Somerset Trained Bands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Somerset Trained Bands |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1558–1662 |
| Country |  England |
| Branch |  Trained Bands |
| Role | Infantry and Cavalry |
| Size | 5–6 Regiments of Foot, 1 Regiment of Horse |
| Engagements | Rising of the North Battle of Newburn Battle of Marshall's Elm Siege of Sherborne Castle Battle of Braddock Down Second Battle of Modbury Siege of Lyme Regis Battle of Lostwithiel Sieges of Taunton Battle of Langport Siege of Bristol (1645) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lt-Col Thomas Lunsford Sir Edward Rodney Sir John Stawell Col William Strode |
The Somerset Trained Bands were like a part-time army in the county of Somerset, located in South West England. They existed from 1558 until 1662. After that, they became known as the Somerset Militia. These bands were called into action sometimes to defend England. For example, they were part of the army gathered at Tilbury during the Armada Campaign in 1588. They also fought in the Battle of Newburn during the Second Bishops' War. Many of their groups also served in the English Civil War for both sides.
Contents
What Were the Trained Bands?
The idea of a local army in England came from a very old system called the Fyrd. This was an Anglo-Saxon military group made up of free men from different areas, led by their Sheriff. This system continued even after the Norman kings took over. It was updated several times by different laws, like the Assizes of Arms in 1181 and 1252, and later by King Edward I in 1285.
The official rules for the militia were updated in 1557. These new laws covered how to gather soldiers and how to keep horses and armor ready. A Lord Lieutenant was in charge, helped by Deputy Lieutenants and local judges called Justices of the Peace (JPs). These laws started in 1558, which is when the formal county militia began in England.
In 1558, Somerset had an organized group of 1000 men. They were divided into 10 companies, each with a captain. In 1569, the Somerset group joined a force against the Rising of the North. It was clear that training every able-bodied man was too hard. So, after 1572, they started picking a smaller group of men for the Trained Bands. These chosen men would train regularly. The 1558 group in Somerset was an early example of this system.
Defending Against Spain
When the Armada Crisis happened in 1588, the trained bands were called up. Somerset had 12,000 able-bodied men. From these, 4000 were armed and trained soldiers. They also had 50 lancers (soldiers with spears), 250 light horsemen, and 60 'petronels' (early cavalry firearms). Plus, there were 1000 untrained 'pioneers' (workers).
The trained foot soldiers were put into five groups, called regiments. Each regiment had 400 'shot' (musketeers), 280 'Corslets' (pikemen with body armor), and 120 billmen (soldiers with a type of polearm). These regiments were led by:
- George Sydenham
- Sir Henry Berkeley
- Sir John Stowell
- Sir John Clyfton
- Arthur Hopton
Somerset sent 600 men to join Queen Elizabeth I's bodyguard. In July, the whole group marched to join the royal army at Tilbury. There, the Queen gave her famous Tilbury speech on August 9.
In the 1500s, there wasn't much difference between the local militia and soldiers sent on trips overseas. However, in 1590, officials in Somerset were told by lawyers that they couldn't force men to join armies for overseas trips, unless there was a rebellion or invasion. Still, between 1585 and 1602, Somerset sent many men to fight in Ireland, France, and the Netherlands.
Counties often sent unemployed people or criminals instead of trained soldiers. These men were given coats and money to travel to the ports. The government usually paid back the 'coat and conduct money'. But replacing the weapons given to these soldiers was expensive for the counties.
The Bishops' Wars
After the threat of invasion passed, the trained bands became less active in the early 1600s. Later, King Charles I tried to make them a national army. He wanted them to answer to him, not to local leaders. In 1638, the Somerset Trained Bands had 4000 men. They had 2403 muskets and 1597 corslets (armor). They also had 82 Cuirassiers (heavy cavalry) and 218 Harquebusiers (light cavalry with firearms).
Battle of Newburn
Somerset was told to send 2000 men to Newcastle upon Tyne for the Second Bishops' War in 1640. However, many of these men were untrained replacements or conscripts. They were sent because people didn't want to serve in this unpopular war. Like other groups, the Somerset men were unruly. They complained about their pay, food, and living conditions.
As his group passed through Warwickshire, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Lunsford and his officers even admitted they had killed some of their own men in self-defense. Another group, led by Sir John Beaumont, caused trouble in Derbyshire. They attacked the property of unpopular landowners and were called 'West Country clownes'.
At the Battle of Newburn, about 800 Somerset musketeers, led by Lunsford, were defending two quickly built forts on the south side of the River Tyne. About 300 Scottish cavalry tried to cross the river, but the musketeers' strong fire drove them back. Then, the Scots began a heavy attack with their powerful cannons.
