1866, when the existing nave, with its wide north aisle, was erected from Sir G. Gilbert Scott's plans. At the same time the supporting piers of the tower arches were largely rebuilt, and two heavy interior buttresses were attached to the western side of the tower, the western piers of which had both apparently split rather badly down the centre of their faces. A vestry also was added on the north side of the tower, with a connecting passage running along the east gable of the new north aisle.

There are two pre-Reformation bells in the steeple, on one of which is the confused legend SANCTE PALVS ORV PHO NOBIя, intended for SANCTE PAVLE ORA PRO NOBIS; the other has no inscription. These are no doubt the 'two bells in the stepell' referred to in the inventory of the commissioners of Edward VI. in 1553.69

For the communion plate of the church, which includes an Elizabethan cup of 1571, see Proc., vol. iii., p. 222.

NOTE. Thanks are due to the Dean of Durham for permission to use the block from which the illustration on page 46 (2) is reduced; to Mr. P. Brewis for photographs reproduced on pp. 40 and 50; to Mr. J. Petree for those on pp. 34, 35, 46 (3), 47 (4), and 56 and 60, and plates 3, 6, and 7. The illustrations on pp. 47 (6) and 48 (7) are from photographs by Mr. W. Renwick. All representations of inscribed or sculptured stones are reduced to a uniform scale of one eighth.

69 22 Surtees Soc. p. lvii.; see Proc. vol. iii. p. 6.

V-COQUETDALE NOTES ON THE OLD
NORTHUMBERLAND MILITIA.

By D. D. DIXON.

[Read on 28th February, 1900.]

By way of introduction leading up to the real subject-matter of the paper in my hands to-night, I shall endeavour to give a sketch of the militia in its earlier days. This will be brief, but as it is a branch of our military service respecting whose history few appear to trouble themselves, the information, however scant and fragmentary, may perhaps be of some use. But, when treating of the old militia movement in Northumberland and Coquetdale, I shall give more minute details, flavoured with a little local colouring, which, I trust, will not be altogether distasteful to the members.

Our constitutional force, the militia, is in principle, if not in name, the oldest military organization England possesses, and represents the train bands of early English history. During the ninth century king Alfred made levies for men in the various hundreds to assist in repelling the incursions of the Danes. He thus established something like a regular army consisting of two divisions - the one half tilling the lands around their homesteads; the other half being with the king in the field. After the Conquest came the long centuries of the feudal age with its military system, of which I shall not attempt to speak. Towards the end of the sixteenth century is found, at least in Northumberland, a large force raised on something like the old lines,-the obligation of all freemen, or probably of all the inhabitants, between certain ages, to arm themselves for the preservation of the peace within their respective counties, and for the protection of the kingdom from invasion. A muster of this forcea kind of militia-took place in Northumberland in 1538, when there assembled on Abberwick moor, near Alnwick, and on Robert's law, near Trewhitt, in the parish of Rothbury, all the able men with horse and harness within the four divisions of Coquetdale.

Then came the Act of 1662, when a troop of horse to the number of 105 was raised in Northumberland; 27 troopers were furnished by the peers, levied according to the respective value of their estates.

VOL. XXII,

9

These were called the 'Lords' Horse,' whilst 78, raised by other lords and gentlemen, were termed the 'Light Horse.' The troopers were paid two shillings a day. The duke of Newcastle was responsible for 2; the earl of Northumberland, 6; the earl of Carlisle, 3; Lord Grey, 10; Lord Widdrington, 2; Lord Derwentwater, 4.1 The Portland papers contain the following reference to this body of horse :

Sir Wm. Forster, Daniel Collingwood, and others, to the Duke of Newcastle and the Earl of Ogle; 1670, October 6th, Alnwick.-Sending the names of the former officers of the Northumberland Militia. Of the horse, John Fenwick of Wallington, and Colonel Forster of Etherston. Of the foot, Sir William Forster of Bambrough, John Roddam of Little Houghton, and Tristram Fenwick of Keulver. 2

In 1689 another militia bill was passed-an amendment of the Act of 1662-for the better ordering of the forces in the several counties in this kingdom. Clause 14 contains an interesting description of their arms and accoutrements :

And that at a general muster and exercise of regiments, no officer or soldier shall be constrained to stay for above six days together (from their respective habitations). And that at every such muster and exercise, every musketeer shall bring with him half-a-pound of powder, and three yards of match (if a matchlock), and every horseman (a quarter of) a pound of powder, and bullets proportionably, at the charge of such person or persons as provide the said horseman or foot-soldier ;-and the arms, offensive and defensive, with the furniture for horse, are to be as followeth: The defensive arms, a Back, Breast and Pot, to be pistol proof; the offensive arms, a sword, a case of pistols, a carbine, with belt and swivel; the barrels of the pistols not to be under twelve inches in length, the furniture for the horse to be a great saddle or pad with burrs, a bit and bridle, with a pectoral and crupper. For the foot, each musqueteer to have musquet, the barrel whereof not under three foot and two inches in length, the gauge of the bore to be twelve bullets to the pound, with a sufficient cartridgebox or bandileer, which may contain twelve bullets at least, with a sword. A pikeman's arms, a pike made of ash not under fifteen foot in length, the head and foot included, and sword; and every horseman to have a cloak, and each footman a coat of such colour as shall be appointed by the Lord Lieutenant or deputy Lieutenant, which colour so appointed shall not be altered by the same or any other Lord Lieutenant or Deputy.

