129-688: The Radnorshire Militia , later the Royal Radnor Rifles , was an auxiliary regiment reorganised from earlier precursors in the Welsh county of Radnorshire in the 17th century. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in Britain and Ireland through all Britain's major wars. After a previous short-lived merger it was finally amalgamated into the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia in 1876. The universal obligation to military service in
258-546: A Roman Catholic French princess, Henrietta Maria . Parliament refused to assign him the traditional right to collect customs duties for his entire reign, deciding instead to grant it only on a provisional basis and negotiate with him. Charles, meanwhile, decided to send an expeditionary force to relieve the French Huguenots , whom French royal troops held besieged in La Rochelle . Such military support for Protestants on
387-473: A charge of treason. The members had learned that he was coming and escaped. Charles not only failed to arrest them but turned more people against him. In the summer of 1642, these national troubles helped to polarise opinion, ending indecision about which side to support or what action to take. Opposition to Charles also arose from many local grievances. For example, imposed drainage schemes in The Fens disrupted
516-555: A combined Regiment of Foot 505 strong under Col Edward Price and a Troop of 48 Horse under Capt Sir Edward Williams. Generally the militia declined in the long peace after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Jacobites were numerous among the Welsh Militia, but they did not show their hands during the Risings of 1715 and 1745 , and bloodshed was avoided. Under threat of French invasion during
645-447: A court case, attainder did not require a legal burden of proof to be met, but it did require the king's approval. Charles, however, guaranteed Strafford that he would not sign the attainder, without which the bill could not be passed. Furthermore, the Lords opposed the severity of a death sentence on Strafford. Yet increased tensions and a plot in the army to support Strafford began to sway
774-661: A courthouse until the 1990s. The county council generally held its meetings at the Pump House Hotel on Spa Road East in Llandrindod Wells. In 1909 the county council built itself offices at the "County Buildings" in the High Street at Llandrindod Wells. The county council then moved its staff to larger offices at the former Gwalia Hotel in Ithon Road in 1950. The former hotel remained the county council headquarters until
903-602: A crown above. The Shako plate of 1868 had a Maltese cross and wreath, in the centre of which was the Prince of Wales's insignia within a circle inscribed 'ROYAL RADNOR RIFLES'. During the War of American Independence the order of precedence of county militia regiments was determined by an annual ballot. However, units such as the Radnorshire Militia that did not constitute a full battalion were not included. The order balloted for at
1032-485: A large part of the east of former county. The geographic territory of what was Radnorshire roughly corresponds with the Welsh territory of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren (English: Between Wye and Severn ) which fell under the control of the Marcher Lords at the end of the 11th century. The area that would become Radnorshire included Cwmhir Abbey , a Cistercian monastery founded in 1176 at Abbeycwmhir . The Battle of Bryn Glas
1161-519: A park, and never a deer, Never a squire of five hundred a year, Save Richard Fowler of Abbey-Cwm-hir Apart from a handful of parishes along the English border the Welsh language remained the first language of the county well into the second half of the eighteenth century. By 1850 the language had retreated to the western parishes of Rhayader , Llanyre , Cwmdauddwr , St Harmon and Nantmel . By 1900 Welsh
1290-476: A practical means of compelling them. From the thirteenth century, monarchs ordered the election of representatives to sit in the House of Commons , with most voters being the owners of property, although in some potwalloper boroughs every male householder could vote. When assembled along with the House of Lords , these elected representatives formed a Parliament. So the concept of Parliaments allowed representatives of
1419-568: A regiment) was eventually formed at Presteigne and received its arms on 21 February 1763. By then the war had ended with the Treaty of Paris , so the new unit was not actually embodied for service. It did, however, carry out peacetime training in the following years, putting on a field day under the command of the Lord Lieutenant ( Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford & Mortimer ) for the King's birthday in 1771. The militia were called out in 1778 after
