Sir Briaine Alderidge was alarmed when reports of a ' stronge force of roundheades' was on the march from Felpersham marching up the Vale of the River Perch on it's way towards Borchester . He immediately gathered what forces he had and set off to meet them down what is now the A9110 . The Parliamentarian force got as far as Roserran in the Vale and had to wait for the many stragglers to catch up . On the afternoon of 4th The forces met on the common land outside the village .
A Victorian oil painting of the Vale of the River Perch attributed to Henry John Boddington (1811-1865)
A Victorian photograph of the village of Roserran in the Vale (circa 1889)
A modern aerial view of the supposed location of the battlefield , sadly the A9110 runs right through it and the village is overbuilt with modern housing , so sad these historic sites cannot be save for posterity . I must thank the Librarian Ms J. Goodebody of the University of Felpersham for giving me access to the Oil painting and old photo which are in their safe keeping , the modern photo is care of Highways England . In the next posting I will show the forces engaged and a outline of the action.
* From 'The Diarye of Sire Brianne Alderidge, Being A Recorde Of The Late Rebellione'
(care of the Records Office Borchester)
The scene is set... good stuff so far. Ok, I realise Borsetshire might be fictional, but I do wish we looked after our known battlefields as well as they do in the States.
ReplyDeleteYes sadly we live on a very crowded busy island
DeleteWonderful illustrations Tony! I can't wait for the action to begin!
ReplyDeleteIt's being played at this very moment.
DeleteThe scene is set, let the games continue...
ReplyDeleteRereading the rules , very much a test game at the moment .
DeleteThat oil painting is fascinating, almost looks like a really posh wargame table. The details differ but landscape in the photo looks very similar (apart from the highway). Not many places around here that would look so similar to even an early with c painting.
ReplyDeleteSadly the dual carriageway and Bypass has gone right through the middle of the battlefield .
DeletePawn to King Four...time to develop the other pieces.
ReplyDeleteKing's gambit !?
DeleteIf you think about it though surely the Civil War generals would have used the A roads and Motorways for convenience? Also handy to use the service areas for troop provisions.
ReplyDeleteYes if only - but the cost of catering for an army (even a modest one ) would be prohibitive at a motorway service station .
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