Provisions of the Act
The Act brought together a number of the Militia Acts which had been passed during the French Revolutionary Wars (1794-1802), repealing them but broadly re-enacting their content. It provided for a Militia with an established strength of 15,000 men in Ireland (set against 51,489 in England and Wales, and 8,000 in Scotland). [1]
The Irish militia was to be raised entirely from volunteers, unlike units in England, Wales, and Scotland, which were recruited by ballot. This was a deliberate decision to avoid civil unrest. The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland was empowered to recruit volunteers over a four-month period after the Act was passed, paying a bounty of two guineas to each recruit. Men were liable to serve for five years or, if called into active service in this period, until the Militia was disembodied. [1]
The sum set aside for recruiting was £40,000, enough to recruit 19–20,000 men, though the notional strength was only 15,000. In the event, this was insufficient; the Militia (Ireland) Act 1803 (43 Geo. 3. c. 33) was passed in April 1803 to double the bounty to four guineas, as not enough volunteers had come forward to make up the desired numbers. [1]
A lord-lieutenant is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility over the local militia was removed. However, it was not until 1921 that they formally lost the right to call upon able-bodied men to fight when needed.
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 with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the Territorial Force in 1908. Most of the regiments of the present Army Reserves Infantry, Artillery, Engineers and Signals units are directly descended from Volunteer Force units.
There have been many statutes known as Militia Act.
The Forfarshire Militia, later the Forfar and Kincardine Militia was an auxiliary regiment recruited in the Scottish counties of Forfarshire and Kincardineshire from 1798. It served in home defence and on internal security duties across the British Isles through all Britain's major wars. In 1854 it was converted into an artillery corps that continued until 1908.
The British Militia was the principal military reserve force of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Militia units were repeatedly raised in Great Britain during the Georgian era for internal security duties and to defend against external invasions. The Militia Act 1757, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain after the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, led to the rapid expansion of the British Militia in order to defend from potential French invasions. In the Kingdom of Ireland, a client state of Great Britain, the equivalent force was the Irish Militia, which saw heavy service in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 alongside British militia units. The existence of militia units in Great Britain and Ireland played an important role in freeing regular troops from the British and Irish establishments for overseas service.
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.
The Militia and Volunteers of County Durham are those military units raised in the County independent of the regular Army. The "modern" militia dates from legislation enacted during the Seven Years' War. The volunteers had several forms and separate periods of existence until made a permanent body in 1859.
The Militia and Volunteers of Northumberland are those military units raised in the county independently of the regular Army. The "modern" militia dates from legislation enacted during the Seven Years' War. The volunteers had several forms and separate periods of existence until made a permanent body in 1859.
The Yeomanry and Volunteers Act 1802 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting the Yeomanry and Volunteers, two of the military Reserve Forces raised in the United Kingdom for home defence. Following the creation of the British Army Regular Reserve in 1859, by the then Secretary of State for War, Sidney Herbert, and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act 1867, were increasingly referred to instead as the Auxiliary Forces or the Local Forces to prevent confusion. It only covered units in England, Wales, and Scotland, with Irish units provided for by the Yeomanry (Ireland) Act 1802.
The Yeomanry (Ireland) Act 1802 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting the Yeomanry and Volunteers, two of the forces raised in the United Kingdom for home defence. It only covered units in Ireland, with those in England, Wales, and Scotland provided for by the Yeomanry and Volunteers Act 1802.
The Militia Act 1802 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting the Militia, a locally raised force for home defence. It applied to England and Wales, with Scotland covered by the Militia (Scotland) Act 1802, and Ireland by the Militia (Ireland) Act 1802. Subsidiary acts dealt with the City of London, the Cinque Ports, and the Stannaries, which had special legal requirements.
The Militia (Scotland) Act 1802 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting the Militia, a locally raised force for home defence. It applied to Scotland while there were other acts of the same year applying to England and Wales, and to Ireland.
The Militia (Stannaries) Act 1802 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting the Militia, a locally raised force for home defence. It applied only to the Stannaries of south-western England, and extended the provisions of the main Militia Act 1802 to these jurisdictions.
The Argyll & Bute Militia was an auxiliary military unit in the west of Scotland from 1798 to 1909, serving in Home Defence during the French Revolutionary War, Napoleonic Wars and Second Boer War. Originally an infantry regiment, it was converted into artillery in 1861. It was disbanded in 1909.
The Clare Militia was an Irish Militia regiment from 1798 to 1909. It was based in County Clare. At first an infantry unit, it was converted to artillery in 1882, making it the last artillery militia unit raised in the British forces. It was disbanded in 1909.
The Flintshire Militia, later the Royal Flint Rifles was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in the Welsh county of Flintshire during the 18th century from earlier precursor units. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in all of Britain's major wars, and supplied many recruits to the Regular Army. After a short-lived merger with another Welsh militia regiment it became a battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps but was disbanded in 1889.
The Fermanagh Militia, later the Fermanagh Light Infantry, was an Irish militia regiment raised in 1793 for home defence and internal security during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It also served during the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny. In 1881 it became a battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was embodied in the Second Boer War. During World War I, as part of the Special Reserve, it trained thousands of reinforcements for battalions of that regiment serving overseas. Postwar it retained a shadowy existence until it was formally disbanded in 1953.
The Royal Meath Militia was an Irish Militia regiment in County Meath raised in 1793. It later became a battalion of the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment. It saw action during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the Easter Rising in 1916, and trained hundreds of reinforcements during World War I. It was disbanded in 1922.
