Seven Years War Under threat of French invasion during the
Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. Front-line Devonshire was initially given a quota of 1600 men to raise. There was a property qualification for officers, who were commissioned by the Lord Lieutenant. The first issue of arms to the Devon Militia was made on 5 December 1758, and they were embodied for permanent service on 23 June 1759. Two, later four (Exeter, North, East and South), battalions were formed in Devon under the command of the
Duke of Bedford as Lord Lieutenant. They served in the
West Country for the whole of their service; the duties included guarding French
prisoners of war. In December 1762 the battalions were stood down ('disembodied') and the following year were reorganised into three peacetime regiments. The Exeter and East battalions combined to form a single regiment, the
1st or East Devon Militia, of 600 men, 30
Sergeants and 20
Drummers, organised into 10 companies, with its headquarters (HQ) at Exeter and the Duke of Bedford as its
Colonel.
Sir John Prideaux, 6th Baronet, Colonel of the disbanded East Devon battalion, took legal action against the Duke of Bedford and the
Deputy lieutenants for the loss of his command, and refused to give up the battalion's arms and accoutrements in his care until 1764.
War of American Independence The militiamen's peacetime training was widely neglected, but the Devonshire regiments do appear to have completed their training each year. The Duke of Bedford died in 1771, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Bampfylde, 4th Baronet,
MP, resigned, so the new Lord Lieutenant,
Earl Poulett, recommended the son of a local landowner,
Major John Dyke Acland,
20th Foot, for the colonelcy. After the outbreak of the
War of American Independence in 1775
Lord North's government introduced a Bill in Parliament to 'Enable His Majesty to call out and assemble the Militia in all cases of Rebellion in any part of the Dominion belonging to the Crown of Great Britain'. Colonel Acland (himself MP for
Callington) presented an Address to the King on behalf of the East Devon Militia in support of the Bill, which was vehemently condemned by the Bill's opponents including
Edmund Burke and
Charles James Fox; the Bill was passed in December 1775. In 1776–7 Col Acland served in his
Regular Army rank of major in the
Saratoga campaign under his friend and fellow MP Maj-Gen
John Burgoyne. Acland commanded the Grenadier battalion and was severely wounded and captured. He was well-treated by his captors, and after his return to England was challenged to a duel by an officer who resented his favourable comments on the Americans. Although Acland survived the duel, he is believed to have died from the effects of a chill caught on the day. The militia was called out when Britain was threatened with invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain, and the regiment was embodied at Exeter on 20 April 1778. Earl Poulett appointed his eldest son,
Viscount Hinton, to succeed Acland as colonel of the East Devons, and soothed the lieutenant-colonel, Paul Orchard, by promoting him to take over the
North Devons, which were in disorder. The East Devons remained at Exeter until November, when the companies were distributed to winter quarters in
Somerset, at
Wells,
Glastonbury and
Shepton Mallet. During the summer of 1779 the East Devon Militia was at
Coxheath Camp near
Maidstone in
Kent, which was the army's largest training camp, where the Militia were exercised as part of a division alongside Regular troops while providing a reserve in case of French invasion of South East England. The East Devons were brigaded with the
East Suffolk Militia and
Monmouth Militia. Each battalion had two small field-pieces or 'battalion guns' attached to it, manned by men of the regiment instructed by a
Royal Artillery sergeant and two gunners. In November the regiment was widely dispersed to winter quarters in
Surrey, with HQ at
Kingston upon Thames. Two extra companies of volunteers were now attached to the regiment and served with it for the rest of the period of embodiment. For the summer of 1780 the regiment was camped with the
6th Foot at
Playden Heights in
Sussex. It returned to Somerset for its winter quarters, where the men who had completed their tree-year term of service were allowed home furlough, in the hope that they would make bargains to serve as substitutes for the next batch of men chosen by ballot, and then return to the regiment as trained men. However, the ranks were full of recruits that summer. The summers of 1781 and 1782 were spent in Devon at
Roborough Camp and the
Maker Redoubts near Plymouth, where both Regulars and Militia (including all three Devon regiments) were gathered. The Light Companies of the regiments at Roborough were formed into a composite Light Battalion, which trained separately. The Militia also had to find guards for the American prisoners of war lodged in Mill Prison. The camp at Roborough was broken up on 10 November 1782 and the regiments went into winter quarters. The East Devons were quartered at
Bristol, where they had to find the guards for American prisoners confined in
Stapleton Prison. American independence was recognised in November 1782, and peace was settled with France and Spain early in 1783, so the militia could be stood down. The East Devons marched to Exeter and were disembodied there on 24 March.
