From the creation of the British Regular Army in 1660, it has been supplemented by part-time volunteer units raised on a local basis.

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

has often been in the forefront of raising these units, both of horse and foot, whenever circumstances required. The principal reserve force for the army was the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

composed of part-time soldiers who could be embodied for full-time national defence in time of war, sometimes augmented by full-time Fencible regiments. The

Northampton Militia The Northampton Militia was a militia regiment in the United Kingdom from 1763 to 1860, when it was amalgamated into the Northampton and Rutland Militia. The regiment was formed in 1763. It was embodied in 1778, at which time it was ranked the 36 ...

, later

Northampton and Rutland Militia The Northampton and Rutland Militia was a militia regiment in the United Kingdom from 1860 to 1881, when it was transferred into the Northamptonshire Regiment. The regiment was formed in 1860 by the amalgamation of the Northampton Militia and the ...

, dated from 1763, and a regiment of Northampton Fencibles was raised in 1794. The Volunteers remained part-time soldiers who might be called out for local defence in time of invasion or crisis. From 1859 they became a permanent part of the army's auxiliary forces, and after integration into the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

the county's volunteers served in both world wars of the 20th century.

Restoration 1660

There are records of volunteers being raised in Northamptonshire in 1660 during the crisis that led to the

Restoration of Charles II The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to b ...

Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland (24 January 1602 – 12 February 1666), styled Lord le Despenser between 1624 and 1628, was an English nobleman, politician and writer. Life One of seven sons of Francis Fane by his wife Mary Mildmay, g ...

, raised a company of two troops, commanded by Charles, Lord Spencer, and Sir Roger Norwich, 2nd Baronet.

Northampton Volunteer Association 1744

The first time volunteers were organised on a national basis was in 1744 in response to a French invasion threat. Lords-lieutenant of counties and mayors of towns were given authority to form volunteer associations, and Northamptonshire formed the first of these, on 4 April 1744. The proposal was signed by 530 'substantial freeholders, yeomen and yeomen's sons', and unlike most such associations they were willing to serve in any part of the realm, and not only in their own area. During the Jacobite invasion of 1745, the

Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire Below is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. Since 1735, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Northamptonshire. The lieutenancy included the Soke of Peterborough until 1965, when the Lord L ...

John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, (1690 – 5 July 1749), styled Viscount Monthermer until 1705 and Marquess of Monthermer between 1705 and 1709, was a British peer. Life Montagu was an owner of a coal mine. Montagu went on the grand tour wi ...

, raised a county regiment, probably from the nucleus of the association. The volunteer associations lapsed on the peace of 1748, but new volunteer units were raised in 1779 when Britain was again threatened by French invasion during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Yeomanry 1794

The

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

saw the creation of

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

regiments in many English counties in 1794. Officered by the aristocracy and gentry, and mainly recruited from their tenants, these cavalry units were as much for internal security against revolutionary elements as for defence against invasion. Several of these units went on to have a long history as part of the auxiliary forces, but the first Northamptonshire Yeomanry were disbanded as a regiment in 1828, leaving some independent troops that survived until the last were disbanded 1873.Northamptonshire Yeomanry at Regiments.org.
/ref>

Volunteer Corps 1797

::''See

British Volunteer Corps The Volunteer Corps was a British voluntary part-time organization for the purpose of home defence in the event of invasion, during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. History Establishment At the start of the War of the First Coal ...

'' In addition to the Yeomanry, many small volunteer units of horse and foot were raised in towns and villages during the Revolutionary War.

Daventry Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...

appears to have been the first in Northamptonshire, the formation of the Daventry Volunteers being approved on 15 June 1797. Soon afterwards Northampton raised a troop of light horse and a company of infantry and was followed by other towns, the

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

Volunteers parading in full uniform for the first time on 27 August 1797. The volunteers were disbanded at the Peace of Amiens in 1802.

