Alan is a military historian, who specialises in the English Civil War and the period up to the mid-18th century. From 1987-2011 he was the curator of the English Civil War site of Basing House (once the largest private house in Tudor England), which underwent the longest siege of the English Civil War.
Drawing on many decades of both re-enactment, living history and original research, Alan’s talk will give the background to the life of the ordinary English Civil War Soldier, both Royalist and Parliamentarian, using real and reproduction artifacts and clothing.
Alan will show the audience how the soldier was dressed, from the inside out, how he was armed, fed and paid.
Anyone with British ancestry will have in their family tree at least one person who served for one side or the other, or sometimes both. This tragic period is sometimes called the war without an enemy yet resulted in the proportional loss of more souls than in the First World War.