MILITIA OF ENGLAND The title of "militia" disappeared from the list of the British forces in 1908, on the conversion of the existing self-contained militia into an army "special reserve" which is restricted to the role of providing drafts for the first line.' The "self-contained" second line army of the present day is the Territorial Army (q.v.) (see also ARMY and GREAT BRITAIN : Army).
The county organization of England, with which throughout the militia was closely associated, began with the advent of the Saxons. The prototype of the militia was the Fyrd. In this force as reorganized by Alfred liability of service was general on the part of every able-bodied male between the ages of 16 and 6o. Although the title of "The Fyrd" survived until long after the Norman con quest, the force established by King Alfred was known as the gen eral levy, which was bound to appear armed when ordered to aid in suppressing domestic riots as well as in defending the realm against invasion by foreign foes. Service was restricted to the counties, except in case of invasion, when it was extended to the whole kingdom. The Norman Conquest was immediately followed by the introduction of the feudal levy in addition to the general levy, the distinction between these forces being that while obli gation to serve in the latter rested upon every male within certain limits of age, service in the feudal levy depended upon tenure of land under the king as feudal lord. The general levy was not in any case liable for service overseas, but the king for a long time employed his feudal tenants in continental wars until they too, successfully resisted the demand. Personal service formed the basis of both levies, but service by deputy, or payment in lieu of personal service were allowed from very early times. The feudal levy was discontinued during the Commonwealth and abolished at the Restoration; but liability to serve in the general levy has never been extinguished, but remains in the statutory and practical form 'Various dominions and colonies of the British Empire have militias, for which see UNITED KINGDOM: Army. For the Swiss Militia System, which is in many respects the archetype of modern militias, see SWITZERLAND ; and for the organized militia of the United States see UNITED STATES and NATIONAL GUARD_ of liability to serve both in the general and local militia. Even at the abolition of these forces the statutory liability to service in them was not done away with. Inspections of arms and the as sembly and training of the men raised under this national system were secured from time to time by means of "assizes of arms," "views of armour," "commissions of array," and "commissions of musters," dating from early in the 12th century down to the 16th century. These constitutional powers were frequently abused by "electing" or impressing men to serve out of the kingdom, but this was checked in the year 1327 by an Act of Parliament, which strictly regulated the scope and limits of military service within the kingdom at the charge of the parishes or counties, but pro vided for service abroad at the charge of the Crown. "Commis sions of musters" were a development of preceding measures for raising men and material for military service, under which the commissioners registered and mustered persons liable to serve, sorted them into bands and trained and exercised them at the charge of the county. These bands became known as train or
trained bands, and were mustered annually. With them were as sociated lieutenants of counties, first appointed in 1549 by Ed ward VI., subsequently in Queen Mary's reign called lords lieu tenant, and after the Restoration appointed as statutory officers for the militia. There does not appear to have been any clearly defined regimental organization in existence until these bands or companies were called into active service, but the Acts of the Commonwealth supplied this defect, and initiated a permanent regimental system. One of the earliest attempts to reform the force since the time of King Alfred was made by Charles I. in 1629, when Orders in Council were issued instructing lords lieu tenant to put the militia on a better footing. Cromwell subse quently issued similar orders couched in strong terms, though under the Commonwealth the duties of lords lieutenant were not recognized, the militia being raised by commissioners. The great services rendered by the militia in the "crowning mercy" of Wor cester are a historic exception to the general decadence of second line troops in the 17th and 18th centuries (see GREAT REBEL LION and WORCESTER, BATTLE OF, 1651). At the Restoration an act was passed declaring that the control of the militia was the prerogative of the king. By the same statute the militia of each county was placed under the lieutenant, who was vested with the appointment of officers, but with a reservation to the Crown in the way of commissioning and dismissal. The cost of the annual training—for fourteen days—fell upon the local authority. Of fences against discipline were dealt with by the civil magistrates, but with a power to the officers of fining and of imprisoning in default. Upon this footing the militia of England remained for nearly a century, with the general approval of the community, as an instrument for defence and the preservation of internal order. While the supreme command was distinctly vested in the Crown, every practical security was thus taken against its use by the Crown for any object not constitutional or legitimate. It was regarded as, and was, in fact, the army of the state as distinguished from the standing army, which was very much the army of the king personally. But the new "professional" conditions of warfare, and perhaps the practice of trying mili tary offences by civil courts, contributed to the disrepute into which the militia fell and the inefficiency it displayed, with the exception of the trained bands of London, until it was re organized in 1757. Under the act of 1662 all train bands were discontinued in the counties, but those of London, with their auxiliaries, remained until 1794, when they were reorganized as the City of London Militia. In 1688 an act was passed raising the militia for one year, and for some time it was an annually sanc tioned force as the regular army is to-day. In 169o, on the oc casion of the threatened French invasion, the militia was em bodied; and again in 1715 and 1745 during the troubles caused by the Old and Young Pretenders. In a pamphlet of 1712 the Eng lish militia was estimated at 7,45o horse and 84,391 foot soldiers.