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#17328580859061548-550: A resurgence of Protestant power, struck first , and all Ireland soon descended into chaos. Rumours circulated that the King supported the Irish, and Puritan members of the Commons soon started murmuring that this exemplified the fate that Charles had in store for them all. On 4 January 1642, Charles, followed by 400 soldiers, entered the House of Commons and attempted to arrest five members on
1677-490: A sanitary authority. Instead of creating new bodies, existing local board districts became urban sanitary districts (USDs) and the remaining areas of poor law unions became rural sanitary districts (RSDs). The existing local board or poor law guardians became the sanitary authority for their area. By 1891 therefore, Radnorshire was divided between the following sanitary districts: The Local Government Act 1894 created urban districts (UDs) and rural districts (RDs) in place of
1806-494: A shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. A majority of the seats on the council were held by independents throughout the council's existence. No centre in Radnorshire exceeds a population of 6,000; only one (Llandrindod Wells) exceeds 5,000: The Radnorshire Society was established in 1930 to promote the study of the archaeology and history of the county. The Royal Welsh Show takes place each July at
1935-558: A single kingdom. Many English Parliamentarians were suspicious of such a move, fearing that such a new kingdom might destroy old English traditions that had bound the English monarchy. Because James had described kings as "little gods on Earth", chosen by God to rule in accordance with the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings , and Charles shared his father's position, the suspicions of the Parliamentarians had some justification. At
2064-478: A tactic learned while fighting in the Dutch army, where cavalry would charge at full speed into the opponent's infantry, firing their pistols just before impact. However, with Oliver Cromwell and the introduction of the more disciplined New Model Army , a group of disciplined pike men would stand its ground, which could have a devastating effect. The Royalist cavalry had a tendency to chase down individual targets after
2193-662: Is also the name of the Senedd constituency covering the area. On the creation of the county it was divided into six hundreds . The names of the hundreds, which were not always consistently spelt, were as follows: In the 19th century new structures of local administration were introduced. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 grouped parishes into poor law unions . While these were not themselves local authorities, their boundaries were to later be used to define local government districts. PLUs did not conform to county boundaries, but consisted of catchment areas for workhouses . Most of Radnorshire
2322-516: The 28th Foot , was appointed on 21 March 1846. The Militia of the United Kingdom was revived by the Militia Act 1852 , enacted during a renewed period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training
2451-760: The Albert Hall and exhibitions of old items. Poverty and agricultural change, decline and industrial progress elsewhere has always made Radnorshire a place of net emigration. Emigrants employed the name of the county in the United States: Others may have formed part of the Welsh community in Patagonia . The leading texts on Radnorshire history are: 52°15′N 3°15′W / 52.250°N 3.250°W / 52.250; -3.250 English Civil War Parliamentarian victory 1643 1644 1645 1646 England The English Civil War
2580-632: The Earl of Lindsey , was to die fighting for the King at the Battle of Edgehill . In early January 1642, a few days after failing to capture five members of the House of Commons, Charles feared for the safety of his family and retinue and left the London area for the north country. Further frequent negotiations by letter between the King and the Long Parliament, through to early summer, proved fruitless. On 1 June 1642
2709-677: The English Lords and Commons approved a list of proposals known as the Nineteen Propositions . In these demands, the Parliament sought a larger share of power in the governance of the kingdom. Before the end of the month the King rejected the Propositions. As the summer progressed, cities and towns declared their sympathies for one faction or the other: for example, the garrison of Portsmouth commanded by Sir George Goring declared for
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#17328580859062838-526: The First Bishops' War in 1639 detachments of trained bandsmen were selected for service from Radnorshire and Herefordshire . The following year Radnorshire was ordered to send 100 men overland to Newcastle upon Tyne for the Second Bishops' War . However, substitution was rife and many of those sent on this unpopular service would have been untrained replacements. These pressed men rioted at Presteigne and
