Jump to content

Fencibles

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For American units with fencibles in their name, seeFencibles (American).For the New Zealand football team, seeFencibles United.

TheFencibles(from the worddefencible) were Britishregimentsraised in theUnited Kingdom,Isle of Manand in thecoloniesfor defence against the threat of invasion during theSeven Years' War,theAmerican War of Independence,theFrench Revolutionary Wars,theNapoleonic Warsandthe War of 1812in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Usually temporary units, composed of local recruits and commanded byRegular Armyofficers, they were usually confined togarrisonand patrol duties, freeing Regular Army units to perform offensive operations. Most fencible regiments had no liability for overseas service.

They included naval forces known as "River Fencibles", made up of sailors on theThamesand other southern English towns and cities, as well asSea Fencibles,who, among their other duties, crewed small commercial vessels converted to coastal defence.[1]

History[edit]

Engraved portrait ofSir James Grantwith a view theStrathspey Grant Fencibles

The first regiments were raised in Scotland in 1759. In England county militia regiments were raised for internal defence in the absence of the regular army; but it was not deemed prudent to extend the system to Scotland, the inhabitants of which, it was supposed, could not yet be safely entrusted with arms because ofThe 'Fifteen'andThe 'Forty-Five'rebellions.Groundless as the reasons for this caution undoubtedly were in regard to the Lowlands, it would certainly have been hazardous at a time whenthe Stuartsand their adherents were still plotting a restoration to have armedthe clans.[2]

Unlike the militia regiments which were raised by ballot, the Fencibles were to be raised by the ordinary mode of recruiting, and like the regiments of the line, the officers were to be appointed, and their commissions signed by the king.[2]

Most fencible regiments had no liability for overseas service however there were exceptions. Ireland while not united with theKingdom of Great Britainuntil 1801 was the destination for several British fencible regiments during theRebellion of 1798where they fought in some pitched battles. The3rd Argyllshire Regiment,who like some other fencible regiments had terms of service that extended to any part of Europe, garrisoned Gibraltar (as didBanffshire Fencibles,2nd Argllshire Fencibles,and thePrince of Wales Own Fencibles[3])[4][5]TheDumbarton Fencibles Regimentwas raised in Scotland, garrisonedGuernsey,fought in Ireland, and detachment escorted prisoners to Prussia.[6]TheAncient Irish Fencibleswere sent to Egypt where they took part in the operations against the French in 1801.[7]

Fencible regiments tended to be less effective than regular troops for military duties; with problems of lack of education and vulnerability to disease. In Ireland, fencibles would take part in inter-regimental brawls and attacks on regular army soldiers. Some regiments of fencibles, however, were noted for exceptional service.[8]

Timeline[edit]

Further information:List of British fencible regiments

Highland Fencibles[edit]

Main article:Highland Fencible Corps

TheScottish Highlands supplied fencible regimentsfor most of the second half of the 18th century. The first regiment raised was theArgyle Fenciblesin 1759 and the last was theMacLeod Fenciblesin 1779. In all over 20 regiments were created, although they were not all in existence at the same time. Some Highland fencibles regiments saw action in theIrish Rebellion of 1798,while other performed garrison and policing duties in Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.[9]

American Revolutionary War[edit]

TheRoyal Fencible Americanswas aLoyalistunit raised by the British inNova Scotiain 1775, that successfully withstood an attack byPatriotforces underJonathan Eddyat theBattle of Fort Cumberland.[10]

Irish Rebellion of 1798[edit]

Fencibles were raised for the entirety of theIrish Rebellion.

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars[edit]

Fencible units were raised in the United Kingdom andIsle of Manduring the early years of the war. This included not only land regiments but also theSea Fencibles(raised in 1798 and disbanded in 1810). By thePeace of Amiensin 1802, all Fencible Regiments had been disbanded and those members willing to continue serving had been transferred to regular army regiments. When theNapoleonic Warsresumed the British used alternative methods to defend theHome Nations(see for example theAdditional Forces Acts 1803) and with the exception of theRoyal Manx Fencibles(third corps, 1803–1811) no more fencible regiments were raised for home defence.

War of 1812[edit]

See also:List of British fencible regiments § Further information,andCanadian units of the War of 1812
Otto Schwartz,Nova Scotia Fencibles,c. 1806.

In the early years of the 19th Century, regiments of Fencibles were raised inthe Canadas,New Brunswick,Newfoundland,and Nova Scotia. The regiments were liable for service in North America only (although the New Brunswick Fencibles volunteered for general service and became the 104th Regiment of Foot in the regular army). All but one of these regiments saw action in theWar of 1812.The regiments were disbanded in 1816 and 1817, after the War of 1812. Although the units were disbanded, several regiments in Canada continue to perpetuate their historic lineage.

