Militia of Ireland and Scotland

MILITIA OF IRELAND AND SCOTLAND Ireland and Scotland did not furnish any regular militia until 1715 and 1797 respectively, although in Scotland militia existed long before 1797, e.g. in Perthshire in 1684; and in addition corps of fencibles were raised and embodied. The Irish militia when first raised in 1715 was restricted to Protestants between the ages of 16 and 6o, who were bound to appear or provide substitutes. The force was not made subject to military law, but various mil itary offences were punishable by fine or imprisonment. In 1793 a new act was passed providing for raising a force of militia by ballot among men between the ages of 18 and 45, to serve for four years. An amendment in 1797 abolished religious restrictions for the supplementary militia, and another in 1802 for the general militia. The Scottish militia was at first raised by ballot among men between the ages of 19 and 30. In 1802 former acts were replaced by an act providing for the organization of the militia on a basis similar to that on which the militia of England was organized by the Consolidation Act passed in that year.

Reorganization of 1757.

To return to England, the imme diate cause of the organic reform carried out in 1757 was the dis closure of the inefficiency of the militia during the Rebellion of 1745. A liability on the part of the county or parish was now sub stituted for a liability on the part of individual property-owners. Each county was required to furnish a quota apportioned among the various parishes ; men were to be chosen by lot to serve for three years (this being the first provision of a fixed term of serv ice) or to provide, or pay £io for the provision of, a substitute, and the ages of liability were from 18 to 45. The force was to be annually trained and exercised for a limited period, and in case of invasion or danger thereof, or in case of rebellion, the Crown could order it or any portion of it to be embodied; but only on condition of informing parliament (which was if not sitting to be summoned for the purpose). During the embodiment or annual

training it was subject to the Mutiny Act, except that no punish ment during training was to extend to "life or limb," to prevent an unconstitutional use of the militia by the Crown, the estimate for its training was framed each year, not by an executive minis ter of the sovereign, but by the House of Commons itself. Upon the initiative of a committee of the House, an act was passed pro viding for the pay and clothing of the militia for the year. The king directly appointed the permanent staff and was given a veto on the appointment and promotion of the officers, who were to have a property qualification.

Under this act 30,00o militiamen were raised by ballot and em bodied from 1759 to 1763. This force was exclusively "Protest ant," and remained so until 1802. The service of the militia as thus arranged remained nearly in the same state until 1870. Pitt's reform, however, was followed by numerous amendments, new enactments, and other changes, of which the most important are summarized below : 1796. Supplementary militia formed, consisting of 63,878 men.

1798. (Irish Rebellion.) English militia volunteered for service in Ireland.

1799. Irish militia volunteered to serve in Great Britain.

15,000 militiamen volunteered to regular army.

1805. Militia affiliated to line for purposes of recruiting for regulars. 1806. Training Act to raise by ballot 200,000 men to be trained for one whole year, and then to discharge them from training for two years.

1808. Difficulties having arisen under above Act, local militia (which is in effect the old general levy) established in addition to general militia then embodied.

1811. English militia now made liable to serve in any part of the United Kingdom under certain restrictions, which were subse quently (in 1859) removed.

1812. In this year there were 25o regiments of local militia, with an establishment of 240,388 men and 214,418 actually enrolled. 1813. During ten years, from 1803 to 1813, nearly 100,00o militiamen joined the regular army.