2967-568: The Magnum Concilium (the House of Lords , but without the Commons , so not a Parliament), Charles finally bowed to pressure and summoned another English Parliament in November 1640. The new Parliament proved even more hostile to Charles than its predecessor. It immediately began to discuss grievances against him and his government, with Pym and Hampden (of ship money fame) in the lead. They took
3096-628: The Pembroke defences. In August 1876 the unit was amalgamated once more, this time with the Royal Brecon Rifles to form the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia (remaining a rifle regiment), with its headquarters at Brecon. Major Thomas of the Royal Radnor Rifles was promoted to Lt-Col to command the combined battalion. The new regiment became the 3rd (Royal South Wales Borderers Militia) Battalion, South Wales Borderers in 1881. From 1763
3225-673: The Restoration of the Monarchy , the Militia was re-established in England and Wales by the Militia Act 1661 under the control of the king's lords lieutenant, the men to be selected by ballot. This was popularly seen as the 'Constitutional Force' to counterbalance a 'Standing Army' tainted by association with the New Model Army that had supported Cromwell's military dictatorship. The militia forces in
3354-561: The Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. There was a property qualification for officers, who were commissioned by the lord lieutenant. An adjutant and drill sergeants were to be provided to each regiment from the Regular Army , and arms and accoutrements would be supplied when
3483-512: The Shire levy was long established in England and was extended to Wales. King Henry VIII called a 'Great Muster' in 1539, in which William Croft listed all the men between the ages of 16 and 60 in the lordships making up the new county of Radnorshire: The legal basis of the militia was updated by two acts of 1557 covering musters ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 3) and the maintenance of horses and armour ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 2). The county militia
3612-565: The Thirty Years' War which began in 1618 and concluded in 1648. The war was of unprecedented scale for the English. During the campaign seasons, 120,000 to 150,000 soldiers would be in the field, a higher proportion of the population than were fighting in Germany in the Thirty Years' War . The main battle tactic came to be known as pike and shot infantry. The two sides would line up opposite one another, with infantry brigades of musketeers in
3741-466: The Tonnage and Poundage Act 1640 . On 3 May, Parliament decreed The Protestation , attacking the 'wicked counsels' of Charles's government, whereby those who signed the petition undertook to defend 'the true reformed religion', Parliament, and the king's person, honour and estate. Throughout May, the House of Commons launched several bills attacking bishops and Episcopalianism in general, each time defeated in
3870-601: The Wye , the Teme , the Elan and the Ithon . The Teme formed the boundary with Shropshire. The chief towns were Knighton , Llandrindod Wells , Presteigne and Rhayader. The backbone of local incomes was tourism, hill farming and the public sector such as care, education and road/public land maintenance. Sheep, dairy/cattle and poultry farming provided more revenue than crops which like much of Scotland,
3999-407: The cantrefs of Maelienydd and Elfael and the commotes of Gwrtheyrnion and Deuddwr. The act also specified that New Radnor was the county town, and directed that the county's assizes and quarter sessions should be held alternately at New Radnor and Rhayader. A judge was murdered at Rhayader a few years later, highlighting the dangers to English judges in that part of the county. In 1543
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4128-624: The short version of the Snider–Enfield rifle , together with a sword bayonet. Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned places in an order of battle to Militia units serving alongside Regular units in an 'Active Army' and a 'Garrison Army'. The Royal Radnor Rifles' assigned war station was with the Garrison Army in
4257-455: The trained bands , who were mustered for regular training. In April 1588, ahead of the Spanish Armada crisis, Radnorshire mustered 200 'trayned men reduced into bandes under Captaines and soarted with weapons'. In 1598 the Radnorshire quota was 50 men. In the 16th century little distinction was made between the militia and the troops levied by the counties for overseas expeditions. However,
