This is centred around the officer's tent. Soldiers are lucky if they are billeted on a family or issued with a tent - sleeping rough is often their lot! The soldiers here are Royalist refugees from Chepstow. With the advance of much greater numbers of Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller, the Royalist commanding officer decided on a strategic withdrawal into the hills. Whilst here, supplies are being gathered and extra men recruited. Then they hope to join a relieving force under Prince Rupert. You will see demonstrations of the postures for pike and musket (these being the various ways of carrying or using the weapons). A pike is a 16' spear with an ash shaft and a steel head. A musket is a smooth bore muzzle-loading gun - these are matchlocks, being fired by a piece of burning matchcord thrust into the pan.
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