The Northampton and Rutland Militia was an auxiliary unit formed in 1860 by the merger of the militia regiments of Northamptonshire and Rutlandshire in the East Midlands of England. The regiment trained regularly in peacetime and served during periods of international tension and major wars, relieving regular troops from routine garrison duties. It became a battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881, serving in the Second Boer War and training thousands of officers and men during World War I. After a shadowy postwar existence, it was finally disbanded in 1953.
Organisation and training After a long period in virtual abeyance, the Militia of the United Kingdom was revived by the Militia Act 1852, enacted during a period of international tension. Units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the Militia Ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances:Dunlop, pp. 42–5.Hay, pp. 155–7.Spiers, pp. 91–2. 'Whenever a state of war exists between Her Majesty and any foreign power'. 'In all cases of invasion or upon imminent danger thereof'. 'In all cases of rebellion or insurrection'.
The Northamptonshire Militia and the Rutland Light Infantry Militia were accordingly reorganised and resumed regular training. The Northamptonshire Militia saw garrison service in Ireland and Gibraltar during the Crimean War, being awarded the Battle honour Mediterranean. It was also embodied for Home Service during the Indian Mutiny. By 1860 there was a policy of amalgamating small county militia units with their neighbours to form more efficient regiments. This was done with the two-company Rutland Light Infantry, which amalgamated with the Northamptonshires on 1 October 1860 to form the Northampton and Rutland Militia, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant Lord Burghley, with regimental headquarters at Northampton.D'Arcy, pp. 66–254, 266–8.Exeter, pp. 6–12.Frederick, pp. 227–8.Gurney, pp. 251–3.Hay, pp. 372–4.Leslie, p. 52.Army List, various dates.Markham, pp. 89–100, 184–5.Parkyn.
Militia battalions now had a large cadre of permanent staff (about 30) and a number of the officers were former Regulars. Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war.D'Arcy, p. 270.Spiers, pp. 195–6.
The combined regiment began its first training in May 1861, which culminated in a field day at Hunsbury Hill on 17 June under the command of Lord Burghley whose father the Marquess of Exeter, as Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire and of Rutland, inspected the regiment. Similarly, the 1862 training and inspection was at Wootton House, while in 1863 it was held in the field behind the regimental stores at Northampton. In 1864 the regiment participated in a brigade field day at Dallington alongside a squadron of the 8th Hussars, and two rifle companies and a troop of mounted volunteers of the 1st Administrative Battalion, Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). The 1865 training coincided with an outbreak of smallpox in Northampton town, and the whole regiment was vaccinated on the first day of training; the only man to refuse vaccination was the adjutant, who subsequently contracted the disease and had to be isolated for six week. During the training the men camped behind the Cavalry Barracks instead of being billeted on private houses. The camp was flooded by heavy rain and the men were billeted once more the following year.D'Arcy, pp. 269–75.Markham, pp. 100–3.
The combined field day was repeated at the end of the annual training in 1868, at Earl Spencer's Althorp Park, when the Northampton & Rutland formed two temporary battalions, one commanded by Lord Burghley (now 3rd Marquess of Exeter) the other under his brother and second-in-command, Major Lord Brownlow Cecil, a former officer of the Scots Fusilier Guards. The other units present were a battery of Royal Horse Artillery, a detachment of the Rifle Brigade and the Northamptonshire RVCs. In 1869 the Northampton & Rutland regiment was brigaded with militia units from surrounding counties for a review in the Duke of Bedford's Woburn Park. The following year the brigade field day was held at Northampton Racecourse, with the Leicestershire Militia and Regular detachments from Weedon Barracks. The Northampton & Rutlands paraded 931 strong, and once again the left wing under Maj Lord Brownlow Cecil formed a temporary battalion; this was also done the following year. At that time the regiment had 164 men enrolled in the Militia Reserve, and also supplied 70 recruits to the Regulars. Between 1860 and 1872 the regiment supplied 490 men to regiments of the line.Exeter, pp. 12–3.Markham, pp. 104–6.
Cardwell and Childers reforms Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, militia regiments were brigaded with their local Regular and Volunteer battalions. Sub-District No 29 (Counties of Northampton & Rutland) comprised:Markham, p. 106. 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot Northampton & Rutland Militia 1st Administrative Battalion, Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps Brigade Depot No 29 at the former Cavalry Barracks at Northampton, renamed Gibraltar Barracks
The intention of the Cardwell system was to have two militia battalions as reserves to each linked pair of regular battalions, and on 22 July 1874 the Northampton & Rutland Militia was divided into 1st and 2nd Battalions. 1st Battalion of 8 companies was commanded by the Marquess of Exeter (who held the personal honorary rank of Colonel), while Lord Brownlow Cecil was promoted to Lt-Col to command the 2nd Bn of 6 companies.D'Arcy, p. 276.Exeter, p. 14.Markham, p. 107.Northampton & Rutland Militia at Regiments.org.
Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The Northampton & Rutland Militia were assigned to 1st Brigade of 2nd Division, VII Corps. The brigade would have mustered at Northampton in time of war.
The 1877 inspection report noted that the regiment was below establishment strength, but a determined recruiting effort brought in 767 recruits, who underwent their preliminary training in April 1878 ahead of the annual training in May. During this training a dispute in Northampton's Market Square on a Saturday led to a private being arrested by the police after a scuffle, in which the townsmen took his side. Next day false rumours that the prisoner had died led to a fullscale riot, with militiamen and townsmen stoning the police round the Judges' Lodgings, which acted as the officers' mess for the regiment. The Mayor swore in over 100 special constables who restored order. On the Monday the private was found guilty of theft by the magistrates, his fine being paid by one of his officers. However, that evening the rioting resumed while the Town Council was sitting and the special constables and 200 volunteers were deployed to protect the Town Hall, the Riot Act being read to the crowd. Next day a special court tried those who had been arrested, but the rioting resumed in the evening, reinforced by militiamen using their belts as weapons, and they had to be dispersed by the police. On the Wednesday another special court was held, and in the evening several companies of the regiment under their officers marched into the town centre to protect public buildings and patrol the streets. When the arrested militiamen were later tried their officer entered guilty pleas on their behalf and they were released on bail. At the end of the training the two battalions were inspected on the racecourse, when they were reported as being in good order, but with a very large number of men absent without leave. As well as the large number of recruits to deal with, the experienced militia reserve men had also been absent during this training, having been called out on 2 April as a precaution during the international crisis following the Russo-Turkish War. Of the 223 reservists in the Northampton & Rutlands, 213 presented themselves and 204 served at the depot until they were demobilised on 24 July.Exeter, p. 18.Markham, pp. 110–13.
3rd & 4th Battalions, Northamptonshire Regiment
The Childers Reforms of 1881 completed the Cardwell process by converting the linked regular regiments into two-battalion county regiments with two attached militia battalions. The 48th and 58th Foot became the 1st an 2nd Battalions of the Northamptonshire Regiment, with the militia battalions designated 3rd & 4th (Northampton and Rutland Militia) Battalions. The militia were also issued with the modern Martini–Henry rifle. In 1885 the Marquess of Exeter offered the regiment's services for garrison duty while many regular units were serving in the Sudan campaign, but the offer was declined. During the 1880s the number of recruits to the militia generally was falling, and in 1885 the two battalions of the Northampton & Rutlands were reduced from a total of 14 companies to 12, with a resulting reduction in the permanent staff.Markham, pp. 115–21.
In 1887 the 3rd Marquess of Exeter reached the end of his period of command, but was appointed to the vacant position of Honorary Colonel on his retirement. His eldest son, Lord Burghley was promoted from command of 3rd Bn to be Lt-Col Commandant of the regiment in 1889. At this time the Regular adjutant of the two battalions was Capt Alan Hill, who had won a Victoria Cross with the 1st Bn Northamptons during the First Boer War. Training continued on an annual basis, usually in April–May, until 1896, when for the first time it was carried out in the summer at Aldershot Camp rather than in Northamptonshire. Setting out by train from Northampton on 10 August the 3rd and 4th Bns camped at Rushmoor as part of the 3rd (Regular) Infantry Brigade. 4th Battalion returned to Northampton on 5 September, but 3rd Bn stayed on until 12 September, participating in the manoeuvres as part of 9th (Militia) Brigade of 5th Division, alongside the 3rd Royal West Surrey and the 3/4th East Surrey. Col Lord Burghley had succeeded as 4th Marquess of Exeter in 1895; he died suddenly in April 1898 and Col Sackville Stopford-Sackville was promoted from command of 4th Bn to Lt-Col Cmndt of both battalions in time for that year's training. In view of the continued shortages of militia recruits, the War Office decided that the 3rd and 4th Bns should be amalgamated as a single battalion of eight companies (A–F from 3rd Bn, G & H from A & B of 4th Bn). This was carried out on 1 April 1899.Exeter, pp. 19–21 24, 28–9.Markham, pp. 122–30.
Second Boer War