Volunteer Corps 1804

When the war against France resumed, the

Levy en Masse Act 1803 The Levy en Masse Act 1803 (43 Geo. 3 c. 96) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Although formally presented as an amendment of the Defence of the Realm Act 1803, it was actually a major piece of new legislation as it required c ...

was passed to force every able-bodied man to be drilled unless sufficient volunteers were raised. This prompted volunteers to come forwards in vast numbers. Within a year some 40 companies of infantry and 16 troops of cavalry had been raised in Northamptonshire: * Northampton, 1 Troop, commanded by Dr William Kerr. *

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...

, 1 Troop, commanded by J. Newton Goodhall. * Northamptonshire, 11 Troops, commanded by George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. *

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, 3 Troops, commanded by William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam. * Oundle and Cliffe, 7 Companies commanded by John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland. *

Spratton Spratton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. The local government authority is West Northamptonshire. Before changes in 2021 it was governed by Daventry District Council. At the time of the 2001 census, th ...

, 1 Company, commanded by Rev R. Crowther. * Northampton, 3 Companies commanded by Henry Locock. *

Castle Ashby Castle Ashby is the name of a civil parish, an estate village and an English country house in rural Northamptonshire. Historically the village was set up to service the needs of Castle Ashby House, the seat of the Marquess of Northampton. The v ...

, 1 Company commanded by Thomas Scriven. * Northampton, 3 Companies commanded by Earl Spencer. *

Finedon Finedon is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 4,309. In 1086 when the Domesday Book was completed, Finedon (then known as Tingdene) was a large royal manor, previously held by Queen Edith, wif ...

, 1 Company commanded by

Sir William Dolben, 3rd Baronet Sir William Dolben, 3rd Baronet (1727–1814) was a British Tory MP and a zealous campaigner for the abolition of slavery. He was born in Finedon, Northamptonshire, the only surviving son of Sir John Dolben, 2nd Baronet and his wife Elizabeth D ...

. *

Cottesbrooke Cottesbrooke is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census, the parish's population was 144 people, falling marginally to 143 at the 2011 ...

, 1 Company commanded by Sir William Langham, 8th Baronet. * Kettering, 3 Companies commanded by George Robinson. *

Towcester Towcester ( ) is an affluent market town in Northamptonshire, England. It currently lies in West Northamptonshire but was the former administrative headquarters of the South Northamptonshire district council. Towcester is one of the olde ...

, 2 Companies, commanded by William Grant. * Daventry, commanded by John Clarke. *

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...

, 6 Companies, commanded by R.W. Cartwright. * The Soke and City of Peterborough, or Prince of Wales's Volunteers, commanded by

Henry Cecil, 1st Marquess of Exeter Henry Cecil, 1st Marquess of Exeter (14 March 1754 – 1 May 1804), known as Henry Cecil from 1754 to 1793 and as The Earl of Exeter from 1793 to 1801, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1790 and succeeded ...

. * Boughton, 4 Companies, commanded by Lord Stopford. At first the service of these Volunteers was restricted to their own county, later it was extended to a district. The Northamptonshire Volunteers were initially assigned to a district of Midland counties, later changed to a district of East Anglian counties. In 1804 the Volunteers were consolidated into larger regiments. There were two in Northamptonshire: * 1st (East) Northamptonshire Regiment, under Lt-Col The Earl of Westmorland. * 2nd (West) Northamptonshire, under Lt-Col John Clarke.

Local Militia 1809

Early in 1809 the Volunteers were asked to commute their service into a new Local Militia. The two Northamptonshire volunteer regiments became the East and West Regiments, with a new Central Regiment formed under the command of Lt-Col Thomas Samwell. The Castle Ashby and Northampton Volunteer Infantry refused to transfer and resigned; the Kettering Volunteer Infantry continued to serve as volunteers under the old regulations. The remainder of the Northamptonshire units appear to have transferred to the Local Militia. The Local Militia was disbanded throughout the country at the end of the war in 1814.

