Was your English ancestor called to serve in the Northamptonshire militia? Discover your ancestor’s residence and occupation at the time of his service. Men in the militia were usually between the ages of 18 and 45 and served for three years.
Was your English ancestor called to serve in the Northamptonshire militia? Discover your ancestor’s residence and occupation at the time of his service. Men in the militia were usually between the ages of 18 and 45 and served for three years.
Each result provides a transcript of the following details about your ancestor. The transcripts were created from the original militia lists held by the Northamptonshire Archives. The 1762 list covers most of the county, that for 1817 covers parishes in the Towcester area, for 1819 parishes in the Daventy area and for 1774 and 1781 the parishes in the Higham Ferrers hundred (administrative area). The 1771 Northamptonshire Militia List comes from the original militia lists held by the Northamptonshire Record Office.
Militia lists were recorded annually and sent to either the Justice of the Peace or the Lord Lieutenants. The lists are valuable for genealogists and military historians. Unfortunately, not all of these lists have survived. The Northamptonshire militia list of 1771 covers the entire county except for Nassaburgh hundred.
The Militia Act of 1757 required each county to raise an assigned quota of able-bodied men to serve in the militia. The act was passed as a reaction to the French invasion during the Seven Years War. The militia was responsible for the defence of Great Britain and Ireland. They never served abroad. Men were between the ages of 18 and 45 and served for a minimum of 28 days a year, over three years. The men’s names were chosen by ballot; however, for those who could afford to, a person could pay a substitute to take his place. In Northamptonshire, the militia usually met in Northampton; however, in 1771, an outbreak of smallpox meant the militia was separated into two units. One was stationed at Kettering and the other was stationed at Wellingborough.