Raising of King Charles II's restoration militia.- Townsend (Horatio, 1st Baron Townsend, 1630-1687) The Right Hon:[ora]ble L[or]d Townshend's Troope of Volunteers May 8 1661, manuscript on paper, 2pp.. docketed "A List of my Lord's Volunteere Troopes", folds, 4to, 8 May 1661.
⁂ A unique list of the identities of a volunteer Restoration Militia assembled in Norfolk at the request of Charles II by Viscount Townsend, a Norfolk MP, and supporter of the King who played an important part in the restoration of the Monarchy.
After the Restoration of the Monarchy, the English Militia was re-established by the Militia Act of 1661 as a protective 'constitutional force' to ensure the stability of the Crown with responsibility for home defence and internal security.
The date of this document [8 May 1661] is notable as the very date of the commencement of the King's Sole Right over the Militia Act 1661 or the Militia Act 1661 that finally declared that the king alone, as head of the state, was in supreme command of the army and navy for the defence of the realm.
Significantly, this document is evidence that the King had both commissioned and been assembling his Restoration Militia prior to the commencement of the Act that gave him the sole power to do so.
Please Login or Register to request further information and images