4386-431: The Île de Ré ). With the passing of the threat of invasion, the trained bands declined in the early 17th century. Later, King Charles I attempted to reform them into a national force or 'Perfect Militia' answering to the king rather than local control. The Radnorshire Trained Bands of 1638 consisted of 200 men, 112 armed with muskets and 88 ' Corslets ' (body armour, signifying pikemen ). They also mustered 25 horse. For
4515-524: The "Eleven Years' Tyranny". During this period, Charles's policies were determined by his lack of money. First and foremost, to avoid Parliament, the King needed to avoid war. Charles made peace with France and Spain, effectively ending England's involvement in the Thirty Years' War . However, that in itself was far from enough to balance the Crown's finances. Unable to raise revenue without Parliament and unwilling to convene it, Charles resorted to other means. One
4644-429: The "Great Rebellion". Some historians, notably Marxists such as Christopher Hill (1912–2003), favoured the term " English Revolution ". Each side had a geographical stronghold, such that minority elements were silenced or fled. The Royalist areas included the countryside, the shires, the cathedral city of Oxford, and the less economically developed areas of northern and western England. Parliament's strengths spanned
4773-542: The 1648 Second English Civil War resulted in the execution of Charles I in January 1649, and establishment of the Commonwealth of England . In 1650, Charles II was crowned King of Scotland, in return for agreeing to create a Presbyterian church in both England and Scotland. The subsequent Anglo-Scottish War ended with Parliamentarian victory at Worcester on 3 September 1651. Both Ireland and Scotland were incorporated into
4902-486: The Church more ceremonial, replacing the wooden communion tables with stone altars. Puritans accused Laud of reintroducing Catholicism, and when they complained he had them arrested. In 1637, John Bastwick , Henry Burton , and William Prynne had their ears cut off for writing pamphlets attacking Laud's views – a rare penalty for gentlemen , and one that aroused anger. Moreover, the Church authorities revived statutes from
5031-705: The Church. In the spring of 1639, King Charles I accompanied his forces to the Scottish border to end the rebellion known as the Bishops' War , but after an inconclusive campaign, he accepted the offered Scottish truce: the Pacification of Berwick . This truce proved temporary, and a second war followed in mid-1640. A Scots army defeated Charles's forces in the north, then captured Newcastle . Charles eventually agreed not to interfere in Scotland's religion. Charles needed to suppress
5160-679: The Commonwealth, and Britain became a unitary state until the Stuart Restoration in 1660. The term English Civil War appears most often in the singular, but historians often divide the conflict into two or three separate wars. These were not restricted to England alone, as Wales (having been annexed into the Kingdom of England ) was affected by the same political instabilities. The conflicts also involved wars with Scotland and Ireland and civil wars within them. Some historians have favoured
5289-656: The Continent potentially alleviated concerns about the King's marriage to a Catholic. However, Charles's insistence on giving command of the English force to his unpopular royal favourite George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham , undermined that support. Unfortunately for Charles and Buckingham, the relief expedition proved a fiasco (1627), and Parliament, already hostile to Buckingham for his monopoly on royal patronage , opened impeachment proceedings against him. Charles responded by dissolving Parliament. This saved Buckingham but confirmed
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5418-583: The Elder , a member of the King's Privy Council, who refused to confirm it in Parliament out of loyalty to Charles. On 10 April 1641, Pym's case collapsed, but Pym made a direct appeal to the Younger Vane to produce a copy of the notes from the King's Privy Council, discovered by the Younger Vane and secretly turned over to Pym, to the great anguish of the Elder Vane. These notes contained evidence that Strafford had told
5547-729: The English Book of Common Prayer to Scotland in the middle of 1637. This was violently resisted. A riot broke out in Edinburgh, which may have been started in St Giles' Cathedral , according to legend, by Jenny Geddes . In February 1638, the Scots formulated their objections to royal policy in the National Covenant . This document took the form of a "loyal protest", rejecting all innovations not first tested by free Parliaments and General Assemblies of