Volunteer Movement 1859

::''See main article

1st Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps The 1st Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteers were a unit of the British Army raised from 1859 onwards as a group of originally separate Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). They later became the 4th Volunteer Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment and s ...

'' An invasion scare in 1859 led to the creation of the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

and huge enthusiasm throughout

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

for joining local Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). The

were raised from 1859 onwards as a group of originally separate RVCs. They later became the Volunteer Battalion of the

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

and as part of the

saw action in the Gallipoli and Palestine campaigns during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Converted to a searchlight regiment between the wars, they served in the defence of the UK and as an infantry regiment in liberated Norway during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Postwar they continued as an air defence unit until 1961 when they reverted to infantry as part of the

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...

.Westlake, ''Rifle Volunteers'', p. 190–1.Northamptonshire Volunteers at Regiments.org.
/ref>

Engineer Volunteers 1867

The 1st Northamptonshire Engineer Volunteer Corps was raised at Peterborough in 1867. Initially it was attached to the 1st Administrative Battalion of Northamptonshire RVCs, but in 1872 transferred to the 2nd Tower Hamlets Engineer Volunteer Corps. It moved its attachment again in 1901, joining the 1st Bedfordshire Engineer Volunteer Corps.Westlake, ''Engineer Volunteers'', p. 13. The unit sent a detachment of volunteers to assist the regular Royal Engineers during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

in 1901. The 1st Northampton EVC did not transfer to the Territorial Force and disbanded in 1908. However, a number of the men transferred to the new

Northamptonshire Battery, Royal Field Artillery The Northamptonshire Battery, Royal Field Artillery was a unit of Britain's Territorial Force from 1908 to 1919. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during World War I. In World War II the battery fought in the Malayan Campaign and was ...

(''see below'').Sainsbury, p. 23.

Imperial Yeomanry 1902

::''See main article

Northamptonshire Yeomanry The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 as Volunteer Force (Great Britain), volunteer cavalry. It served in the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, Second World ...

'' A large number of

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

battalions were raised from volunteers for service in South Africa during the

. After the war, a number of these mounted infantry units were reorganised as permanent units of the auxiliary forces, including the Northamptonshire Imperial Yeomanry. When the Imperial Yeomanry became part of the Territorial Force in 1908, the Northamptonshire IY became the Northamptonshire Yeomanry (Dragoons), which saw service in both world wars.

Territorial Artillery 1908

::''See main article

'' No Artillery Volunteer Corps was raised in Northamptonshire during the period of the Volunteer Force. However, when the Territorial Force was established in 1908, the Peterborough companies of 1st Volunteer Bn, Northamptonshire Regiment (G and H Companies, formerly the 6th Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps), were converted to form the Northamptonshire Battery of the Royal Field Artillery and the East Midland Brigade Company of the Army Service Corps.East Anglian Bde RFA at Regiments.org.
/ref>Litchfield, p. 101.''London Gazette'', 20 March 1908.
/ref> The Northamptonshire Battery served with the 4th East Anglian Brigade, Royal Field Artillery in Palestine and was disbanded in 1919.

Notes

References

* Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Lt-Col Russell Gurney, ''History of the Northamptonshire Regiment 1742–1934'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1935. * Roger Knight, ''Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory 1793–1815', London: Allen Lane, 2013/Penguin, 2014, . * Norman Litchfield & Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908'' (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1982, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Col H.C.B. Rogers, ''The Mounted Troops of the British Army'', London: Seeley Service, 1959. * Lt-Col J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Batteries, Royal Field Artillery: An Illustrated History 1908–1920'', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Historical Trust/Hart Books, 1996, . * Col Sir Charles M. Watson, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol III, Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, reprint 1954. * R.A. Westlake, ''Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908'', Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983, . * Ray Westlake, ''Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'', Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, {{ISBN, 978-1-84884-211-3.

Online sources

Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth (Regiments.org)

British Army units from 1945 on
Military units and formations in Northamptonshire