Military Subjects: Organization, Strategy & Tactics


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The Forgotten Army: Fencible Regiments of Great Britain 1793 - 1816                                            

Regiments of Fencible Infantry 1793 - 1803

By Ron McGuigan  

 

England

Name

Dates in Existence

Commander

Location
Cheshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 17 November 1794 - 1801 Colonel Clement Stafford Courtenay
Devon and Cornwall Regiment of Fencible Infantry 15 November 1794 - 1801 Colonel Robert Hall Ireland
(Loyal) Durham Regiment of Fencible Infantry 26 February 1795 - 1801 Colonel Barrington Price Ireland
(Loyal) Essex Regiment of Fencible Infantry 25 October 1794 - 1801? Colonel James E. Urquhart Ireland
Royal Lancashire Volunteers [raised as Lord Grey de Wilton's Regiment of Fencible Infantry] 16 October 1794 -1801

Colonel Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Grey de  Wilton

 Ireland

The Prince  of Wales, His Regiment of Fencible Infantry [later Leicester or "The Prince  of Wales" His Regiment of Fencible Infantry]

 15 November 1794 - 1801 Colonel Thomas Parkyns Ireland
Royal Manx Corps of Fencible Men, 1st Battalion 20 February 1793 - 1802

LCCmdt John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl 

three companies
Royal Manx Fencibles, 2nd Battalion 7 April 1795 - 1802 Colonel Lord Henry Murray Ireland
Northampton Regiment of Fencible Infantry 25 October 1794 - 1801 Colonel John Manners Kerr Ireland
Northumberland Regiment of Fencible Infantry 28 February 1795 - 1801 Colonel Francis Blake Ireland
Loyal Nottingham Regiment of Fencible Infantry

25  October 1794 - 1801

 Colonel James O'Connor Ireland
Colonel Pollen's Regiment of Fencible Infantry [or Surrey Rangers] 26 November 1798 - 1802 Colonel George A. Pollen Overseas service: 1800-1802, Mediterranean?
Scilly Isle Coy of Fencible Infantry 19 April 1796 - 1801 Captain Henry Gudgeon one company
(Loyal) Somerset Regiment of Fencible Infantry 30 October 1794 - 1801 Colonel William F. Forster Ireland
Suffolk Regiment of Fencible Infantry 30 October 1794 - 1801 Colonel John Robinson Ireland
Warwick, Royal Birmingham Regiment 1 December 1798 Colonel James Rann
York Regiment of Fencible Infantry 30 October 1794 - 1801 Colonel Granville Anson Chetwynd Stapylton Ireland

Scotland

[**Highland Dress]

[*Bonnet & Highland Trews]

Name

Dates in Existence

Commander

Location
**Princess of Wales's [or Aberdeen Highland] Regiment of Fencible Infantry 25 October 1794 - 11 September 1803 Colonel James Leith Ireland
Angus Volunteers Company of Fencible Men 27 February 1794 -1799 Major Cmdt John Fraser later two companies
*Angusshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 20 October 1794 - 19 July 1802 Colonel Archibald Douglas Ireland
**1st Argyllshire Regiment of Fencible Men (raised as 5th Regiment of Fencible Men) 1 March 1793 - 1799 Colonel George Campbell, Marquis of Lorne
**2nd Argyllshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 25 October 1794 - 24 July 1802 Colonel Henry Mordaunt Clavering Ireland
**3rd Argyllshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 25 June 1798 - 3 July 1802 Colonel Archibald McNeill of Colonsay;

Volunteered for General Service  Gibraltar 1800, 1801, 1802
Breadalbane Regiment of Fencible Infantry, [raised as 4th Regiment of Fencible Men or Perthshire Regiment of Fencible Men] 1 March, 1793 - 28 July 1802 Colonel Sir John Campbell, 4th Earl of Breadalbane
**1st Battalion 1 March 1793 - 18 April 1799 Lieutenant Colonel William Morrison Ireland
**2nd Battalion

 1 March 1793 - 18 April 1799

 Lieutenant Colonel Andrew McDouall of Logan Ireland
*3rd Battalion 9 December 1794 - 28 July 1802 Lieutenant Colonel John Campbell of Achallader Ireland
(Loyal) British Highland Fencible Regiment 24 October 1794 - 1802 Colonel Sir Robert Stuart, Bart Lisbon 1800
*Caithness Legion of Fencible Men 15 November 1794 - 1802 Colonel Sir Benjamin Dunbar of Hempriggs, Bart. Ireland
**Royal Clan Alpine Regiment of Fencible Infantry 21 September 1798 - 24 July 1802 Colonel Alexander McGregor Murray of Napier Rushy Volunteered for General Service in Europe, Ireland
*Duke of York's Own (Banffshire) Regiment of Fencible Infantry 26 July 1798 - 1802 Colonel Andrew Hay of Mountblairey Ireland, Gibraltar 1800, 1801, 1802
*Dumbartonshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 14 August 1794 - 5 October 1802 Colonel Colin Campbell of Stonefield Guernsey, Ireland as Light Infantry
*The Earl of Elgin's Regiment of Fencible Infantry [also known as Elgin's Fencible Highlanders] 28 November 1794 - 15 October 1802 Colonel Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin Ireland
; Fifeshire Regiment of Fencible Infantry 20 October 1794 - 11 April 1803 Colonel James Durham of Largo Ireland 1797-1803
**Fraser Regiment of Fencible Infantry 20 October 1794 - 12 October 1802 Colonel James Fraser of Belladrum Ireland
**Glengarry Regiment of Fencible Men or 'British Highland Regiment' 14 August 1794 - 1 July 1802 Colonel Alexander MacDonell of Glengarry Jersey, Guernsey , Ireland
**Loyal Inverness Highlanders Regiment of Fencible Infantry [or Duke of York's Loyal Inverness Highland Fencibles] 21 November 1794 - 25 August 1802 Colonel John Baillie of Dunean Ireland & volunteered for General Service 1801 (in Ireland became known as the Duke of York's Royal Inverness-shire Highlanders)
**The Regiment of the Isles or MacDonald Fencibles 29 May 1798 - 16 July 1802 Colonel Sir Alexander Wentworth Macdonald, 2nd Lord Macdonald
The Loyal Macleod or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Fencible Regiment

