The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

, raised in 1741. Under the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation wa ...

it amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form 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 ...

in 1881.

History

Early history

The regiment was raised at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

by Colonel

James Cholmondeley James Cholmondeley (18 April 1708 – 13 October 1775) was a British Army officer and Member of Parliament between 1731 and 1747. He fought at Fontenoy and during the 1745 Rising commanded a brigade at the Battle of Falkirk, where he suffered ...

as James Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot in 1741 during the War of Austrian Succession. It was sent to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in 1745 and fought against the

Jacobites Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

the Battle of Falkirk Muir in January 1746 and the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

in April 1746 during the

Jacobite rising Jacobitism (; gd, Seumasachas, ; ga, Seacaibíteachas, ) was a political movement that supported the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. The name derives from the first name ...

. The regiment was deployed to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in spring 1747 for service in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George ...

and saw action at the Battle of Lauffeld in July 1747. It was ranked as the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1747 but re-ranked as the 48th Regiment of Foot in 1751. The regiment embarked for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

in January 1755 for service in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

and, having landed in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

in February 1755, saw action at the disastrous Battle of the Monongahela, the Siege of Louisburg in June 1758 and the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...

in September 1759. It sailed for the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

in 1761 and took part in the invasion of Martinique in January 1762 and the Battle of Havana in March 1762. The regiment returned home in 1763 for service in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. In 1773 the regiment returned to the West Indies. After losing many troops to fever the remnants of the regiment were captured by the French in

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographical ...

in 1778 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 ...

; they were interned until 1780 when they were released and allowed to travel home. The regiment was given a county designation in 1782 becoming the 48th (the Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot.

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment returned to the West Indies in 1796 for garrison duty during 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, Pruss ...

and again lost men to disease before returning home the following year. In 1800 the regiment sailed for

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

where Ensign Thomas Bell, a junior officer of the regiment, planted the regimental colours at Fort St. Angelo following the recapture of the island from the French in September 1800. A second battalion was raised in 1803 and both battalions were deployed to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

in spring 1809 for service under General

Sir Arthur Wellesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

. The 2nd battalion saw action at the Second Battle of Porto in May 1809 and both battalions were in action at the

Battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spanish a ...

in July 1809 when they carried out a bayonet charge and then broke the French attack. Both battalions also fought at the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about sout ...

in May 1811 but the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Henry Duckworth (a son of Admiral Sir John Duckworth) was killed in action and the losses of the 2nd battalion were such that its remnants were either absorbed into the 1st battalion or sent home later that year. The 1st battalion went on to fight at the Siege of Badajoz in March 1812, the

Battle of Salamanca The Battle of Salamanca (in French and Spanish known as the Battle of Arapiles) on 22July 1812 was a battle in which an Anglo-Portuguese army under the Earl of Wellington defeated Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces at Arapiles, so ...

in July 1812 and the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leadin ...

in June 1813. The regiment then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the

Battle of the Pyrenees The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive (the author David Chandler recognises the 'battle' as an offensive) launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s or ...

in July 1813, the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813, the

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered Fr ...

in February 1814 and the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. The regiment returned home later that year for service in Ireland.

The Victorian era

The regiment embarked for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in the role of convict escorts and guards in August 1817. It was then deployed to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

in 1824 and saw action suppressing a rebellion by the forces of

Chikka Virarajendra Chikavira Rajendra or Chikka Vira Rajendra (Kannada: , ''cika/cikka vīrarājendra'') (also in other variations, including Chikkaveera Rajendra), was the last ruler of the Kodagu (Coorg) kingdom in South India. His actual name was Vira Rajendra ...

, the Raja of Coorg, in 1834 during the Coorg War. It departed for service in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

in early 1855 and took part in the Siege of Sevastopol later that year. As part of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 48th was linked with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 29 at Gibraltar Barracks in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the

Battle Honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: *Peninsular War: Douro, Talavera, Albuhera,

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populati ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

, Vittoria,

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, Nivelle, Orthes,

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

, Peninsula *Crimean War:

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

*Louisburg, Quebec 1759 ''(awarded to successor regiment, 1882)'' *Martinique 1762, Havannah ''(awarded to successor regiment, 1909)''

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the regiment were: *1741–1743 Gen. Hon.

*1743–1745 Col. Lord Henry Beauclerk *1745–1746 Col.

Francis Ligonier Francis Augustus Ligonier (1693 – 25 January 1746) was a French-born officer of the British Army. Biography He was born François-Auguste de Ligonier at Castres,Stephen Wood, "Ligonier, John, Earl Ligonier (1680–1770)", also including "Fra ...

*1746–1749 F.M. Hon. Henry Seymour Conway *1749–1750 Maj-Gen.

George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington Major General George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington (21 September 1701 – 7 April 1750) (styled ''The Honourable George Byng'' from 1721 to 1747), of Southill Park in Bedfordshire, was a British Army officer and peer. Origins He was the 2nd sur ...

The 48th Regiment of Foot - (1748)

*1750–1752 Lt-Gen.

William Home, 8th Earl of Home Lieutenant General William Home, 8th Earl of Home (1681 – 28 April 1761) was a Scottish peer and the British Governor of Gibraltar between 1757 and 1761. Lord Home was a well-known spendthrift. Military career He inherited the title Earl of ...

*1752–1755 Lt-Gen. Thomas Dunbar *1755–1766 Lt-Gen. Daniel Webb *1766–1773 Lt-Gen. William Browne *1773–1783 Lt-Gen. William Alexander Sorrell

The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment - (1782)

*1783–1787 Lt-Gen. Robert Skene *1787–1805 Gen. Patrick Tonyn *1805–1829 Gen. Lord Charles FitzRoy *1829–1843 Gen. Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, GCB *1843–1850 Lt-Gen. George Middlemore *1850–1864 Gen. Sir James Henry Reynett, KCB, KCH *1864–1875 Gen. Arthur Dalzell, 9th Earl of Carnwath *1875–1881 Gen. William Anson McCleverty

History

Early history

Napoleonic Wars

The Victorian era

Battle Honours

Colonels of the Regiment

The 48th Regiment of Foot - (1748)

The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment - (1782)

See also

References

Sources

Further reading