Catalogue description Royal Lancashire Militia affidavits book

This volume of enrolments in the county Militia apparently relates to the Prescot area, and concerns a period of recruitment activity in the force

Not all of the surgeon's certificates in DP 469/2 have counterpart affidavits in DP 469/1; some, however, provide additional information such as height. F6 has a note from M G Busby that Samuel Whitfield is a substitute for Thomas Fairbrother; ff 28 and 40 are affidavits of enrolment at Liverpool from October 1810 and August 1811 the latter duplicated as the last entry in DP 469/1

See J G Rawstorne, An Account of the Regiments of Royal Lancashire Militia 1759 to 1870 1874, pp. 235-236.

A comparison with other records at LRO might provide further information on the volume's probable provenance, and the regiment to which it relates: see DDX 398/53 Vote of thanks of the officers of the United Corps of Loyal Knowsley, Prescot and Whiston Volunteers 1804 and LXP 2 Royal Lancashire Militia Prescot sub-division oath book 1816.

Personal names have been added to the Lancashire Record Office index

Purchased from Bernard Quaritch, London, 19 May 1993 (acc. 7425)

In 1809 the strength of the regiments of the Line was increased by army reforms which transferred many Militiamen into the regular army. The gaps thus created in the Militia were to be filled up by the operation of an Act passed in that year 49 Geo III c.53: this Act provided for the raising of Militiamen by a system of county quotas.

Until June 1810 volunteers could enlist and be paid a bounty of 12 guineas; then all shortfalls in the numbers enlisted were to be filled by ballot, though ballotted men were empowered to produce a substitute. Counties not providing their quota by 1 October were to be fined £40 for each man deficient, but in fact the ballot was prolonged for the completion of the Militia during the opening months of 1811; no bounty was by then payable.

The majority of enlistments in the volume took place in September 1810, but they continue from April to August 1811. Most of the men were enrolled at Prescot, but there is one at Knowsley, two at Sutton, and the final entry appears originally to have been enrolled in Liverpool. The men's parishes of residence are largely in south Lancashire, but include other parts of the county as well as Cheshire, Flint and Yorkshire.

Many of them appear to have been sworn in before one of the county's deputy Lieutenants: it may be only coincidence that two of these, Edward Lord Stanley and William Horton, were respectively Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Lancashire Militia. One of the surgeons certifying the men's fitness, M G Busby, was a lieutenant and acting surgeon in the same regiment

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