Army reform & The West Suffolk Mancunians

Until Cardwell’s ‘Regulation of the Forces Act 1871’, regiments, when stationed in Britain were nomadic; their depots moving on from town to town every few months or so. Both the 34th and 55th Foot spent time in Carlisle, but so did other regiments.

“A company of the 17th regt. of foot, marched into Carlisle Castle, yesterday, to relieve a similar detachment of the 65th...”

Carlisle Patriot

Saturday 13 December 1823

When regiments were raised they were allocated an initial recruiting area. In 1702 Lord Lucas recruited around his estate in Essex. Fifty years later the 57th, soon to be 55th, were allocated Stirling as a recruiting area. But, once established both regiments, like all other regiments, recruited where they could.

General Conway

Recruiting during the The American War of Independence had been especially difficult. Britain resorted to one of its traditional solutions, hiring regiments from German princedoms., but also sought to improve local recruiting. The Adjutant General wrote to the Agents of Infantry regiments in May 1782:

“I am to desire that you will signify to the Colonels of the Regiments of Foot to which you are Agents that General Conway wishes to be informed if they have any particular connexion or Attachment to a particular County, or any reason to wish for bearing the name of any particular County and if so to name the County.

I must beg the favour of you to transmit to me their answers to the above, as soon as possible, for the General's information.

I am, etc.”

The 34th’s Colonel at the time was Lord Frederick Cavendish. The Cavendish’s were then, and are still, land owners in Cumberland.

The Colonel of the 55th, James Grant, was a Scot’s landowner, serving in North America. Was Westmorland the closest English County to Scotland that hadn’t been allocated elsewhere ? English County, because the 55th was not a Scot’s regiment.

County links had been agreed by August 1782. Very quick work. Three months for letters to travel via Regimental Agents to Colonels in North America and then for replies to be received?

At the time Counties were the basis of local government. Manchester and the other industrial cities were not significant in administrative terms, hence the 47th Foot was affiliated to the whole of Lancashire.

Gentlemen & Reivers

Apart from adopting the nickname ‘The Cumberland Gentlemen’ the 34th did little to make connections with Cumberland. 23 years later the second battalion of the 34th was raised from the militia in West Yorkshire. The 55th had the nickname ‘The Cattle Reavers’, but were also known more politely as the ‘Double Fives’. When they were stationed in Carlisle in 1811 they took recruits from England and Scotland.

“Since our last, have arrived here 42 very fine volunteers, for the 55th regiment, from the Royal Cumberland and Westmorland Militias, 3 from the Royal Stafford, 1 from the North York, 1 from the Argyle, 3 from the Royal Perthshire, and 8 from the East York regiment of Militia, making altogether 58 fine fellows. Another party, 44 in number, is soon expected, from the Dumfries and Berwickshire, and 3 from the North Devon, also 6 from the Aberdeenshire Militias.”

Carlisle Journal, 8 June 1811

That the 34th and 55th ignored their county affiliations, whilst retaining the names, was the norm and not the exception.

Other 1782 affiliations

Our two senior Regiments, 4th and 8th were not given county links as they already had their own historic titles. The Regiments that would eventually come together in the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment were given these County affiliations in 1782.

30th Foot Cambridgeshire

34th Foot Cumberland

40th Foot Somersetshire

47th Foot Lancashire

55th Foot Westmoreland

59th Foot Nottinghamshire

63rd Foot West Suffolk

81st Foot Aberdeen Highlanders, then disbanded and 1793 81st Loyal Lincoln Volunteers

Cardwell

Cardwell's Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 introduced a localisation scheme that divided the Country into 66 brigade districts based on county boundaries and population density. All line infantry regiments were to consist of two battalions, sharing a depot and associated recruiting area. However it would be another 10 years before the multi-battalion regiments were formed.

The late 19th Century reforms also ignored some of the 1782 local affiliations, giving the Duke of Lancaster’s antecedent regiments some interesting regional connections.

The 1872 Districts

No 2 District Carlisle

34th and 55th Foot

No 11 District Lancaster temporarily Fleetwood

4th Foot

No 12 District Preston

47th and 81st Foot

No 13 District Warrington

8th Foot

No 14 District Warrington

40th and 82nd Foot

No 15 District Burnley

30th Foot and 59th Foot

No 16 District Ashton (under Lyme)

63rd and 96th Foot

Childers 1881

Childers’ reforms finally created the multi-battalion regiments from Cardwell’s pairs.

The Border Regiment

34th and 55th Foot

The East Lancashire

Regiment

30th and 59th Foot

The South Lancashire Regiment

40th and 82nd Foot

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

47th and 81st Foot

The Manchester Regiment

63rd and 96th Foot

The creation of The Border Regiment from the 34th and 55th, the Cumberland and Westmorland Regiments has logic, but the Manchester Regiment from the 63rd The West Suffolks?

The Editor