IN October, the Friends were visited by Robert Rookwood, a soldier from Cromwell's army during the English Civil War.

In real life, Robert is David Lord, a member of the Sealed Knot, a society that enacts scenes from the Civil War all over the country.

Robert was dressed in the costume of 360 years ago.

In 1642, the king waged war on civilians as well as engaging in a power struggle with Parliament. Robert's house was razed to the ground, his wife and child shot and all his property stolen. That was the reason he became a Parliamentarian.

These men were nicknamed "Roundheads" because they wore their hair cut short, unlike the flowing locks of the Royalists. The term "Roundhead" was considered an insult.

Robert brought weapons and armour from the 17th century to show how different sections of the army were organised and how each section functioned.

Robert, as a lieutenant, carried a short pike called a partizan. His sash and feather were identity badges on the battlefield.

He wore his own clothes, as at this time there was no uniform. He had black shoes, which fitted either foot, and linen or woollen hose. He wore no underwear. Over his shirt he wore a doublet. He carried a sword and two daggers, one worn at his side and the other at his back.

His partizan could be used as a quarterstaff or as a blade. There were tassels on the handle of the partizan, which soaked up any blood that would make the staff slippery.

The sergeant's weapon was a halberd, a three-quarter length pike. The true pike was longer and used to stop horses.

In those days, armies might consist of some 16,000 troops facing each other across a front a mile wide.

At first, the Parliamentarians were disorganised. They had no uniform and had to supply their own arms. Oliver Cromwell formed the New Model Army. The soldiers were paid and fed and given arms. Now they began to make advances against the Royalists.

The men carried matchlock muskets, which took a long time to load. The soldier carried a bandolier bearing small, wooden bottles, each containing a charge of black powder. The lead bullets were often stored in the mouth and spat down the muzzle of the gun barrel to speed loading.

This was not a healthy method as the lead was poisonous and the bullets dirty.

More troops died to disease than by enemy action.

There were no sanitary arrangements so battlefields were incredibly smelly places. The guns too added to the unpleasant atmosphere, emitting clouds of smoke and a smell of sulphur.

The uniform consisted of a red coat with different coloured cuffs to show the regiment. The lining was of a different colour, so that some men became "turncoats" and fought for the opposition.

There was a felt hat worn over a sort of balaclava that kept powder burns from the man's face. The sword was short with one sharp edge to slash and a blunt edge to bludgeon bones.

The armour consisted of a helmet lined with leather, sometimes with a lobster tail to protect the neck and a cuirass, or breastplate.

As well as foot soldiers, there were dragoons who rode horses but fought on foot and the cavalry who made mounted charges. They wore a buff coat of thick leather and carried a slicing sword. The horses were heavy animals, not noted for speed.

Robert showed how a gun was loaded and fired, using a tinderbox. He also brought helmets and a cuirass.

He brought the Civil War to life and one could almost smell the blood and guts, smoke and sulphur of the battlefield.