The Manx press usually noted the change of troops, which would appear to arrive at Douglas and then march to Castletown - thanks to the card index for pre 1850 Newspapers the troop rotations pre 1838 can be easily found; however no changes appear to be indexed post 1838! Other information is extracted from "In Search of the Forlorn Hope" by John M Kitzmiller II, Manuscript Publishing Fnd 1988 (ISBN 0-96192605-8) (shown as FHn where 'n' is the original footnote reference - thanks to George Callow for bringing this book to my attention) Further information is taken from published accounts etc which mention, en passant, the name of the regiment.
Prior to the Revestment in 1765 no British Regiment was stationed on the Island - a small professional military based mainly at Castle Rushen but also at Peel Castle and barracks at Douglas and Ramsey, was under the charge of the Lord of Man. A local militia under the leadership of the Captains of the Parish could be raised in time of necessity. At the Revestment a small contingent of British troops were brought across, mainly to discourage any popular expression against the political change. The Act of 1777 removed many of the powers of Town and Parish Captains - a local militia, Manx Fencibles, were raised mainly for work on the Island (a Fencible regiment could not be sent outside of Britain thus the Manx Fencibles were used in Ireland after 1798). Sergeant gives a history of these Fencibles which in some details differs from that of Moore (ref indicated as BS) In 1797/8 a large contingent of soldiers was stationed on the Island in anticipation of problems in Ireland but after this no British troops were present until a battalion of the Royal Veterans arrived in 1811. These were stationed both at Castletown and Peel (and possibly at Douglas) - at Peel a small barracks was built, but in 1815, on the recall of the Royal Veterans, this was declared unwanted and disposed of; Hannah Bullock writing in 1816 states that no British troops had replaced them. Troops were sent in 1816 and initially occupied part of Castle Rushen but c.1821 a new Barracks was opened on the site of the Old George Hotel (later it became the Town Commissioners Offices and is now Mannanan House -office buildings for Shell Exploration). Post 1816 all troops were stationed at Castletown until they were withdrawn in 1896.
Sir George Head in his Home Tour of 1837 states that the troops consisted of a 'company detached from the particular regiment doing duty for the time being in the city of Carlisle' - several of the newspaper reports of this time gave Carlisle either as previous or subsequent posting.
Jenkinson writing of 1873 states that some 50 men were here - that seems rather high given the size of the Barracks, the 1881 census noted 21 men and 3 officers (three men were married and their wives/children were also noted as being at the barracks.). Porter's 1889 directory noted the barrack troops as 'H company' of the Royal Sussex which would fit in with a garrison of about 24. Moore writing in early 1890's has "it now consists of about half a company from an English line regiment, stationed in the barracks at Castletown."
Many gaps are still to be filled in - judging from the regular appearance of soldiers in court such records may well be a fruitful source.
|
Date |
|
|
Nick Name |
Main Recruitment area |
Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1765/8 |
2nd |
Queen's Royal, West Surrey (F) |
Kirke's Lambs |
West Surrey |
FH46 |
|
1769 |
48th |
Northamptonshire Regt (F) |
|
Northants, Rutland |
FH29 |
|
1779 |
|
Manx Batallion of Fencibles |
|
|
see Moore's history; Disbanded 24th April 1783 (BS) |
|
1783 |
47th |
Regiment of Foot |
(BS) |
||
|
1784 |
58th |
Regiment of Foot |
March 1784 (BS); 3 marriages of soldiers in Peel August/September 1784 + 1 in 1786 |
||
|
Royal Fusiliers |
(BS) no dates given |
||||
|
1790-1792 |
44th |
Regiment of Foot |
May 1790 (BS); withdrawn prior to formation of 1st Corp RMF |
||
| 1792 |
31st
|
Regiment of Foot | Marriage in Peel Jul 1792 (soldier + 1 witness) | ||
|
1793 |
1st |
Corps of the Royal Manx Fencibles |
raised Feb 1793 and disbanded June 1802 (BS) |
||
|
1803 |
3rd |
Corps of the Royal Manx Fencibles |
