The Westmeath Militia, later the Westmeath Rifles, was an Irish Militia regiment raised in County Westmeath in 1793. It saw action during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, when it was involved in the Battle of the Big Cross. It later became a battalion of the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own), but was amalgamated into another battalion in 1899.
Background Although there are scattered references to town guards in 1584, no organised militia existed in Ireland before 1660. After that date, some militia forces were organised in the reign of King Charles II but it was not until 1715 that the Irish Militia came under statutory authority. During the 18th Century there were various Volunteer Associations and unofficial militia units controlled by the landowners, concerned mainly with internal security. During the War of American Independence, the threat of invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain, appeared to be serious. While most of the Regular Army was fighting overseas, the coasts of England and Wales were defended by the embodied Militia, but Ireland had no equivalent force. The Parliament of Ireland passed a Militia Act, but this failed to create an effective force. However it opened the way for the paramilitary Irish Volunteers to fill the gap. The Volunteers were outside the control of either the parliament or the Dublin Castle administration. When the invasion threat receded they diminished in numbers but remained a political force. On the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War In 1793, the Irish administration passed an effective Militia Act that created an official Irish Militia, while the paramilitary volunteers were essentially banned. The new Act was based on existing English precedents, with the men conscripted by ballot to fill county quotas (paid substitutes were permitted) and the officers having to meet certain property qualifications.Hay, pp. 146–7.McAnally, pp. 1–31; Appendix I.
Westmeath Militia
County Westmeath's quota was 350 men in six companies,McAnally, Appendix VI. and the regiment was raised at the county town of Mullingar.Frederick, pp. 246–8. George Nugent, 7th Earl of Westmeath, was appointed Colonel on 25 April 1793, with Sir Hugh O'Reilly (created 1st Baronet in 1795), as Lieutenant-Colonel with seniority from the following day.War Office, 1805 List.Burke's: 'Nugent of Ballinlough'.
French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars saw the British and Irish militia embodied for a whole generation, becoming regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in Britain or Ireland respectively), which the regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manned garrisons, guarded prisoners of war, and carried out internal security duties.Knight, pp. 78–9, 111, 255, 411. In Ireland the latter role assumed greater importance, with frequent armed clashes between militia detachments and the self-styled 'Defenders' in the 1790s.McAnally, pp.83–4. By the end of August 1794 the Westmeath Militia was garrisoning Wexford.McAnally, Appendix III.
In 1795 the new Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl of Camden, introduced summer camps to give the militia field training in larger formations. The largest was at Loughlinstown near Dublin. This opened on 1 June and the Westmeath Militia was one of the first regiments to join, under the command of its colonel. The Earl of Westmeath had studied tactics as a member of the Volunteers, and he drilled his regiment hard. He personally read the Articles of War to his men after Sunday services, stressing the penalties for 'profane cursing and swearing'. But he also took care of his men: finding the price of provisions to be high, he bought good quality sheep and the mutton was sold to the men at 3d a pound, instead of the market price of 6d a pound. As an early arrival, the regiment was the first to get huts constructed in its section of the lines by Loughlinstown Groves. The huts meant that the camp could be occupied throughout the year.McAnally, pp. 79–83.
Anxiety about a possible French invasion grew during the autumn of 1796 and preparations were made for field operations. A large French expeditionary force appeared in Bantry Bay on 21 December and troops from all over Ireland were marched towards the threatened area: the Westmeath was sent from Limerick. However, the French fleet was scattered by winter storms, several ships being wrecked, and none of the French troops succeeded in landing; there was no sign of a rising by the United Irishmen. The invasion was called off on 29 December, and the troop concentration was dispersed in early 1797.McAnally, pp. 96–102.
Early in 1797 the light companies of the militia were detached to join composite battalions drawn from several militia regiments. The Westmeath contingent was attached to 2nd Light Battalion, stationed at Bandon. The militia regiments were each issued with two light six-pounder 'battalion guns', with the gun detachments trained by the Royal Artillery. When the militiamen of 1793 reached the end of their four-year enlistment in 1797, most of the Irish regiments were able to maintain their numbers through re-enlistments (for a bounty).McAnally, pp. 102–9.Richey, pp. 18–9; Appendices IV & V. The Westmeath Militia was augmented in July 1797 and its establishment was raised to 460 all ranks. However, all the parishes in Westmeath had to ballot to raise the additional men, and this led to considerable disturbances: a mob disrupted the balloting at Five Mile House. Here the magistrate had assembled a group of his neighbours, who opened fire on the stone-throwing rioters, killing nine and wounding many more. Order was restored before the military arrived, after which the balloting was carried out and the Westmeath Militia got their additional men.McAnally, p. 78.,
Irish Rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 broke out in May, and there were scattered engagements in different parts of the country. The 2nd Light Battalion (including the Light Company of the Wicklows) was present at the Battle of Antrim on 7 June when a small garrison held off a large number of rebels, who were then dispersed by the arrival of reinforcements. The insurrection in County Antrim was over by 9 June.McAnally, pp. 121–6, Appendix VIII.
