Clare Militia Muster Lists
Clare Militia 1810-1811 - Corporals
Clare
Militia 1810-1811 - Sergeants
Clare
Militia 1810-1811 - Officers
Clare
Militia 1810-1811 - Privates
Clare
Militia 1810-1811 - Drummers and Fifers
Clare Militia 1810-1811 - All
Soldiers A-Z
History of the Clare Militia 1793-1922
A Declaration of War by France on Britain brought about a new Militia
Act for Ireland in 1793. Prior to this in December 1792, the Lord Lieutenant
of Ireland, the Earl of Westmorland, wrote to the British Prime Minister,
William Pitt, informing him that the Irish cabinet had decided to form
a regulated militia for the defence of Ireland. The Militia, an Auxiliary
to the standing army, with the primary duty of providing the first line
of defence against an invasion, was also used as a quasi-police force
against those fermenting insurrection and participating in agrarian crime.
The Militia was organised around Regiments, mainly by County. The Clare
26th Regiment was of Battalion strength and formed in May 1793. Officers
were typically local persons of property with many Non-Commissioned Officers
(NCO’s) being English. Rank and File Troops were mainly Irish Peasants
and Artisans recruited on a voluntary basis or conscripted by a drawing
of lots in local Parishes. Officers were mostly Protestant although Catholics
made up nearly three quarters of the Militia. It was possible to insure
against being drawn to serve by payment of as little as five (5) shillings.
Regiment units were assigned to counties other than their own for reason
of discipline and were rotated frequently. The strength of the Militia
was 15,000 in the first year, doubling to 31,000 by 1802 when the force
was disembodied. The Crimean War (1853-1856), Indian Munity (1857-1858)
and eventually the Boer War at the end of the century required the re-embodiment
of the Irish Militia several times.
During WWI the Militia released regular army units by taking on garrison
duty although able bodied militiamen could be transferred to the fighting
units.
The Militia in the south of Ireland were disbanded in 1922. Units in the
north were eventually disbanded in 1953.
The original Clare Militia Muster List dated 1810-1811, consists of 469
personnel: 26 Senior Officers, 25 Sergeants, 26 Corporals, 14 Drummer
and Fifer and 378 Privates
Background to the Transcription Project:
Further background information on the Clare Militia
can be found in the publication The Other Clare (2003) Vol. 27
page 29 with the title ‘The Clare Militia 1793-1909’ by Kieran
Kennedy.
Clare
Regiment Buckle: from the uniform of the Clare Regiment Militia.
Courtesy of Clare Museum
Clare
Militia Badge found on building site at College Grove, Ennis, early
1980's. Courtesy of Clare Museum
Clare
Militia Buckle
Courtesy of Clare Museum
Clare Militia 94th Regiment mustard pot Courtesy
of Eric Shaw
