The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881.

History

Early history

The regiment was raised at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

by Colonel James Cholmondeley as James Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot in 1741 during the

War of Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...

. It was sent to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1745 and fought against the Jacobites the Battle of Falkirk Muir in January 1746 and the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

in April 1746 during the Jacobite rising. The regiment was deployed to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

in spring 1747 for service in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

and saw action at the Battle of Lauffeld in July 1747. It was ranked as the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1747 but re-ranked as the 48th Regiment of Foot in 1751. The regiment embarked for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

in January 1755 for service in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

and, having landed in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in February 1755, saw action at the disastrous Battle of the Monongahela, the Siege of Louisburg in June 1758 and the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

in September 1759. It sailed for the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in 1761 and took part in the invasion of Martinique in January 1762 and the Battle of Havana in March 1762. The regiment returned home in 1763 for service in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In 1773 the regiment returned to the West Indies. After losing many troops to fever the remnants of the regiment were captured by the French in

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

in 1778 during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

; they were interned until 1780 when they were released and allowed to travel home. The regiment was given a county designation in 1782 becoming the 48th (the Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot.

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment returned to the West Indies in 1796 for garrison duty during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

and again lost men to disease before returning home the following year. In 1800 the regiment sailed for

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

where Ensign Thomas Bell, a junior officer of the regiment, planted the regimental colours at Fort St. Angelo following the capture of the island from the French in September 1800. A second battalion was raised in 1803 and both battalions were deployed to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in spring 1809 for service under General Sir Arthur Wellesley in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. The 2nd battalion saw action at the Second Battle of Porto in May 1809 and both battalions were in action at the Battle of Talavera in July 1809 when they carried out a bayonet charge and then broke the French attack. Both battalions also fought at the Battle of Albuera in May 1811 but the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Henry Duckworth (a son of Admiral Sir John Duckworth) was killed in action and the losses of the 2nd battalion were such that its remnants were either absorbed into the 1st battalion or sent home later that year. The 1st battalion went on to fight at the Siege of Badajoz in March 1812, the

Battle of Salamanca The Battle of Salamanca (in French and Spanish known as the Battle of the Arapiles) took place on 22July 1812. An Anglo-Portuguese Army, Anglo-Portuguese army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Earl of Wellington (future ...

in July 1812 and the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...

in June 1813. The regiment then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, the

Battle of Nivelle The Battle of Nivelle (10 November 1813) took place in front of the river Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808–1814). After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops (20, ...

in November 1813, the

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered F ...

in February 1814 and the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. The regiment returned home later that year for service in Ireland.

The Victorian era

The regiment embarked for

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in the role of convict escorts and guards in August 1817. It was then deployed to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1824 and saw action suppressing a rebellion by the forces of Chikka Virarajendra, the Raja of Coorg, in 1834 during the Coorg War. It departed for service in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

in early 1855 and took part in the Siege of Sevastopol later that year. As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 48th was linked with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 29 at Gibraltar Barracks in

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment.

Battle Honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: *Peninsular War:

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

, Talavera, Albuhera,

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

, Vittoria,

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, Nivelle, Orthes,

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, Peninsula *Crimean War:

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

*Louisburg, Quebec 1759 ''(awarded to successor regiment, 1882)'' *Martinique 1762, Havannah ''(awarded to successor regiment, 1909)''

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the regiment were: *1741–1743 Gen. Hon. James Cholmondeley *1743–1745 Col. Lord Henry Beauclerk *1745–1746 Col. Francis Ligonier *1746–1749 F.M. Hon. Henry Seymour Conway *1749–1750 Maj-Gen. George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington

The 48th Regiment of Foot - (1748)

*1750–1752 Lt-Gen. William Home, 8th Earl of Home *1752–1755 Lt-Gen. Thomas Dunbar *1755–1766 Lt-Gen. Daniel Webb *1766–1773 Lt-Gen. William Browne *1773–1783 Lt-Gen. William Alexander Sorrell

The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment - (1782)

*1783–1787 Lt-Gen. Robert Skene *1787–1805 Gen. Patrick Tonyn *1805–1829 Gen. Lord Charles FitzRoy *1829–1843 Gen. Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, GCB *1843–1850 Lt-Gen. George Middlemore *1850–1864 Gen. Sir James Henry Reynett, KCB, KCH *1864–1875 Gen. Arthur Dalzell, 9th Earl of Carnwath *1875–1881 Gen. William Anson McCleverty

History

Early history

Napoleonic Wars

The Victorian era

Battle Honours

Colonels of the Regiment

The 48th Regiment of Foot - (1748)

The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment - (1782)

See also

References

Sources

Further reading