When the Analogue Hobbies Challenge came to an end in mid-March I knew my painting mojo would drop off a cliff. I had a load of little administrative-type projects that had backed up and I had a few books that 'needed' to be read after the frantic effort of painting for three months. However, I also knew I was close to completing my Order of Battle for Bosworth - even though I added a few more units at the last minute. So I have been trying to get some painting done, despite all the distractions that inevitably compete for time. All of which is the long-winded way of saying, I have completed some new Yorkist companies for my Bosworth project!
First, we have the Retinue/Billmen and Archers of Sir William Catesby of Ashby St Legers. Catesby was a councilor to Richard III and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was captured at the Battle of Bosworth and subsequently executed at Leicester three days later. This wasn't only about punishing Richard's supporters because Henry Tudor, now Henry VII, also confiscated Catesby's estates, including Ashby St Ledgers (although this was later restored to Sir William's eldest son George). Interestingly a descendent of the family, Robert Catesby, was central to the Gunpowder Plot some 120 years later.
Next, we have Sir Henry Grey, 7th Lord Grey of Codnor with his Retinue/Billmen and Archers. Sir Henry was initially a Lancastrian but switched allegiance to Edward IV. He maintained his loyalty under Richard III and even managed to retain royal favor with the new king Henry VII. Sir Henry is best known as Lord Deputy of Ireland, a role in which he was a notable failure. The most interesting fact I have found with regard to Grey is that he was keenly interested in alchemy, and obtained a licence from the King for the transmutation of metals, on the condition that he must inform the Crown if he succeeded in producing gold. Needless to say, he failed in that endeavor too.
I have also been working on some little side projects, namely buildings for this period. I have decided to represent towns, villages, and churches in 2mm so they are in keeping with the ground scale I have in mind. (A typical infantry base has 12 figures on it representing about 150 men, so a double base company is about 300 infantry.) If I used 6mm scale buildings a village would be just one or two houses and I wanted a village to look like a village with multiple buildings, hence my decision to use 2mm models. I have used some medieval buildings from Brigade Models but I also bought a different range from Irregular. Crucially I wanted a windmill to represent Dadlington Windmill which played a part in the retreat and rout of the Yorkist forces following their defeat.
