Tuesday 12 February 2013

RP No 120 Flodden - The Bastard Heron's Border Horse



One of 4 units of English Border Horse, I've recently painted up for the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The figures are from Essex Minis and are carrying the Banner of Thomas Lord Dacre 2nd Baron of Gilsland, Warden of the English West March. The flag was drawn by myself on MS Paint and is available here to download for free.



This unit plus the three others earned me 136 points in Curt's Analogue Painting Challenge.



An account of the Battle, by James Bell
"On James IV's left flank The Border Pikes under Lord Home, broke ranks and charged the English right wing, commanded by Edmund Howard. Howard's forces were outnumbered in this attack by three to one and totally unnerved by the attacking Pikes of Home, panicked and ran, leaving Howard with a few loyal men standing their ground. Howard put up a desperate but losing fight and although his standard bearer was dead and he had been downed three times, he managed to regain his feet each time and continue his struggle. Just as Home's Pikes were about to charge him yet again, no doubt with a borderers eye to the ransom, 1,500 of Lord Dacres Border Lances (made up of his men from Gilsland and  Bell's of Farlam), charged the Scottish flank and held them. Then a handpicked band of Border Reivers under the outlaw John "The Bastard" Heron, hacked their way through the Scots around Howard and freed him. Heron's Reivers "making even work before them" cut their way through the Scots towards the English ranks; on the way they were confronted by a party of Scots lead by the young Sir David Home, who was cut down and killed by Howard."








42 comments:

  1. A great unit for a great story...the flag is really nice too!
    Phil.

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  2. Great work, and yeah, the flags are top notch! Oh and dammmmn already 674 followers over here?? Wowzers!

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    1. Yeh, they've slowly been creeping up over time!

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  3. Excellent job and a lot of points. Not to mention I'm learning a lot about history as well.

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    1. I like to put a little history to a unit, it makes them a liittle more real (in my tiny mind)

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  5. Great unit and very impressed with 674 followers......wow!

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    1. Cheers John, Yep its a big number, but I've not had a new one for a couple of weeks now.

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  6. Nice work, Ray! Some of them are probably my wife's relatives.

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    1. Not the side with the dubious parentage I hope?

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  7. Great stuff Ray, I figure (pun intended) from this that your Williamite forces are in the fridge for now?

    Cheers Sander

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    1. Nope not at all! Its just nice to have a bit of a swap with the periods every now and then.

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  8. I really like the banner, Ray. It's the first time I've seen one on here - great job on all of it!

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    1. Thanks Elsie, there should be a few more up in the next few weeks..........hopefully???

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  9. They're great Ray and the potted history was just a nice bonus.

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  10. Very good job ! Many thanks for the falgs

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  11. Love, love, love, the flag. Great work as usual.

    PS: I also really dig the grass.

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    1. I'm gl;ad you like it Whisk!

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    2. Hey Ray -- When you get a chance check out my husbands blog. I put hearts all over it. So funny. I'm crackin' myself up.

      PS: If you want I can email you the code and you could hack into Lurker's blog. Or maybe not. He'd probably kill you. But then again, maybe not as he'll need a ride home.

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  12. Damn fine job on that flag Ray. Drawing that bull had to be difficult on MS. Nice of you and Postie to make those free as well. Almost makes me feel bad about what I'm about to do to you.

    Along with Lord Ray's Privy and Lord Ray Himself, I'm now working on Baby Ray and his Wet Nurse.

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    1. LOL That made me laugh, my Dad's also called Ray, so my Nan always used to call me baby Ray.

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    2. Thank you for letting me do this-it cheers me up a bit :)

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  13. Excellent standard (including the....er...standard) as usual

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  14. Very nice small unit, Ray. Your collection is growning fast!

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  15. The flag make these riders look fantastic! Excellent work Ray! :)

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  16. Baby, great story and unit. The flag is 1st class.

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  17. Great stuff there Ray but why the Laughing Cow on the banner?

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  18. Another well done, heroic bunch. Can't wait to read about the Flodden refight.

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  19. Nice little set. Is it bad the flag makes me smile?

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  20. "Very nice knights this night" !(please, to say 3 times before ^painting!)

    "Tiendrons nous-main" : french ! but I don't understand exactly, does it mean "nous nous tiendrons la main" ( we hold our hands ) or "tiendrons nous-mêmes" ("will hold ourself" or "will resist together" or something like that...) ?
    and the same question than Panzerkaput about the "laughing cow" .

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  21. Wonderful work again Ray.Very well done!

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  22. Very nice Ray. You're flying through these. One might even think you'd been a bit naughty at work...

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