcoat. I will produce a model based on a similar format to that seen on the Great Seal of Edward I. 
• I will finish the base to my normal standard (painted sand, tufts and grass) if required. If you'd prefer an unfinished base and would rather it left blank in order that you can match your own models, no problem (less work for me). 
• The model will be varnished to a matte finish. If you prefer high gloss, again no problem, just let me know.
• The prize cannot be exchanged for a cash equivalent (which I think would be quite rude and probably get you blocked if you even asked, cheeky bugger). 
• As I realise that not everyone is not fortunate to live in the Black Country, or even the English Midlands (I know blimey, you poor souls, you only get to drink stuff like Fosters, Carling or Stella) so if you win and you don't happen to live in this blessed region, don't worry, I will post the prize internationally and it still won't cost you a penny (nor a nickel, peso or euro). 
• If you play fantasy games you may, if you wish, have a fantasy style heraldry pattern such as a half ogre/half flying trout combo etc. but the figure used will be still be a 13th century style model. 
• There is one special rule - if a lady wins then the I'll throw in an extra prize mainly because I like ladies and they generally smell nicer than blokes. I'd prefer to call this positive discrimination, rather than being sexist. After a few unpleasant experiences at some shows and in a number of GW and independent hobby shops (such as walking into a solid 'wall of stink') I'd like to encourage more women to share in our hobby if only to encourage better general hygiene levels. 
• Speaking of poor hygiene, my nephew young Barry is not allowed to enter. 
• I will announce the winner in the first week of July (the best month the year - obviously). 
• The winner, and only the winner, will need to provide me with some of their personal details e.g. only the obvious and nothing too personal (I don't really need to know your inside leg measurement or your mother's maiden name for example) but surname (unless they want a fantasy scheme), email and postal address spring immediately to mind. Only enough information so I can paint the figure with a suitable heraldic design, keep you informed of the stages of progress and finally, of course, know exactly where to send the model to. This information will not be passed on to anyone else nor will it be sold to an annoying marketing company.
• If you leave a comment and enter the comp then you agree to the above Terms & Conditions. 

Now to deal with the potentially tricky/fun part: The vast majority of people do not have a personal or family coat of arms. You may have an image printed out from one of those commercial companies that will sell you the history of your family name and a rather nice picture of your family heraldry. I've seen at least three totally different images presented for my own family name, so I personally suspect they simply make a lot of these things up (apologies if you already have one of these). If in any doubt about that statement, enter your own surname into Google Images and see how many different results you get. 

On my travels wandering around many old medieval churches, often in tiny villages in the middle of nowhere, one thing I've noticed is that the coat of arms of the great medieval families are normally very simple/geometric patterns. For instance the Beauchamp, Mortimer, de Clare, de Vere, Hastings, Woodville families etc. all had very simple, and the important bit, easily identifiable coat of arms. Is this an attempt at a cop out of painting complex heraldry, again no. If the lucky winner wants me to use one of these commercial available images as a design reference that's no problem. If the winner doesn't have a particular design in mind then I'm quite prepared to research it for them and come up with a few suggestions. 

Free feel to advertise this comp/give-away on your own blogs. It would be jolly nice of you and it would of course be greatly appreciated. However you will still only get one entry as I like to think of my online blogging empire, my own Ubiquetopia, as an loosely democracy-based benevolent dictatorship rather than some kind of banana republic with crazy multiple voting options. As stated above - one entry per follower. You will of course be technically decreasing your odds of winning by promoting the competition but you will also be acting 'nice' and being 'nice' is good thing.

There may (note the use of the word 'may') be a runners up prize but which will depend on the number of entries (it's my blog = my rules. It's my 'loosely democracy-based benevolent dictatorship' remember). This runner up prize will be triggered after a reasonable number of entries (I know, it's almost like a Kickstarter style comp), I'm thinking once around twenty/thirty entries but I'm going to be flexible with this. If only two people enter for instance then I'm not going to be particularly inclined to paint another prize but if all the blog followers enter (200+) I may even produce several runner-up prizes (my dictatorial benevolence knows no bounds).

In the near future I will also be running a similar competition/give away type thingy to promote the new medieval skirmish game Lion Rampant which is being released be Osprey Publishing but that competition will have slightly different T&C's, entry conditions and very likely a far broader scope for potential contestants, with use of various social media with multiple entries allowed for and you won't need to be a follower of this particular blog. 

So this personal coat-of-arms comp/give-away is more of a reward scheme for followers of this blog (and this competition, in my opinion, has a better prize because it will be a personalised, unique model for the winner) plus you'll have a potentially far better chance of winning. 

Now hopefully you will have realised that I won't be making a penny from all this, quite the opposite in fact. So why, you may reasonably ask, do it at all? Well the answer is simple. I've had an awful lot of enjoyment and entertainment from all the other blogs that I follow and read so I'd like to give something back to the online community and 'pay it forward'. This may all sound a bit Hollywood/soap opera spiel (or "a load of old cobblers" as my granddad would have said) but I think the users of the Bloggosphere (all the other online blogger systems such as Wordpress and the like, not just Blogspot, are included in this) are quite special in their approach and spirit. Online forums and YouTube, although very useful at times, can often deteriorate into an aggressive bun fight or echo the antics of an unruly schoolyard. Bloggers always seem to be universally positive (apart from the occasional rants) and very generous in their comments and advice, plus they always seem to be giving goodies away. So if you can't beat them, join them.

So anyway thanks for reading down to this bit, thanks for entering (if you do) and good luck.