The 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

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 Gurk ...

, raised in 1793. 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 was ...

it amalgamated with the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot to form the

Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

The regiment was raised in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

by Major-General Sir Cornelius Cuyler as Sir Cornelius Cuyler's Shropshire Volunteers, in response to the threat posed by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, on 30 October 1793. It was absorbed into the British Army the following year as the 86th (Shropshire Volunteers). Serving as

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

, the regiment embarked on ships in January 1795. The men took part in the

Battle of Hyères Islands A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in July 1795. It absorbed the remnants of the disbanded 118th Regiment of Foot (Fingall's Regiment), which had been raised the previous year for service as marines, in October 1795. The regiment embarked for the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

arriving there in September 1796 with orders to consolidate the position in the colony following the surrender of Dutch Forces earlier that month.Cannon, p. 13 The regiment was dispatched to Maddras in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in February 1799 arriving there in May 1799. It then transferred to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in July 1799. From there three companies were deployed to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in late 1800. The regiment embarked for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

in April 1801 for service in the

Egyptian Campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. The regiment landed at

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

and following a long march across northern EgyptCannon, p. 15 and the surrender of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

by the French Army in June 1801, the regiment occupied the

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

at Cairo.Cannon, p. 18 The regiment returned to Bombay in spring 1802Cannon, p. 19 and then provided storming parties for two unsuccessful assaults at the

Siege of Bharatpur The siege of Bharatpore was a siege that took place in the Indian princely state of Bharatpur (now part of Rajasthan) between December 1825 and January 1826. British troops under Lord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until ...

in January 1805 during the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War, ...

.Cannon, p. 32 Twenty-five soldiers from the regiment were killed in the disastrous operation.Cannon, p. 34 The regiment returned to Bombay in March 1806 and immediately embarked for

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

.Cannon, p. 36 The regiment became the 86th (Leinster) Regiment of Foot in October 1809.

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment took part in the

Invasion of Île Bonaparte The Invasion of Île Bonaparte was an amphibious operation in 1810 that formed an important part of the British campaign to blockade and capture the French Indian Ocean territories of Île Bonaparte (now Réunion) and Isle de France (now Mauri ...

in July 1810Cannon, p. 38 and, following the

Invasion of Isle de France The Invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful British amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial military force was landed by the Royal N ...

, occupied the island in March 1811Cannon, p. 45 before returning to Madras in February 1812. Having become the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot in May 1812, the regiment moved to

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

in January 1816Cannon, p. 47 from where it was involved in operations to suppress the

Pindari The Pindaris were irregular military plunderers and foragers in 17th- through early 19th-century Indian subcontinent who accompanied initially the Mughal army, later the Maratha army, and finally on their own before being eliminated in the 1817� ...

s.Cannon, p. 48 It sailed for

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

in September 1818 where it took part in operations to suppress the KanyiansCannon, p. 49 and only embarked for home in April 1819.Cannon, p. 57

The Victorian era

The regiment embarked 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 Greater A ...

in October 1826.Cannon, p. 59 It was initially based in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

but moved to

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

in January 1828,

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

in January 1830 and Demerara and Berbice in February 1833.Cannon, p. 60 It embarked for home in March 1837.Cannon, p. 61 It returned to India in 1842 and saw action in Central India during the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. It formed part of the force led by Major-General Sir Hugh Rose which besieged and captured

Jhansi Fort Jhansi Fort or Jhansi ka Kila is a fortress situated on a large hilltop called Bangira, in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. It served as a stronghold of the Chandela Kings in Balwant Nagar (old name of Jhansi) from the 11th through the 17th cent ...

in April 1858: four

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

es were awarded to members of the regiment for this operation. It returned home in August 1859 and was deployed to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in 1864 and then went on to

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

in 1867 before returning to the Cape of Good Hope in 1870. It returned home in 1875 and then embarked for

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

in 1880. 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 86th was linked with the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and assigned to district no. 63 at

Victoria Barracks, Belfast Victoria Barracks was a military installation in New Lodge, Belfast in Northern Ireland. History The barracks were completed just before the Irish Rebellion in 1798. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under t ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot to form the

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: *Egypt (sphinx superscribed "Egypt") *India, Bourbon, Central India

Victoria Cross recipients

*Captain

Henry Edward Jerome Major General Henry Edward Jerome (28 February 1830 – 25 February 1901) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth fo ...

- 1858,

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...

(

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

). *Lieutenant Hugh Stewart Cochrane - 1858, Jhansi (Indian Rebellion of 1857). *Private James Byrne - 1858, Jhansi (Indian Rebellion of 1857). *Private James Pearson - 1858, Jhansi (Indian Rebellion of 1857).

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were:

Sir Cornelius Cuyler's Shropshire Volunteers

*1793–1794: Gen. Sir Cornelius Cuyler, Bt.

86th (the Shropshire Volunteers) - (1794)

*1794–1795: Gen. Russell Manners *1795–1803: Gen.

William Grinfield General William Grinfield (1744/45–19 October 1803) was a British Army officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Grinfield joined the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards in 1760 and was promoted through the ranks, becomin ...

*1804-1806: Gen. Sir

James Henry Craig General Sir James Henry Craig KB (1748 – 12 January 1812) was a British military officer and colonial administrator. Early life and military service Craig came from a Scottish family whose father was a judge of the civil and military cour ...

, KB

86th (The Leinster) Regiment of Foot - (1806)

*1806–1810: Lt-Gen. Sir Charles Ross, Bt. *1810–1832: Gen.

Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (5 April 1748 – 21 November 1832), known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament. Kilmorey was the third son of Joh ...

86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot - (1812)

*1832–1835: Lt-Gen.

William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris William George Harris, 2nd Baron Harris Royal Guelphic Order, KCH (19 January 1782 – 30 May 1845) was a British soldier and peer. Life Harris was the son of General George Harris, 1st Baron Harris. He fought under his father during the Battle ...

of Seringapatam and Mysore, CB, KCH *1835–1836: Maj-Gen. Hon. Sir

Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby Major General Hon. Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby (6 July 178311 January 1837) was an Anglo-Irish military officer. Early life and education Ponsonby was the second of three sons of Frederick Ponsonby, Viscount Dungannon (who succeeded as ...

, GCMG, KCB, KCH *1836–1837: Gen. Sir

James Watson James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick and ...

, KCB *1837–1843: Lt-Gen. Sir Arthur Brooke, KCB *1843–1852: Gen. John Maister *1852–1854: Maj-Gen. Roger Parke *1854–1862: Gen. Lord James Hay *1862–1881: F.M. Sir

John Michel Field Marshal Sir John Michel (1 September 1804 – 23 May 1886) was a British Army officer. He commanded the 6th Regiment of Foot during the Eighth Xhosa War in 1851 and served as Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent during ...

, GCB

References

Sources

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry regiments of the British Army History of Ireland (1801–1923) Military units and formations established in 1793 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 Defunct Irish regiments of the British Army Military history of County Down 1881 disestablishments in the United Kingdom 1793 establishments in Great Britain