French Revolutionary War From 1787 to 1793 the East Devon Militia was assembled for its annual 28 days' training, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were mustered each year. In view of the worsening international situation the whole Devonshire Militia was embodied for service on 22 December 1792, even though
Revolutionary France did not declare war on Britain until 1 February 1793. In February the regiment sent a detachment to Plymouth to be trained to operate battalion guns, and the rest marched to Surrey, moving in July to
Dover, where seven companies were stationed in
Dover Castle, two in the town, and one at
Archcliffe Fort. In April 1794 the regiment marched to
Salisbury and then on to Bristol, where the principal duty once more was guarding French prisoners in Stapleton Prison. The following year the regiment spent the summer in camp at Roborough. The winter of 1795–6 was spent in barracks at
Plymouth Dock, guarding the Mill Prison, which posting continued during 1796 apart from autumn manoeuvres at Roborough. In March 1798 the standing militia regiments were reinforced by men from the newly-raised Supplementary Militia, the remainder forming new regiments (such as the 4th Devon Militia formed at Exeter). In October the 1st Devons left Plymouth for winter quarters at
Berry Head,
Totnes, Dartmouth and surrounding villages, and remained in these quarters throughout 1799. In November that year the Militia was partially disembodied, some of the men being stood down with the whole of the Supplementary Militia; 70 of the men turned out of the 1st Devon enlisted in the Regular Army (which was part of the motivation for the change). In February 1800 the regiment returned to Plymouth Dock barracks and was concentrated for the first time in 18 months. The duties as usual were to guard the dockyard and the French prisoners, and also riot duty. Bread riots and looting broke out in Plymouth on 31 March 1801 and the magistrates were unable to restore order with the detachments of militia available. Colonel Bastard of the 1st Devon returned on 4 April and took matters in hand, seizing firearms in the docks to prevent them falling into the hands of the rioters (who had been joined by striking dockyard hands) and calling out the
Volunteers to back up his own detachments. It was several months before disturbances in the West Country were put down: the regiment remained on standby to march at short notice, all leave was cancelled, and the men who had been disembodied were recalled to the colours. However, a peace treaty having been agreed (the
Treaty of Amiens), the Militia were disembodied in early 1802. The 1st Devon marched from Plymouth Dock on 7 April, arriving at Exeter on 12 April, to be disembodied on 20 April.
Napoleonic Wars The Peace of Amiens did not last long, and the Militia were soon called out again. The warrant to embody the Devon and Exeter Militia was sent to the Lord Lieutenant (
Earl Fortescue) on 11 March 1803, and the 1st Devon of eight companies was practically complete by 5 April, with its HQ at
Exeter Castle. On 21 May the regiment was ordered to march to Plymouth Dock, where it arrived on 26 May, the garrison including all three Devon Militia regiments. The duties once again included guarding French prisoners in Mill Prison. In June the Supplementary Militia was also embodied, and the 1st Devon Militia was increased to 10 companies (860 all ranks). The Plymouth garrison trained on Buckland Down, with particular emphasis on the Light Companies, and six chosen men from each of the other companies trained as marksmen alongside the Light Companies. In August the 1st Devons camped at
Wembury a few miles from Plymouth, where they helped to build a redoubt at the mouth of the
River Yealm. On 16 November the camp was broken up and the regiment dispersed to winter quarters: two companies to Dartmouth, four to
Kingsbridge and
Modbury, two to the Yealm redoubt (now used as a penal establishment) and the two flank companies on detached duty; the companies were regularly rotated between these stations. Combined drill with the Volunteers and
Yeomanry was instituted. On 10 June 1803 part of the detachment at Yealm battery rowed out in boats to help recover a
collier that had been attacked by a French
Privateer. The regiment was concentrated for training in the summer of 1803, then went to Mill Bay Barracks for the following winter, with the exception of detachments at Yealm battery, Berry Head, and manning warning beacons. As usual the duty included guarding prisoners, while craftsmen in the ranks were employed on government works. In 1805 there was a drive to induce militiamen to volunteer for the Regular Army (or the
Royal Marines, in the case of men from Devon and Cornwall). The number of men 'allowed' to volunteer (
ie the target) was set at 222 for the 1st Devons, but not more than 100 accepted, and the regiment was reduced to 8 companies once more. That summer when
Napoleon was massing his 'Army of England' at
Boulogne for a projected invasion, the regiment was still part of the Plymouth garrison. Its 664 men under Lt-Col Edmund Bastard were deployed with 8 companies in Plymouth Dock Barracks and a detachment at Yealm Redoubt. In October the regiment marched from Plymouth to
