At a cost of only 4 recruitment; these poorly armed peasants (hand weapon only) can be used to distract enemies or overwhelm them with numbers or as “human shields to protect your more elite troops.

When working out some trial lists I found they were useful to fill out your maximum of seven soldiers if you wanted to take some of the newer troop types to add that special Egyptian theme.

Just don’t expect much, if anything, from them.

Was she wrongly named as the “Wicked Lady”?

This is the extant painting of Lady Ferrers, supposedly at the age of 14, which now sits at the Valence House Museum.

Katherine was born in 1634 in Bayford, Hertfordshire, to Knighton Ferrers and Katherine Walters. The Ferrers family enjoyed favor from Henry VIII and Edward VI, receiving vast estates in Hertfordshire, which allowed them to thrive and influence their community. Growing up in this privileged environment, Katherine was shaped by her family’s royal connections.

The novel Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton by Magdalen King-Hall, written in the 1940s, is based on an old English legend and explores the life of the intriguing Lady Skelton. It was adapted into the successful film The Wicked Lady, featuring performances by Margaret Lockwood, Patricia Roc, and James Mason, which captivated audiences and became one of the top British films of its era.

After the death of all male family members, Katherine became the sole heir to her family’s estates, facing both power and responsibility. Her situation grew more complex when her mother remarried Sir Simon Fanshawe, a staunch supporter of King Charles I, forcing Katherine to navigate the implications of this new alliance during the tensions of the English Civil War.

In 1643, the Parliamentary Sequestration Committee assigned Royalist estates to local commissioners, affecting families like the Fanshawes. To consolidate power, the Fanshawe family arranged for Katherine to marry Thomas Fanshawe, Sir Simon Fanshawe’s nephew, enabling them to gain control of the Ferrers family holdings and maintain influence during the turmoil of the Civil War. Such strategic marriages were common and important in shaping the political landscape of 17th-century England.

Thomas disposed of many of her inherited assets, which included various valuable properties and personal belongings, with the diarist Samuel Pepys describing him as “a witty but rascally fellow, without a penny in his purse.” This phrase reflects not only Thomas’s financial situation but also hints at his sharp tongue and charming yet dubious character. Pepys, having observed Thomas’s actions in society, noted how he often navigated through life with a clever wit that somehow endeared him to those around him, despite his apparent lack of wealth, leading many to question the true nature of his dealings and character.

Katherine died in 1660 at 26 and was buried at St Mary’s church in Ware. Her death marked the end of the Ferrers line and left a void in the local aristocracy. Her relative Thomas had to sell her estates to pay his debts, complicating the aftermath of her passing.

According to local legend, Katherine became the “Wicked Lady,” an infamous outlaw who turned to crime to escape her bad luck with her husband. Driven by a desire for freedom and revenge, her daring exploits of highway robbery, arson, and murder made her a figure of fear and intrigue, ultimately transforming her misfortunes into a dark legacy that highlighted the struggles of women in a harsh world.

The exploits attributed to Katherine are largely speculative, with historian J.E. Cussens noting a lack of contemporary records linking her to these acts, which questions her villainous portrayal. The nickname “Wicked Lady” arose long after her death, suggesting that her notoriety may have been shaped by exaggerated stories. Moreover, her absence in Alexander Smith’s Complete History of the Lives of the Most Notorious Highwaymen indicates that her infamous reputation likely developed over time without solid evidence, illustrating how myths can influence historical understanding.

She was likely confused with Laurence Shirley, the “Wicked” Lord Ferrers, the last peer hanged in 1760 for murdering his steward. Ferrers’ trial and execution attracted public attention, leaving a legacy that generates curiosity about aristocracy’s darker aspects.

The figure is one from Wargames Foundry range.

The “Wicked Lady” is known for wearing highwayman’s clothes, including a three-cornered hat, a black mask, and a flowing cloak, while riding a black horse with white markings. At night, she secretly changes into this feared outfit, transforming from a respectable woman into a ruthless outlaw. She targets wealthy coachmen and unsuspecting passengers, attacking suddenly from the shadows and instilling fear. Surprisingly, no one, not even her servants, suspects her double life filled with dark secrets, allowing her to maintain her innocent facade while wreaking havoc.

Stories also persist of ghostly sightings of a woman at Markyate Cell, and of a figure on a black horse galloping across Nomansland Common in the darkness. With the nights closing in and mists swirling through the shadows it would take a brave person to venture alone across Nomansland even today.

More standard Silver bayonet infantrymen. There is one more lot of four which will make up a 12 man unit for Men Who Would Be Kings.

Officer

Bugler

Janissaries were once the elite of the Ottoman Empire, but by the time of the Napoleonic wars they were but a shadow of their former selves.

In games terms they count as the equivalent of a slightly “souped up” Infantrymen. They fact that they have a fencing weapon (a wire strainer?) makes them excellent in close combat.