3

The following proviso was made, and as it includes our own hilly county, I shall quote it ;- Provided always that it shall be lawful in

Extracts from Notices of the Services of the 27th Northumberland Light Infantry Militia, by Wm. Adamson, sen. Capt., and Honry. Major, (1877.)

2 Historical MSS. Commission, Portland Papers, vol. ii., p. 149. Historical MSS. Commis ion, House of Lords, 1689, 1690, p. 210.

the several counties of North and South Wales, and the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Cornwall, if it be. found convenient by the Lord Lieutenants and Deputies thereof, in stead of horsemen to find Dragoons.' 4 At that period there was a firelock called 'The Dragon,' which resembled a small blunderbuss, with the muzzle ornamented with a dragon's head. From this, according to the most probable conjecture, the troops called dragoneers and dragoons take their name, but Bailey tells us in his dictionary that a dragoon is a soldier who fights sometimes on horseback and sometimes on foot, so called because at first they were as destructive as dragons.'

The Redesdale volume of Hodgson's Northumberland contains an interesting note on 'Militia or Trained Bands.' In an account of the number of horse, which each large proprietor, and of footmen, which the occupiers of less properties had to raise in the county in 1697, Sir Charles Howard of Redesdale is returned for one horse, with this observation :

NOTE. Yt all Reddesdale finds but one horse, but ought to find 5, or 54 foote.' And the same authority says:- Every £3 2s. 6d. in the book of rates finds, or ought to find, a light horse.' By Stat. 13, Car. 2, c. 6, '500£ a year found a horse, horseman, and arms; and 50£ a foot soldier and arms.'5

At this time there were the following armed men in Northumberland :-Horse, 91 (and 11 wanting); foot, 296; effective, 387; Capt. Coulson, Capt. Grey, and Capt. Percy being three of the officers mentioned. 6

During the Jacobite rising of 1715, the Northumberland Militia appears to have been called out, for we read in a letter from John Johnson, esq., to Henry Liddell, esq., Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oct. 9th, 1715, that

A great many Gentlemen and Others, to the number of 300, or thereabouts (most whereof are Papists), are now in Arms, And last Night lay at Warkworth. We are informed they are for seizing the Militia at Killingworth Moor, on Tuesday next, and take from them their Horses and Arms, for my Lord Scarborough giving so long Notice as 14 Days for the Militia and Train-bands to rise, they took this opportunity of rising first.

Historical MSS. Commission, House of Lords, 1689-1690, p. 217. 'Hodgson's Hist. Northumberland, part II., vol. i., p. 161.

"Notices of the Services of the Northumberland Militia, by Major Adamson,

The militia system constructed in 1662 underwent several slight amendments in 1699, 1714, and 1743, but it was not until 1757 that the militia organization on the general lines as we know it, was brought into force. The practical application of the ballot, however, created much discontent and local disturbance, of which in Northumberland we had a tragic example at Hexham. During the next year (1762), the system was much improved, and the ballot grievance appears to have been remedied; therefore, after some other minor alterations made in 1802, the Militia Act stands much the same as it did a century ago. The militia enactment of the present day provides as follows:- The Secretary of State is to declare the number of militiamen required, whereupon the Lord Lieutenant is to cause meetings to be held of the lieutenancy of each sub-division. To these meetings the householders of each parish are to send in lists of all male persons between the ages of 18 and 30 dwelling in their respective houses. Before the ballot, however, the parish may supply volunteers to fill up a quota, every volunteer so provided and approved counting as if he were a balloted person. If a deficiency still exists, the persons on the lists shall be balloted for, and double the number of those required to supply the deficiency shall be drawn out. Any balloted man becoming liable to serve may, however, provide a substitute who has the requisite physical qualifications, and is not himself liable to serve.' The ballot statute is only temporarily suspended, and can at any time be put in force, as it was in the days of our grandfathers. The requisite physical qualification is to be the minimum height of five feet two inches. This may be considered a low standard, but as a matter of fact, out of 92,677 militiamen in 1881, more than half of them were between five feet five inches, and five feet seven inches, only 20 per cent. were under five feet five inches, and about 600 were over six feet.

I shall now speak with special reference to the militia of our own county. It was in 1759 that the Northumberland Militia proper was first embodied, the number being 560 men, under the command of the Earl of Northumberland, lord lieutenant of the county. No. 9 Company (Coquetdale) was commanded by Capt. Alexander Collingwood of Unthank, 1 lieutenant, 1 ensign, 3 sergeants, 2 drummers, 60 rank and file. The uniform then, as now, was red with buff facings.