Links & Resources
| General History | Military History | Local Interest | Encyclopedias| Re-Enactment & Gaming | Booklist | Media Reviews
General History
Adams and Stephens Select Documents of English Constitutional History
Transcripts of English constitutional documents from the Norman Conquest to the reign of Victoria, including many from the Civil Wars, Commonwealth and Protectorate period.
Archontology - a web guide to institutional chronology
Directory of rulers, politicians, political bodies, with dates of rule or office and selected biographies. The England and United Kingdom pages include British Kings and Queens, and the Commonwealth 1649-60.
Association of British Counties
A society dedicated to promoting awareness of the 86 historic (or traditional) counties of Great Britain, as distinct from modern administrative counties. Includes map and gazetteer.
Blackletter Ballads
A collection of 16th and 17th Century ballads, including several Royalist ballads and satires.
British History Online
Digital library of British historical sources developed by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust. An invaluable, ever-growing resource which includes complete Parliamentary Journals, the Diary of Thomas Burton, the Thurloe State Papers and information on Oxford during the Civil War.
British Monarchy
Official website of the British monarchy, with information on the 17th century Stuart dynasty, and more specific information on Charles I.
Calendar Resources
English Calendar is an online resource by Ian MacInnes for converting dates between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, finding days of the week, regnal years, &c. Calendar Magic by EuroSoft is a comprehensive freeware calendar resource for Windows with many useful functions.
The Cavalier in Exile
Transcription of Margaret Cavendish's memoir of the civil war career and subsequent exile of her husband William Cavendish, Marquis of Newcastle. On the website of Lord Molyneux's re-enactment group.
Cavalier Songs and Ballads of England
A collection of Cavalier ballads,
edited by Charles Mackay and originally published in 1862.
Charles the First biography
Online version of Pauline Gregg's biography of King Charles I.
The Oliver Cromwell website
Information about Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658 and his life, legacy and significance. The site is run jointly by the Cromwell Association and the Cromwell Museum, Huntingdon.
Diary of Ralph Josselin
The diary of the Puritan clergyman Ralph Josselin, covering the period 1643-83.
Diary of Samuel Pepys
The famous diary in the form of a blog. The entry for 1 January 1660 was uploaded on 1 January 2003, with daily instalments following. Readers' annotations and comments on the entries have developed into many lively and informative discussions.
Diary of Richard Symonds
Transcription of the journal kept by the Royalist soldier Richard Symonds covering the campaigns of the King's army from April 1644 to October 1645 and Symonds' antiquarian observations. On the website of Lord Molyneux's re-enactment group.
Early Modern Resources
Extensive collection of links to websites for researchers, teachers and students of early modern history.
English Civil War Publications
Reprints of various Civil War documents, pamphlets and news-sheets on the 17th Century Re-enacting and Living History Resources website.
English Dissenters
Bibliography and summaries of English sects and religious dissidents of the Tudor, Stuart and Interregnum periods in Great Britain.
The English Revolution 1640
Online version of the third edition of Christopher Hill's ground-breaking essay, first published in 1940.
Flags of the Interregnum
Flags and heraldry of the Commonwealth and Protectorate 1649-60.
The Hamilton & Montgomery Settlement of 1606
A growing resource describing the settlement of Ulster and the early history of the Ulster Scots.
Historical Podcast Directory
A useful new resource providing links to podcasts on historical topics, downloadable in audio or video format. The section on Oliver Cromwell includes lectures by Mark Kishlansky, Barry Coward and David Trim.
The HumBul Humanities Hub
UK internet portal for humanities scholars. It supports a range of subjects, including history, classics and archaeology, and has helpful information on using the internet as a research tool.
Irish History Links
Collection of links to sites and documents dealing with all aspects of Irish history, including the Plantations and the Cromwellian era.
Leveller and Digger texts
Key works by the Digger leader Gerard Winstanley and some important Leveller texts on Tony Gosling's controversial bilderberg.org website.
Levellers, Selected Texts
Various Leveller texts originally published as The English Levellers by Andrew Sharp. More pages "under construction".
Lampeter Corpus of Early Modern English Tracts
Collection of texts on various subjects published between 1640 and 1740, including several from the Civil War and Commonwealth period. PDF format.
Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics
Texts of key constitutional documents throughout history. Includes S.R. Gardiner's Constitutional Documents of the Puritan Revolution and other documents from the Civil War and Commonwealth period.
Original Historical Texts
Scans of pages from 16th and 17th Century news-sheets. Includes The Intelligencer, Jan-Feb 1649, describing the trial and execution of King Charles I and The Gazette, Sept 1659, describing the death of Oliver Cromwell.
Puritan links
Links to several sites dealing with Puritan beliefs and history.
A Quaker Page
Quaker-related links and resources on the Street Corner Society website.
Society of King Charles the Martyr
Anglican devotional society dedicated to the cult of S. Charles, King and Martyr.
