Following the formation of Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, the English Militia was transformed into the British Militia. The militia's usefulness as a military force, never great, declined thereafter, until by the middle of the 18th century it required a major overhaul. This was achieved by the Militia Acts 1757–1762, passed as a response to the threat of a French invasion during the Seven Years' War.[1] In 1796, the Militia Act 1786 (26 Geo. 3. c. 107) was passed, which consolidated the law regulating the British Militia.
Following the formation of the United Kingdom in 1801, parliament brought forward bills to consolidate acts relating to each of the English, Scottish and Irish militias.
The committee met on 15 June 1802 and reported on 17 June 1802, agreeing to some amendments, but disagreeing with others.[2] The House of Commons requested a conference with the Lords, which was appointed and met for the first time on 18 June 1802.[2][3]
The conference met again on 22 June 1802, during which the Lords insisted on an amendment "calculated to prevent the Fraud and Imposition to which the Mode of Proof of the Fact of a Person being a Quaker, hitherto required by Law, and prescribed by the Bill, has been found liable", which was accepted by the Commons.[2]
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 an "Old Militia" with a total strength of 51,489 in England and Wales (including the City of London, Cinque Ports, and Stannaries), and allowed for a "Supplementary Militia" of half as many again which could be raised with Parliamentary approval.[4]
Each county's Lord Lieutenant would set the amount of militiamen to be raised from the various areas of their country (for example, dividing it by hundreds), and parish constables would draw up lists of all eligible men between 18 and 45. Men were divided into five classes:
Under 30, no children
Over 30, no children
All men, no living children under 14
All men, one child under 14
All other men
Men were to be drawn from the classes in order - if a quota could be filled only from the first and second classes, the third, fourth and fifth were untouched. A class could be taken in its entirety if it was below the absolute quota, but if larger than the number required, a ballot was to be used. Any man who was taken into service through this process was known as a "principal", and was sworn in to serve as a private soldier for a term of five years, after which they were exempt until a fresh ballot was made, or could volunteer for further service. Instead of serving themselves, they could arrange to provide a "personal substitute" who was willing to serve in their stead; this could be a volunteer already on the local ballot, or someone from elsewhere in the county (or a neighbouring county), and it was expected that they would receive a bounty of a few pounds to encourage them to volunteer. Parishes could also arrange to provide parochial substitutes in lieu of their quota of men, and were allowed to levy a parish rate in order to pay bounties to these substitutes. Finally, any balloted man could pay a fine of £10 and avoid service, though he would be liable to be balloted again after five years. The fines were used to hire substitutes and any surplus would go to regimental funds.[4]
A wide range of men were exempt - most obviously, officers and men of the Army, Navy and Marines, but also peers, clergymen, teachers, university students, constables, sailors, apprentices, or men working in royal arsenals or dockyards. A poor man (defined as one with assets of less than £100) with more than one legitimate child was exempt, as was any poor man physically unfit for service, or any man at all less than 5'4" tall. A man worth more than £100 but unfit for service was still liable to pay his fine or provide a substitute. Quakers were not allowed to avoid service through paying a fine, but were required to find a substitute in lieu of service; if they did not do so, the county was empowered to hire one on his behalf and if necessary seize his property to pay for it.[4]
Any men who died or were discharged as unfit would produce a second ballot of the county (in practice, probably of his local parish) to find a replacement. Should the county fail to provide enough men, it would be fined £10 per head of the annual deficit; this money was to be raised locally and could be used to hire substitutes, but if this failed to achieve the desired result, it was paid to the Treasury.[4]
Repealed acts
Section 1 of the act repealed 11 enactments, listed in that section.[5]
Section 1 of the act also provided that the militia raised under the Militia Act 1786 (26 Geo. 3. c. 107) would be subject to all the provisions and regulations under the act, that commissions, service etc. would continue as under previous acts, and that future deficiencies in the number of private militiamen would be supplied under the act.[5]
An Act, passed in the twenty-sixth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for amending, and reducing into one Act of Parliament, the Laws relating to the Militia in that Part of Great Britain called England.
An Act, passed in the thirty-third Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act to provide for the Families of Persons chosen by Lot to serve in the Militia of this Kingdom, and of Substitutes serving therein; and to explain and amend an Act of Parliament, passed in the twenty-sixth Year of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for amend- ing, and reducing into one Act of Parliament, the Laws relating to the Militia in that Part of Great Britain called England.
As relates to Bounties to be paid to Militia Men whose Terms of Service are prolonged.
An Act, passed in the thirty-fifth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for augmenting the Royal Corps of Artillery , and providing seafaring Men for the Service of the Navy out of the Private Men now serving in the Militia; and to amend an Act, passed in the twenty-sixth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for amending and reducing into one Act of Parliament the Laws relating to the Militia in that Part of Great Britain called England.
An Act, passed in the thirty-eighth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act to enable his Majesty to order out a certain Proportion of the Supplementary Militia; and to provide for the necessary Augmentation of Men in the several Companies of the Militia, by incorporating the Supplementary Militia therewith.
Another Act, passed in the thirty-eighth Year aforesaid, intituled, An Act for augmenting the Number of Field Officer and other Officers of Militia; and for making other Provisions concerning the Militia Forces of this Kingdom.
An Act, passed in the thirty-ninth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act to amend two Acts, passed in the twenty-sixth and thirty-seventh Years of the Reign of his present Majesty, so far as the same relate to the Militia of the Counties of Middlesex and Surrey; and for applying certain Monies remaining in the Hands of the Clerks to the Deputy Lieutenants of the County of Middlesex, and other Persons, towards the completing of the said Militia.
Another Act, passed in the thirty-ninth Year aforesaid, intituled, An Act for the Reduction of the Militia Forces, at the Times and in the Manner therein limited; for enabling his Majesty more effectually to increase his Regular Forces for the vigorous Prosecution of the War; and for amending the Laws relating to the Militia.
Another Act, passed in the thirty-ninth and fortieth Years of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for enabling his Majesty to accept the Services of an additional Number of Volunteers from the Militia, under certain Restrictions.
Another Act, passed in the forty-second Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act to regulate, until the twenty-fifth Day of March One thousand eight hundred and three, the Number of private Militia Men in the several Counties, Ridings, and Places therein mentioned; and for supplying of Vacancies in the Militia.
The whole act, except so much of section 18 as prescribes the appointment of clerks to general meetings, was repealed by section 4(1) of, and the second schedule to, the Territorial Army and Militia Act 1921 (11 & 12 Geo. 5 c. 37).
The whole act was repealed by section 157 of, and the tenth schedule to, the Reserve Forces Act 1980.[6]
Notes
↑ The citation of the act by this short title was authorised by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lords, Great Britain Parliament House of (1802). Journals of the House of Lords. Vol.43. H.M. Stationery Office. pp.621, 629, 636, 650, 661, 666, 701, 711–712, 722, 735.
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