15 June 1798 - 11  June 1802

 Colonel John Macleod of Colbeck Ireland
**Lochaber Fencible Highlanders 15 June 1798 - 26 June 1802 Colonel Donald Cameron of Lochiel Ireland
North Lowland Regiment of Fencible Infantry 15 November 1794- 6 August 1802 Colonel Thomas Balfour Ireland (may have worn trews)
*West Lowland Regiment of Fencible Men or Western Fencibles (raised as 3rd Regiment of Fencible Men) 1 March 1793 - 26 March 1799 Colonel Hugh Montgomerie May have worn highland dress
**The Northern Regiment of Fencible Men or Gordon Fencibles (raised as 6th Regiment of Fencible Men) 1 March 1793 - 1799 Colonel Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon
Orkney & Shetland Battalion of Fencible Men 20 April 1793 - 1799 Major Cmdt. Thomas Balfour three companies
**Perth (Highland) Regiment of Fencibles (known as Perthshire Highlanders) 30 October 1794 - 1802 Colonel William Robertson of Lude Ireland
*Prince of Wales's (Own) his Regiment of Fencible Infantry 15 June 1798 - 21 May 1802 Colonel Sir William Johnston, Bart. Ireland, Gibraltar 1800, 1801, 1802
**Reay Highlanders (known variously as Caithness Reay or Reay Highland Regiment, Reay Regiment of Fencible Highlanders and Mackay Highlanders) 25 October 1794 - 13 October 1802 Colonel Mackay Hugh Baillie of Rosehall Ireland
**Ross-shire Highland Regiment 20 November 1794 - 1802 Major Cmdt Colin Mackenzie of Mountgerald two companies
**Ross & Cromarty Rangers 11 January 1797 - 27 July 1802 Colonel Lewis Mackenzie of Scatwell Ireland and volunteered for General Service in Europe
*Rothesay & Caithness Regiment of Fencible Men (raised as 8th Regiment of Fencible Men) 7 March 1794 – July 1802 Colonel Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, Bart.
1st Battalion 7 March 1794 - 6 May 1799 Lieutenant Colonel Sir James Sinclair, 12th Earl of Caithness
2nd Battalion [known as Caithness Highlanders in 1799 after 1st Battalion disbanded] 19 November 1794 - July 1802 Lieutenant Colonel James Fraser

Ireland and volunteered for General Service in Europe 

Shetland Battalion 28 February 1798 - 1802 Major Cmdt. George Malcolmson Two companies
Southern Regiment of Fencible Men or South Fencibles (raised as 7th Regiment of Fencible Men) 1 March 1793 - 12 April 1799 Colonel James Hope, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun
**Strathspey Regiment of Fencible Men (also Grant or Strathspey Regiment of Fencible Men) (raised as 1st Highland Fencible Regiment) 1 March 1793 - April 1799

Colonel Sir James Grant of  Grant, Bart.
**Sutherland Regiment of Fencible Men (raised as 2nd Regiment of Fencible Men) 1 March 1793 - March 1799 Colonel William Wemyss of Wemyss Ireland
Loyal Tarbet Regiment

27   July 1798 - 10 June 1802

 Colonel Sir Edward Leslie of Tarbet House, Bart.
The (Loyal) Tay Regiment of Fencible Infantry

25 October 1794 - 28  June 1802

 Colonel Robert Anstruther of Balcaskie Ireland

Wales

Name

Dates in Existence

Commander

Location
Cambrian Rangers 5 December 1798-1802 Colonel William Edwards Lisbon 1800 & Gibraltar 1801, 1802

Ireland

Name

Dates in Existence

Commander

Location
Loyal Irish Fencible Infantry [first known as Colonel William Handcock's Regiment of Fencible Infantry] 15 December 1794 - 1802

Colonel William Handcock 

Loyal Limerick Regiment of Fencible Infantry 15 June 1798 Colonel Vere Hunt
The Ancient Irish Regiment of Fencible Infantry 5 June 1799 - 1802 Colonel Thomas Fitzgerald Minorca 1801, Egypt 1801, 1802


 

 

 

Placed on the Napoleon Series: June 2003

 

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