Dragoneers

For work reasons I am reading a lot of English Civil War newsbooks at the moment. I came across this passage, and had one of those eerie alternative history moments:

The Houses receiving information of the vile carriage of the Cavalliers of Oxford, in pillaging and spoyling all such as seeme wel-affected, and that ... they begin to raise some workes to fortifie the Towne against the Parliament. Whereupon it was ordered that there should be two thousand Dragoneers forthwith sent downe thither to suppresse and drive away the Cavalliers from thence ...

from A perfect diurnall of the passages in Parliament (5–12 September 1642)

My brain understands perfectly well that ‘dragoneer’ is just another term for ‘dragoon’, a mounted trooper armed with a carbine. But my mind’s eye sees sinuous batwinged monsters wheeling around Magdalen Tower...

tags: 17th century | dragons

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