Sir Armine Wodehouse MP for Norfolk Colonel of the 2nd, or Eastern Regiment of Norfolk Militia, at a Review of his Regiment near Norwich, 1759
NORFOLK MILITIA
The Militia Bill was passed at an early stage of the Seven Years War, and a part time reserve force was duly raised in each county.
The French appeared to be making vigorous preparations for invasion and by the summer of 1757 the situation seemed desperate. Lord Townshend’s Militia Bill, in which he was warmly supported by Pitt, then the Secretary of State, gave English Civilians an opportunity to defend their own shores.
Each Lord Lieutenant was to command the Militia of his county and recruiting was the responsibility of him and his deputy lieutenants. Each county was to provide a given quota of men according to its population. The men were chosen by ballot in each parish and had to serve for three years or they could provide substitutes or compound for a monetary payment, and there were various exemptions.
The Norfolk Militia was formed into two Battalions, The Eastern and Western, commanded by two Members of Parliament for the county, Sir
A Wodehouse and Lord Townshend, with Lord Orford as Colonel in Chief.
The men exercised once a fortnight for three years. In the book called ‘The Norfolk Assembly’ Ketton-Crèmer of Felbrigg Hall quotes Lady Townshend as saying ‘My Lord is at Dereham with his Militia playing soldiers’. He used the Park at Raynham to review his Militia, and it is believed there is a painting of this event.
Many years later in 1850 the Reverend Armstrong was made vicar of the considerable parish of Dereham in Norfolk. In his diary he mentions that the Dereham Volunteers held their first outdoor display in the Vicarage grounds in May. Families were invited and four tents which had been used in the Crimea in 1854/5 were erected for the benefit of the ladies. Two bands played at intervals and there were military movements, bugling, running, kneeling and firing.
In June 1859 a public meeting was held in the Corn Hall, Dereham, for the formation of a Dereham Rifle Volunteer Corps. The Reverend Armstrong made a short speech urging people to join. About thirty men did, the eldest an elderly fat banker of 70 years, and the youngest a seventeen year old. They were kitted out in a grey uniform. The Corps met regularly to drill and exercise.
The following June the Queen reviewed no less that 30,000 Volunteer Rifles in Hyde Park, London. This was to give a warning that an invasion would meet with strong resistance.
The Dereham contingent continued to work hard and helped to put on a Subscription Concert the following November. It was recorded that the hall was full and the Dereham Rifles’ fife and drum band was a great attraction. In September they attended a review of 2,000 volunteers at Holkham Hall, hosted by Lord Leicester, who dined the whole force and 500 private guests too.
About this time competition was starting between the Corps of Dereham and Wymondham and in April 1862 a Rifle Match was staged at Swanton, which Dereham lost. As the day was windy it was said it was chancy shooting anyway! There was a Grand Entertainment given to the volunteers at Letton Hall, where a vast crowd assembled. 150 volunteers sat down to a dinner under a tent and speeches were given. Social events were held to raise money for needy volunteers.
It was a red letter day when the Dereham Volunteers marched with the Reverend Armstrong to the railway station to form a Guard of Honour for the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Queen of Denmark who were en route to Costessey Hall.
The French appeared to be making vigorous preparations for invasion and by the summer of 1757 the situation seemed desperate. Lord Townshend’s Militia Bill, in which he was warmly supported by Pitt, then the Secretary of State, gave English Civilians an opportunity to defend their own shores.
Each Lord Lieutenant was to command the Militia of his county and recruiting was the responsibility of him and his deputy lieutenants. Each county was to provide a given quota of men according to its population. The men were chosen by ballot in each parish and had to serve for three years or they could provide substitutes or compound for a monetary payment, and there were various exemptions.
The Norfolk Militia was formed into two Battalions, The Eastern and Western, commanded by two Members of Parliament for the county, Sir
A Wodehouse and Lord Townshend, with Lord Orford as Colonel in Chief.
The men exercised once a fortnight for three years. In the book called ‘The Norfolk Assembly’ Ketton-Crèmer of Felbrigg Hall quotes Lady Townshend as saying ‘My Lord is at Dereham with his Militia playing soldiers’. He used the Park at Raynham to review his Militia, and it is believed there is a painting of this event.
Many years later in 1850 the Reverend Armstrong was made vicar of the considerable parish of Dereham in Norfolk. In his diary he mentions that the Dereham Volunteers held their first outdoor display in the Vicarage grounds in May. Families were invited and four tents which had been used in the Crimea in 1854/5 were erected for the benefit of the ladies. Two bands played at intervals and there were military movements, bugling, running, kneeling and firing.
In June 1859 a public meeting was held in the Corn Hall, Dereham, for the formation of a Dereham Rifle Volunteer Corps. The Reverend Armstrong made a short speech urging people to join. About thirty men did, the eldest an elderly fat banker of 70 years, and the youngest a seventeen year old. They were kitted out in a grey uniform. The Corps met regularly to drill and exercise.
The following June the Queen reviewed no less that 30,000 Volunteer Rifles in Hyde Park, London. This was to give a warning that an invasion would meet with strong resistance.
The Dereham contingent continued to work hard and helped to put on a Subscription Concert the following November. It was recorded that the hall was full and the Dereham Rifles’ fife and drum band was a great attraction. In September they attended a review of 2,000 volunteers at Holkham Hall, hosted by Lord Leicester, who dined the whole force and 500 private guests too.
About this time competition was starting between the Corps of Dereham and Wymondham and in April 1862 a Rifle Match was staged at Swanton, which Dereham lost. As the day was windy it was said it was chancy shooting anyway! There was a Grand Entertainment given to the volunteers at Letton Hall, where a vast crowd assembled. 150 volunteers sat down to a dinner under a tent and speeches were given. Social events were held to raise money for needy volunteers.
It was a red letter day when the Dereham Volunteers marched with the Reverend Armstrong to the railway station to form a Guard of Honour for the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Queen of Denmark who were en route to Costessey Hall.
The information in this section is taken from a document written by members of Dereham WEA and the University of Cambridge Board of Extra-Mural Studies led by Chris Barringer in 1989, and given to the Dereham Archive in 1998.
The original authors were: Joan Adams, Chris Barringer, Ben Norton, Teddy O' Donnell, Brian and Ruth Warwick-Smith, with help and additional material from Colin and Anne Chambers, Joy Lodey, Sharon Lake and Beryl Flatt.
The text was prepared for this website by Steffi Spooner.
The original authors were: Joan Adams, Chris Barringer, Ben Norton, Teddy O' Donnell, Brian and Ruth Warwick-Smith, with help and additional material from Colin and Anne Chambers, Joy Lodey, Sharon Lake and Beryl Flatt.
The text was prepared for this website by Steffi Spooner.