Portsmouth, where it was quartered in
Portsea Barracks, brigaded with the North Devon and North Hampshire Militia. In April 1806 it moved to
Lewes in Sussex, where it formed part of the
Brighton brigade, and then in July to
Eastbourne where the men assisted in the construction of
Martello towers. In November the regiment returned to Exeter for its winter quarters. In the summer of 1807 it was back at Plymouth Dock. Another recruitment drive for men to transfer to the Line regiments was accompanied by balloting to bring the Militia up to strength: the 1st Devon required 335 men in December to replace volunteers and time-expired men. Again in 1810, the Militia were increased by half their establishment, and recruits were obtained 'by beat of drum' (as in regiments of the Line) as well as by the ballot and by volunteers from the Local Militia, which had replaced the Volunteer Corps. The 1st Devon spent much of 1809 in the unpopular duty of guarding the
Prison ships in Plymouth Harbour. In May 1810 it marched to Kingston upon Thames and from there to
Hythe, Kent, where it guarded the
Royal Military Canal. In November it moved to winter quarters in
Chelmsford,
Essex, where duties were light, though they included marching parties of prisoners of war to the great camp at
Norman Cross. The summer of 1811 was spent at
Winchester, the march beginning at the end of June. In 1812 there was an outbreak of
Luddite machine-breaking and the regiment spent much of the year constantly on the move round the industrial
Midlands. Having concentrated at Winchester it moved in April to
Warwick, then to
Derby,
Burton upon Trent,
Loughborough and
Lichfield, with detached companies going to other towns. The winter was spent at Lichfield and
Tamworth, Staffordshire, before returning to Plymouth Dock in 1813. Efforts were made to extend the service of the Militia. In 1811 bounties were offered for service in
Ireland, and the 1st Devon formed a company of 69 volunteers. But in 1814 only one man and three officers volunteered for garrison duty in Europe. In December 1813 the regiment was marched from Plymouth to Bristol, where it took up duties at Stapleton Prison once more. It returned to Plymouth in May 1814, but by now the war was over, the
Treaty of Fontainebleau having been signed in April. Plymouth was busy with militia regiments returning from Ireland to be disembodied, and returning British prisoners of war. On 16 June the warrant for disembodying the Devonshire Militia was signed and the regiment returned to Exeter to complete the process by 9 August.
Ireland Napoleon's escape from
Elba and return to power in France in 1815 meant that the Militia had to be called out once more. The regiments began recruiting for volunteers 'by beat of drum' from 25 April and the warrant for embodying the Devonshire Militia was issued on 16 June, with the 1st Devon to be embodied at Exeter on 24 July. By then the decisive
Battle of Waterloo had already been fought, but the process of embodiment went on while the Regulars were away in the Army of Occupation in France. However, in the absence of a fresh ballot only a small number of men whose time was not yet expired were available: the regiment mustered 25 sergeants, 17 drummers and 130 rank and file. Together with the few recruits who had been obtained, they marched to Plymouth on 7 August, leaving a recruiting party at Exeter. On 27 October the regiment embarked aboard the
Seringapatam transport for service in Ireland. One sergeant, three drummers and 11 privates refused to serve in Ireland and were attached to the Derby Militia at Plymouth. The regiment disembarked at
Cobh on 5 November and marched to
Cork Barracks. It then moved to
Fermoy Barracks on 8 November, sending a number of detachments to outlying posts. The regiment remained at Fermoy until 16 April 1816, when it returned to Cork, re-embarked on the
Seringapatam and reached Plymouth on 20 April. It was disembodied on 1 May.
Long Peace The
Militia Act 1817 allowed the annual training of the Militia to be dispensed with. So although officers continued to be commissioned into the regiment and the ballot was regularly held, the selected men were rarely mustered for drill. The regiment assembled 450 strong for 28 days' drill in 1820, and for 21 days the following year. Training was held again in 1825 at Exeter, when rewards were offered for 31 men who had failed to appear and were listed as deserters. Training was held in 1831, but not again before 1852, and the ballot lapsed. The permanent staff of the regiment in 1819 consisted of the adjutant, paymaster and surgeon, sergeant-major and drum-major, and one sergeant and corporal for every 40 men (12 of each) and one drummer for every two companies plus the flank companies (6), but these were progressively reduced so that by 1835 there were only the adjutant, sergeant-major and six sergeants, while the other long-serving men were pensioned off. In 1834 the permanent staff had been under arms during trade union disturbances in Exeter, but an inspecting officer found nine of them unfit due to age or infirmity. Again in 1847 the permanent staff and pensioners were called out to assist special constables to put down food riots in Exeter. ==1st Devon Militia==