Raised 1803 disbanded March 1811 (BS) |
||
|
1811 |
6th |
Reg (2nd Battalion (cmd Major Gardner) |
Saucy Sixth |
25 May - 350 men took over from Volunteers (Manks Advertiser) |
|
|
1811/1815 |
11th |
Royal Veterans (3 companies cmd Col Taylor) |
|
|
several refs inc Census
of Peel 1814; |
|
1815/1816 |
|
None |
|
|
Bullock states no troops stationed |
|
1816 |
54th |
Reg (Detachment under Capt Reeves) |
Manks Adv 25 April 1816 |
||
|
1816/1818 |
85th |
Bucks Volunteers, The King's Light Infantry (F) |
Young Bucks |
Buckinghamshire |
FH127; |
|
1818 |
95th |
Regt |
|
|
Manks Adv 9 April 1818 - Col McGregor |
|
1819 |
52nd |
Oxfordshire Light Infantry (F) |
|
Oxfordshire |
FH26; |
|
1819 |
71st |
Highland Light Infantry (F) |
Pig & Whistle |
Glasgow |
FH125; |
|
1820 |
6th |
Royal Veterans |
Manks Adv 13 April 1820 Capt R Peddy + Ensign Wm Minson |
||
|
1821 |
29th |
Infantry |
Manks Adv 18 Oct 1821 - Capt T.B. Hichin (sent because of Riots in Peel, they were destined for Ireland) - arrived 14 Oct departed 25 Dec; see Roper Blue book |
||
|
1822 |
2nd |
Veteran Battalion |
|
|
Manks Adv 8 June 1822 - Mjr Dalton, Lt Burgess, Ensign Walton Account of execution of Camaish & Kinrade April 1823 |
|
1826 |
Manks Adv 7 Jan 1826 200 recruits arrived for purpose of making this place a military depot (? construction of Castletown Barracks ) |
||||
|
1826 |
80th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 29 April 1826 |
||
|
1828 |
74th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 3 Aprl 1828 - Mjr Stewart |
||
|
1829 |
24th |
Foot - South Wales Borderers |
Howard's Green |
Wales, Warwickshire |
Manks Adv 18 Aug 1829 - Reserve Co. under Capt Bacon |
|
1831 |
30th |
Cambridgeshire Regt (F) |
The triple X's |
Cambridgeshire |
FH51; Manks Adv 26 Oct 1830 |
|
1831 |
24th |
Regt |
|
|
Manks Adv 26 April 1831 + replaced, same regt, Manks Adv 13 March 1832 - Capt Marsh |
|
1833-1835 |
15th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 5 March 1833 - Capt Hope |
||
|
1834 |
Manx Adv 16 Sept 1834 Company of Royal Sappers and Miners to make a Coastal Survey |
||||
|
1835 |
34th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 15 May 1835 |
||
|
1836 |
84th |
||||
|
1836 |
52nd |
Regt of Foot |
Manks Adv 20 May 1836 - to relieve 84th Regt stationed at Castletown for last 3 months (? error for 34th) |
||
|
1837 |
48th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 2 June 1837 - Capt Codd |
||
|
1837 |
86th |
Royal County Down Regt (F) |
The Irish Giants |
Down Leinster |
Manks Adv 9 Dept 1837 - Capt Hay FH177 (has under 1836) |
|
1838 |
98th |
Regt |
Manks Adv 16 Nov 1838 |
||
| 1842 |
61st
|
Regt | Mona's Herald 2 Feb 1842 Captn Jones commanding off of the 61st now lying here | ||
|
1844 |
6th |
Royal Regt |
|
|
account fire at KWC Jan 1844 + also trial of 2 soldiers in Jan 1844 |
|
1845 |
14th |
|
|
|
account funeral Lt Gov Ready November 1845 |
|
1848 |
15th |
Regiment of Foot |
|
|
trial John Bridgeman for Manslaughter April 1848 |
|
1850 |
91st |
Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders (F) |
|
Argylshire |
FH136 |
|
*1850/51 |
52nd |
Oxfordshire Light Infantry (F) |
|
Oxfordshire |
FH26 |
|
1851 |
23rd |
Royal Welch Fusilers (F) |
|
Wales |
FH98 + Castletown Vestry Book Jan 1852 |
|
1873/1874 |
22nd |
|
|
|
|
|
1876 |
30th |
Cambridgeshire Regt (F) |
The triple X's |
Cambridgeshire |
FH51 |
|
1876 |
106th |
Bombay Light Infantry |
FH52 |
||
|
1881 |
103rd |
|
|
|
April 1881 census return |
|
1881 |
8th |
King's Liverpool Regt (F) |
The Leather Hats |
Derbyshire |
FH90 |
|
1883 |
4th |
King's Own, Lancaster (F) |
Barrell's Blues |
London Area |
FH195 |
|
1884 |
48/58 th |
Northhamptonshire Regt |
FH115 |
||
|
1889 |
|
Royal Sussex (H Company) |
|
|
|
(F) = Foot Regiment ; no facilities for a cavalry regiment existed on the Island
*Mona's Herald 24 April 1850 detachment of 62nd Regiment of Foot to replace 46th
Bertram Edward Sargeaunt, The Royal Manx Fencibles Aldershot: Gale & Polden 1947
|
|
||
|
see B114 |
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|
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|
Any comments, errors or omissions
gratefully received The
Editor |
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