Meanwhile, the main body of the regiment was stationed at Clonakilty in West County Cork under the command of Lt-Col Sir Hugh O'Reilly. The regiment, 220 strong with its two 6-pounders, was ordered to march to Bandon, but approaching Ballynascarty on 19 June it was attacked at a crossroads by a body of 3–400 rebels, mainly armed with pikes, coming down the hillside on the left of the column. The militia hurriedly formed up and drove them off with musket fire just in time. O'Reilly had to restrain his men from pursuit, because he could see that the rebels had retired up the hill, and were being reinforced by other groups. A rebel party attempted to seize the guns, but were fired upon by a 100-strong party of the Caithness Legion who had been marching to replace the Westmeath militia at Bandon, and had advanced towards the sound of the firing. Another rebel group appeared in the rear, but were dispersed by the guns with numerous casualties. The Battle of the Big Cross, as it became known, resulted in the loss of one sergeant and one private of the Westmeaths, and a reported 130 rebels killed.O'Reilly's report, quoted in Jean Prendergst, 'Clonakilty 1798' at Fáilte Romhat. Legends have grown up about a rebel leader known as Tadhg an Asna who was said to have led the attack on the guns where he was killed. The rebels seem to have expected the militiamen to join them, but this did not happen. There was no other uprising in the province of Munster.C.O. Ruairc, 'The Battle of the Big Cross where one hundred Irish died', at Fáilte Romhat.Jean Prendergst, 'Clonakilty 1798' at Fáilte Romhat.
With the diminishing threat of invasion after 1799, the strength of the militia could be reduced. At the beginning of 1800 the surplus men were encouraged to volunteer for regiments of the line. In March 1800 the light battalions were reformed, the Westmeath Militia being warned to make sure that its light company comprised men who had served before.McAnally, pp. 149–53.Evans, p. 11.Richey, 39–40, Appendix X. A composite corps of pioneers under the Quartermaster-General was also formed by detachments from the regiments. Each detachment comprised one subaltern, one sergeant, one corporal and 20 picked men, who received extra pay for the work. The Westmeath contingent served in the '1st Division'.Richey, p. 42; Appendix XIII.
By the end of 1801 peace negotiations with the French were progressing and recruiting and re-enlistment for the Irish Militia was stopped in October. The men received the new clothing they were due on 25 December, but the Treaty of Amiens was signed in March 1802 and the regiments were disembodied over the next two months, leaving only the permanent staffs of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and drummers under the regimental adjutant.McAnally, pp. 164–72.
Napoleonic Wars However, the Peace of Amiens was short-lived and preparations to re-embody the militia begun in November 1802. Early in 1803 the regiments were ordered to begin re-enrolling former militiamen and new volunteers as well as using the ballot. The proclamation to embody the militia was issued on 15 March and carried out on 25 March.McAnally, pp. 172–8.
Anti-invasion preparations were now put in hand and the reconstituted militia regiments underwent training, although most were not considered well enough trained to go into camp during the summer of 1804. The light battalions had been reformed in September 1803 but were discontinued in 1806. Over the following years the regiments carried out garrison duties at various towns across Ireland, attended summer training camps. They also provided volunteers to transfer to the Regular Army. In 1805 the militia establishment was raised to allow for this.McAnally, pp. 179–94, 216. When the militia were augmented again in 1807, Westmeath had to hold ballots in all its parishes to obtain enough men.McAnally, Appendix IX.
An 'Interchange Act' was passed in July 1811 permitting British and Irish militia units to volunteer for service across the Irish Sea. By the end of July 34 out of 38 Irish militia regiments had volunteered for this service, including the Westmeaths. The Earl of Westmeath was with his regiment when it was stationed at Dover. The voyage back to Ireland in 1813 took 11 days, from Spithead to Queenstown.McAnally, pp. 247–9.
The war ended in 1814 with the abdication of Napoleon in April. Militia recruiting was halted and the regiments could be progressively disembodied.McAnally, p. 256. The Earl of Westmeath died on 30 December 1814 and his son, George, 8th Earl of Westmeath (created Marquess of Westmeath in 1822), was appointed Colonel of the Westmeath Militia on 7 January 1815. He had previously been in the Coldstream Guards and had served in the Egyptian campaign.Sleigh, p. 153.
Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815 and the Irish Militia were called out again on 26 June as the bulk of the regular army crossed to the Continent for the short Waterloo campaign and occupation duties in its aftermath. There were some disturbances in Ireland during this period, but these had died down by February 1816 and the militia could be gradually reduced. The last regiments had been disembodied by the end of April 1816.McAnnally, pp. 26–4.