Lunsford tried to keep his men in their defenses, but they eventually ran away. Many threw down their weapons, and their gunpowder storage exploded. The Scottish cannons and cavalry pushed back an English cavalry counter-attack. The Scots then crossed the river. By early evening, the whole Royal army was retreating to Newcastle. Soon after, the King had to agree to a peace deal with the Scots.
The English Civil Wars
One of the main disagreements between King Charles I and Parliament was who controlled the militia. This disagreement led to the English Civil War. When the war started, neither side used the trained bands much for full-time fighting. Instead, they mostly took weapons from the county armories for their own regular soldiers. Some trained bands were used to guard places, but few fought in major battles.
The Somerset Trained Bands split, with some supporting the King (Royalists) and others supporting Parliament. In July 1642, Sir Ralph Hopton, a Member of Parliament for Wells, tried to call out the trained bands in Wells for the King. But when he went to Shepton Mallet on August 1, William Strode, an MP for Ilchester, stopped him. Strode said he had authority over the trained bands for Parliament.
A street fight broke out, and Hopton and his Royalist supporters were chased out of town and soon out of the whole county. The Somerset Trained Bands were divided:
Royalist Trained Bands
- Lord Paulet's Somerset Trained Band: Led by John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett. He had 800 men in June 1642. But he was a strong Royalist, and many of his men followed Lt-Col John Pyne into the Parliamentarian army.
- Sir Edward Rodney's Somerset Trained Band: Led by Sir Edward Rodney, who was also an MP for Wells. This group fought in a small battle at Wells in August 1642. After Parliament took over Somerset, Rodney was likely replaced. But he seemed to be back in charge after Royalist wins in 1643. This group fought at the Battle of Lostwithiel (1644) and the Siege of Taunton (1644). In March 1645, they guarded Wells. They were probably part of the Bristol defense when it was attacked and captured in 1645.
- Sir John Stawell's Somerset Trained Band: Led by Sir John Stawell, an MP for Somerset. This group might have been at the capture of Taunton in June 1643 and the Siege of Lyme Regis (1644). Later, they were trapped in Taunton in July 1644 and fought at the Battle of Langport in July 1645. They were also part of the Bristol defense in 1645.
- Sir Edward Berkeley's Somerset Trained Band: Led by Sir Edward Berkeley, who was captured in October 1642.
- Somerset Trained Band Horse: Lt-Col Edward Dyer of this group was captured by Parliament. He later led his own Royalist cavalry group, which might have been based on this trained band.
Parliamentarian Trained Bands
- Colonel William Strode's Somerset Trained Band: Strode took command after chasing Hopton out of Shepton Mallet. This group helped in the successful Parliamentarian Siege of Sherborne Castle in September. It later became a full-time Parliamentarian army group. It's not clear if their fighting at the Battle of Braddock Down (January 1643) and the Second Battle of Modbury (February 1643) was as trained bands or regular soldiers. Strode's soldiers later fought in the long Siege of Plymouth.
- Bath Trained Band: Led by Sir Alexander Popham, an MP for Bath. After helping in the Siege of Sherborne in September 1642, their weapons were used in 1643 to arm Popham's Regiment for Parliament.
- Colonel John Pyne's Somerset Trained Band: This group was formerly Lord Paulett's. In August 1642, this group (about 500 strong) was defeated at the Battle of Marshall's Elm by a Royalist force. However, they helped in the Siege of Sherborne in September and were still active at the Second Battle of Modbury in February 1643.
After Parliament won the First Civil War, they took more control of the country. They changed the militia system to balance the power of the main army. New laws in 1648 and 1650 replaced the king's lords-lieutenant with county officials chosen by Parliament. When The Protectorate began, Oliver Cromwell took control of the militia. It became a paid force to support his rule. From this time on, the name 'Trained Band' slowly changed to 'Militia'. On February 15, 1650, new leaders were chosen for the reorganized Somerset Militia. This included Sir Alexander Popham as a Colonel of Horse.
The Somerset Militia
After the King returned to power in England in 1660 (the Restoration), the English Militia was set up again by a law in 1661. The king's lords-lieutenant were in charge, and men were chosen by a lottery system. People saw this as a 'Constitutional Force' that could balance the power of a 'Standing Army'. The standing army was linked to Cromwell's military rule. So, almost all home defense and keeping peace inside the country was given to the militia. The militia was reformed in 1662. By 1679, the Somerset Militia had five groups of foot soldiers and one group of horse soldiers again. In 1685, they were heavily involved in the Monmouth Rebellion.
Uniforms and Badges
The mounted 'petronels' of the Elizabethan Somerset Trained Bands wore coats of the same color. The foot soldiers of that time usually wore blue cassocks (long coats) and red caps. During the Civil Wars, many different uniform colors were used. By 1650, red coats started to become the standard color for soldiers.
Images for kids
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An 18th Century picture of Sir Thomas Lunsford.
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A 19th Century picture showing Scottish cavalry crossing the Tyne at Newburn.