Boudica (also known as Boudicca or Boadicea and in Welsh as Buddug) was a Celtic Queen who led a rebellion against the Roman occupation of Britain. Although her campaign was initially successful, her forces were finally defeated in 61 AD.

Bronze sculpture of “Boadicea and Her Daughters” by Thomas Thornycroft, commissioned in the 1850s, finished by Thornycroft at the time of his death in 1885, but only erected in 1902. (photo: R.H.)

Queen Boudica, warrior queen of the Iceni, led a rebellion against the Romans in AD 61 after experiencing public humiliation and the brutal treatment of her family, including the rape of her daughters and enslavement of relatives, uniting various tribes against the common enemy.

The conflict between the Britons and the Romans culminated at the Battle of Watling Street, where general Suetonius Paulinus confronted Boudica and her warriors. Despite her efforts to inspire them, Boudica and her forces were defeated, leading her to poison herself to escape capture.

As far as pronunciation goes, the current thinking is that it’s Boo-Dik-Ah rather than the more flowery Bow-Diss-Ee-Ah.

There is also significant debate over whether Boudicca could be classified as English or Welsh. Although the territory she came from was in what is present-day England, she was culturally Celtic. The language she would have spoken is most akin to current day Welsh.

We learn about Boudicca from two main sources: the Roman senator Tacitus and the historian Cassius Dio, who wrote in Greek. Both historians provide invaluable insights into her life and the events surrounding her, yet neither of them had the opportunity to witness the Iceni uprising firsthand, nor did they ever set foot in Britannia.

This limitation means that their accounts are based on secondhand reports and the perspectives available to them. Additionally, their narratives differ significantly: Tacitus gives a more sympathetic portrayal of Boudicca and the Iceni people, highlighting their bravery and the injustices they faced, while Dio tends to provide a more detached view, focusing on the broader impact of the uprising on the Roman Empire. This divergence underscores the complexities of historical interpretation and how different contexts can shape the recording of events.

Despite this Boudicca is an engaging character seeking revenge on those who wronged her and her family. Stuff of legends……..oh wait!

For those of you who were hoping for Boudicca on her chariot, this model was taken from the Victrix Gallic Chariot set and I have two more of her so will have one in a chariot. I am currently looking for some figures that will do as her two daughters.

This is a large figure, nearly 40mm which will do nicely for my other characters from the Three Musketeers.

Justine the devilishly seductive (and dangerous) daughter of Milady de Winter. Justine de Winter was played by Kim Cattrall, and is the main villainess in the movie “The Return of the Musketeers” (1989).

This movie is a sequel of the movies “The Three Musketeers” adapted from the famous novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas.

Milady de Winter was killed by the four Musketeers twenty years prior, and unfortunately for them, Justine has become an exceptional young woman: intrepid adventurer, very good spy, “une fine lame” (very good with sword) and a devilishly seductress.

Now she returns for revenge she want to kill herself the four assassins of her mother the famous four Musketeers: Athos (aka the Count de la Fère), Porthos, Aramis and d’Artagnan!

I will get to the others in this series down the track.

This time I have gone for the more traditional Egyptian style rather than the more Ottoman one I have painted previously.

I have a unit of 12 of these that I will paint up fro Men Who Would Be Kings as well.

Not sure what is planned for tomorrow! Which means probably nothing, I guess. I am a wargamer after all!

The Bedouin Raiders (p8) are skilled troops with a special ability. With the introduction of “Terrain and Special Rules” their skill of “Experience in the Desert” allows them to ignore penalties from harsh conditions such as heat or sandstorms, making them invaluable in difficult terrain. At eighteen points including the “combat rider attribute”, musket and close combat weapon, they are a must in the Egyptian environment.

The Bedouin Raider is on the left and the Native Scout on the right.

Those countries with large empires that include many overseas territories such as Britain, France, and Spain are able to employ ‘native’ people as scouts, guides, and militia. More often than not in their own country, but occasionally one of these natives may ne brought to Europe specifically to serve in a specialist unit. Their closer connection to nature and to the spirit world tends to make them very resilient when facing the supernatural.

I only have two Janissaries to paint and the basic Egyptian unit will be completed.

My “basic” 100 recruitment contingent, consisting of an Officer, Champion of the Faith, Scout with musket, Bedouin with musket, two Janissaries, and two Infantrymen. This is a good “all-round” force.

The basic infantryman is one of the most cost effective troop types in Silver Bayonet. In fact taking all infantrymen with your seven choices is hard to beat.

Again these figures can be used as “posh” infantrymen or mamelukes.

Some more elements for my Silver bayonet – Egyptian Contingent tomorrow.

I regularly blue-tac a figure at the end of the painting stick to get it out of the metal mountain and on to the shelf.

This witch is a “nice” model as far as witches go.

Just some basic colours to get her finished.

Back to Silver Bayonet tomorrow.