130th Regiment of Foot
| 130th Regiment of Foot (Loyal Staffordshire Volunteers) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1794–1796 |
| Disbanded | 1796 |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | George Pigot |
The130th Regiment of Footwas an infantryregimentof theBritish Army,created in 1794. After being raised it was sent to the West Indies, where it suffered heavy losses from tropical disease. The unit was disbanded atSanto Domingoin 1796, with the survivors drafted into other regiments.
Background[edit]
The 130th Regiment of Foot was raised as part of a rapid expansion of the British Army from 1793 as a reaction to theFrench Revolutionary Wars,which had begun in 1792. More than 40 regiments of foot and cavalry were added to the establishment; many of these units were short lived. British Army regiments are given a number, according to the seniority in which they were raised, but the numbering of these units is somewhat erratic. The supposedly junior131st Regiment of Footwas accepted onto theArmy Lista full 18 months before the 130th Regiment. This probably represents differences in the speed of recruitment to individual regiments (units were not accepted onto the list until they had reached a certain "establishment" strength). The naming of the new units is also varied. Some were granted formal names but others were known by their commander's names or by number alone. Most of the new regiments disbanded by 1797.[1]
History[edit]
In 1794 CaptainGeorge Pigot,formerly of the38th Regiment of Footwas promised promotion to lieutenant-colonel—and command of the new 130th Regiment of Foot if he could recruit the men to establish the unit.[2]The 130th Regiment of Foot was formed atWolverhampton,Staffordshire, in 1794 and was titled the "Loyal Staffordshire Volunteers".[3]It was also known as "Pigot's" or "Meyrick's" Regiment.[4]Pigot was appointed to command the 130th Regiment on 21 March 1795 and the unit was entered onto the Army List on 12 June.[5][6]
The 130th Regiment was posted to theWest Indiesin 1795, at a time when the British were fighting theSecond Maroon Waragainst the revolt of theJamaican Maroons.The unit suffered badly from tropical disease. It numbered 166 fit men atSanto Domingoin November but by December numbered only 7 men fit and 11 sick.[7][2]The regiment was disbanded at Santo Domingo in 1796 by drafting the survivors into other units.[2][3][8][6]Shoulder belt platesbearing the insignia of theStafford Knotand the inscription "Loyal Staffordshire Volunteers" found in Dominica and Haiti and sometimes identified as belonging to the80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers),are instead probably associated with the 130th Regiment.[3]Colonel Pigot was placed onhalf payand afterwards rose, by a series ofbrevetpromotions, to the rank of general.[2]
References[edit]
- ^Chartrand, René (2015)."Stations of the High-numbered Regiments Added to the British Establishment, 1793–1799".Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.93(373): 73.ISSN0037-9700.JSTOR44232682.
- ^abcdWood, Stephen (2010)."Lieutenant-general Sir Robert Pigot, Baronet, by Francis Cotes RA, c. 1765".Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.88(354): 127.ISSN0037-9700.JSTOR44232839.
- ^abcThe Bulletin.Military Historical Society. 1972. p. 19.
- ^Franklin, Carl (2012-01-01).British Army Uniforms of the American Revolution 1751–1783.Casemate Publishers. p. 365.ISBN978-1-84884-690-6.
- ^"No. 13761".The London Gazette.17 March 1795. p. 250.
- ^abChartrand, René (2015)."Stations of the High-numbered Regiments Added to the British Establishment, 1793–1799".Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.93(373): 75.ISSN0037-9700.JSTOR44232682.
- ^Reid, Stuart (1996)."Brigands and the Black Vomit the Royal Scots on San Domingo 1794–1797".Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.74(299): 164.ISSN0037-9700.JSTOR44225323.
- ^Messenger, Charles (1994-03-16).For Love of Regiment: A History of British Infantry, Volume 2, 1915–1994.Pen and Sword. p. 258.ISBN978-1-78383-507-2.
External links[edit]
- "130th Regiment of Foot".regiments.org. Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2007.