Most of the Fencible regiments were formed in 1803, including theNova Scotia Fencibles,theCanadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry(perpetuated by theRoyal 22nd Regiment), the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles (perpetuated by theRoyal Newfoundland Regiment), and the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry (perpetuated by theRoyal New Brunswick Regiment). TheGlengarry Light Infantry Fencibles(perpetuated by theStormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders) was formed in February 1812, several months prior to the war. In addition to these Canadian units, the Michigan Fencibles, a small unit of 45 troops, was raised atFort Mackinacin 1813.[11]

Bombay Fencibles[edit]

TheBombay Fencibleswere raised in 1799 by the following order of the Bombay Army: "A regiment consisting of two battalions of natives to be, under the denomination of the 'Bombay fencibles,' raised from the inhabitants of Bombay, Salsette, and Caranjah, on condition of not being liable to serve out of the said bounds; at the * pay to each private of 5 rupees 2 quarters per month, besides clothing: which last they will receive from thehonorable company".[12]

The5th battalionof theMaratha Light Infantrywas raised in December 1800 from the Bombay Fencibles as the 1st Battalion, the 9th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry.

Malta[edit]

TheRoyal Malta Fencible Regimentwas in existence from 1815 to 1861 when it became theRoyal Malta Fencible Artilleryuntil 1881. The term 'Fencible' was dropped in 1889 and it became theRoyal Malta Artillery.[13][14]

New Zealand Wars[edit]

Captain John Jermyn Symonds, second in command of Fencibles atOnehunga.

In 1847 theRoyal New Zealand Fencible Corpswere raised and sent to New Zealand for the defence of the early settlers there. They were settled in four new outlying villages around Auckland, (then the capital), atOnehunga,Otahuhu,Panmure,andHowick,the largest of the four. About 75 fencibles and their sons took part as militia in the 1860sNew Zealand Wars.[15][16]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^National Maritime Museum2011.
  2. ^abBrowne 1854,p. 368.
  3. ^Musteen 2011,p. 218 (note 540).
  4. ^Browne 1854,p. 384.
  5. ^Scobie 1914,p. 355.
  6. ^Scobie 1914,p. 356.
  7. ^Scobie 1914,p. 362.
  8. ^Bartlett & Jeffery 1997,p.[page needed].
  9. ^Browne 1854,pp. 368–384.
  10. ^Loyalist Institute: Royal Fencible Americans, Proposal to Raise a Battalion, 1775
  11. ^Chartrand & Embleton 1998,p. 41.
  12. ^Moor 1801,p. 6.
  13. ^Armed Forces of Malta2015a.
  14. ^Armed Forces of Malta 2015b.
  15. ^Herald2010.
  16. ^Alexander et al. 1997,p. 112.

References[edit]

  • Alexander, R.; Gibson, G.; La Roche, A.; Waiuku, Deed (1997),The Royal New Zealand Fencibles,Auckland: The New Zealand Fencible Society Inc,ISBN0473047160
  • Bartlett, Thomas; Jeffery, Keith (1997),A Military History of Ireland,Cambridge University Press[full citation needed]
  • Chartrand, René; Embleton, Gerry (1998),British Forces in North America 1793–1815,London: Osprey, p. 41,ISBN1855327414
  • "Auckland: Soldiers of fortune",The New Zealand Herald,26 August 2010, archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2012,retrieved5 February2011
  • "Royal Malta Fencible Regiment (1815–1861)",Armed Forces of Malta,16 October 2015a,retrieved22 August2017
  • "Royal Malta Fencible Artillery (1861–1881)",Armed Forces of Malta,16 October 2015b,retrieved22 August2017
  • "Prize medal, River Fencibles 1804 (MED0240)".National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2011.Retrieved5 February2011.
  • Moor, Captain Edward (1801),A compilation of all the... orders... 1750 to... 1801... of the Bombay,Bombay: Courier and Gazette Presses, p.6
  • Musteen, Jason R. (2011),Nelson's Refuge: Gibraltar in the Age of Napoleon,Naval Institute Press, p.218,ISBN9781612510842
  • Scobie, Ian Hamilton Mackay (1914),An old highland fencible corps: the history of the Reay Fencible Highland Regiment of Foot, or Mackay's Highlanders, 1794–1802, with an account of its services in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798,Edinburgh: Blackwood, pp.353–364

Attribution:

  • Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Browne, James (1854),history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans: with an extensive selection from the hitherto inedited Stuart papers,vol. 4, A. Fullarton and Co., pp.368–384

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fencibles&oldid=1219186005"