Thames Watermen in the Century of Revolution
Full online text by Christopher O'Riordan detailing the upheavals of the 17th century from the perspective of London watermen, porters and carriers.
Military History
Anglo-Dutch Wars blog
Jim Bender's blog devoted to the Anglo-Dutch Wars, including ships, battles, and officers.
The Arquebus and Matchlock Musket Page
A page intended to give a brief history of matchlock firearms and to give the reader, re-enactor, or black powder shooter a list of places from which they may acquire one.
Battlefields Trust
Works for the preservation of battlefields from all periods of British history. The site includes information and maps of several battles from the Civil War era.
Castles and Fortifications of England and Wales
Information on 750 English and Welsh castles, fortified houses, bishop's palaces and pele towers constructed over the last twenty centuries.
CastleXplorer
Practical guide to the castles of Britain, with descriptions, photographs and visiting hours.
Early 17th Century Drill, illustrated and animated
Flash animations by Barry Siler explaining 17th Century drill and weapons handling.
Fortified Places
A study of the fortresses built by the French military engineer Sébastien de Vauban (1633-1707) and his contemporaries. Includes information on the defences of Bristol and Worcester and a biography of Prince Rupert's engineer Bernard de Gomme.
Gardiner's Atlas of English History
Includes several maps showing Royalist and Parliamentary areas of control during the 1640s, and also battle maps of Edgehill, Marston Moor, Naseby and Dunbar.
The Geometry of War 1500-1750
The use of geometry and mathematics in early modern warfare.
Kentish Knock Company
Research on the history of warship design, focusing on the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
Naseby Battlefield Project
An organisation working to promote awareness of the battle of Naseby and to
enhance visitor facilities at the battlefield itself. The site includes a detailed account of the battle.
Scot Wars
Scottish military history and re-enactment portal with details of battles fought in Scotland or involving Scottish troops during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Sealed Knot Knowledge Base
Detailed articles on various aspects of the Civil Wars on the website of the Sealed Knot re-enactment group.
The Slow Match Web Site
Research into recipes for making slow match solution to fire matchlock muskets.
The Thirty Years War
Summaries of the military and political developments of the Thirty Years War (1618-48) - the European background to the British Civil Wars.
Local Interest
Barthomley Church and Massacre
A description and two contemporary accounts of the infamous massacre at Barthomley Church on the Cheshire Ghosts and Hauntings website.
Civil War in Birmingham
Timeline of events around the Birmingham area, 1642-8.
Civil War in Exeter
Details of the three sieges of Exeter, 1642-6.
Civil War in Hereford
Article by Paul Rollinson on the website of the Colonel John Birch re-enactment society. The site also contains a transcription of Colonel Birch's military memoirs.
Civil War in Lincolnshire
Transcriptions and links to material relating to Lincolnshire during the civil war era, including an extensive chronology. Part of the Bourne Archive by R.J. Penhey.
Civil War in Nottinghamshire
Text written by Robert Mellors in 1908 on the Nottinghamshire Historical and Archaeological website.
Civil War in Somerset
Article by T.J. Hunt from the website of the Somerset Archive and Record Service.
Civil War in Worcestershire
Aspects of the Civil Wars on Worcestershire County Council's website, including the Worcestershire clubmen and the Battle of Worcester 1651.
Castles of Wales and the Civil War
Details of the Royalist strongholds of Wales during the Civil Wars.
Fairfax and the Civil War in the West Riding of Yorkshire
Detailed site dealing with Fairfax and his campaigns in Yorkshire during the First Civil War.
North-Eastern Campaign 1644
The military campaign in the north-east of England, leading to the Battle of Marston Moor and the storming of Newcastle.
Old Maps of London
Online collection of maps of London from the mid-16th to early 20th centuries. Includes "A Plan of The City & Environs of London as Fortified by Order of Parliament 1642/43".
The parish of Rowner near Portsmouth southern England in 1642
Detailed research into various aspects of everyday life in Hampshire during the 17th century.
Sieges of Hull
An account of the actions around Hull, 1642-3 on the Yorkshire History website.
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia
Based on the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, its historical articles tend to be more in-depth and thorough than most modern encyclopedias. Unlike the modern online Encyclopedia Brittanica, all content is free.
Google Book Search
A new resource allowing searches across thousands of books from the world's libraries. Access to books in copyright is narrowly restricted, but complete copies of many rare, out-of-print books may be freely downloaded in PDF format.
Leaders and Battles Database
Information on leaders and battles from the Persian Wars to World War II.
Military History Encyclopedia on the Web
Comprehensive military encyclopedia covering all periods and locations.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual project to create a comprehensive free-content encyclopedia. Users can add entries and comments. Started in January 2001, now contains thousands of articles.
Re-Enactment & Gaming
The Military Journal: recently re-launched online magazine of wargaming and military history
Colonel John Birch, His Regiment of Foote: includes a transcript of Birch's military memoirs and an account of the siege of Hereford.
The Earl of Manchester's Regiment of Foot "For God and the North"