5676-462: The Irish Catholic gentry to pay new taxes in return for promised religious concessions. In 1639, Charles had recalled Wentworth to England and in 1640 made him Earl of Strafford, attempting to have him achieve similar results in Scotland. This time he proved less successful and the English forces fled the field at their second encounter with the Scots in 1640. Almost the whole of Northern England
5805-717: The Irish Militia and the regiment volunteered for this service. It was brought up to strength and by September it was stationed at Armagh . It remained in Ireland until 1813. While the Regular Militia were the mainstay of national defence during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, they were supplemented from 1808 by the Local Militia, which were part-time and only to be used within their own districts. These were raised to counter
5934-522: The King in 1638. The fines imposed on people who refused to pay ship money and standing out against its illegality aroused widespread indignation. During his "Personal Rule", Charles aroused most antagonism through his religious measures. He believed in High Anglicanism , a sacramental version of the Church of England , theologically based upon Arminianism , a creed shared with his main political adviser, Archbishop William Laud . In 1633, Charles appointed Laud Archbishop of Canterbury and started making
6063-435: The King's ministers. Finally, the Parliament passed a law forbidding the King to dissolve it without its consent, even if the three years were up. These laws equated to a tremendous increase in Parliamentary power. Ever since, this Parliament has been known as the Long Parliament . However, Parliament did attempt to avert conflict by requiring all adults to sign The Protestation , an oath of allegiance to Charles. Early in
6192-433: The King, but when Charles tried to acquire arms from Kingston upon Hull , the weaponry depository used in the previous Scottish campaigns, Sir John Hotham , the military governor appointed by Parliament in January, refused to let Charles enter the town, and when Charles returned with more men later, Hotham drove them off . Charles issued a warrant for Hotham's arrest as a traitor but was powerless to enforce it. Throughout
6321-403: The King, "Sir, you have done your duty, and your subjects have failed in theirs; and therefore you are absolved from the rules of government, and may supply yourself by extraordinary ways; you have an army in Ireland, with which you may reduce the kingdom." Pym immediately launched a Bill of Attainder stating Strafford's guilt and demanding that he be put to death. Unlike a guilty verdict in
6450-416: The Long Parliament, the house overwhelmingly accused Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford , of high treason and other crimes and misdemeanors. Henry Vane the Younger supplied evidence of Strafford's claimed improper use of the army in Ireland, alleging that he had encouraged the King to use his Ireland-raised forces to threaten England into compliance. This evidence was obtained from Vane's father, Henry Vane
6579-413: The Lords. Charles and his Parliament hoped that the execution of Strafford and the Protestation would end the drift towards war, but in fact, they encouraged it. Charles and his supporters continued to resent Parliament's demands, and Parliamentarians continued to suspect Charles of wanting to impose episcopalianism and unfettered royal rule by military force. Within months, the Irish Catholics, fearing
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#17328580859066708-502: The Parliament after only a few weeks; hence its name, "the Short Parliament ". Without Parliament's support, Charles attacked Scotland again, breaking the truce at Berwick, and suffered comprehensive defeat. The Scots went on to invade England, occupying Northumberland and Durham . Meanwhile, another of Charles's chief advisers, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Viscount Wentworth , had risen to the role of Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1632, and brought in much-needed revenue for Charles by persuading
6837-417: The Peace of Amiens was short-lived and Britain declared war on France once more in May 1803. The Radnorshire Militia had already been embodied, Lt-Col Garbett having received the warrant on 14 March. Garbett (who later changed his name to Walsham) was promoted to colonel of the regiment on 10 January 1804, and on 23 April that year, in company with 11 other Welsh Militia regiments, the Radnorshires were granted
6966-423: The Pennines and Wales received more than national average precipitation and can be subject to late frosts. From 1542 there was a Radnorshire constituency for electing members of parliament to the English (and later United Kingdom) parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1918, merging with the neighbouring Breconshire constituency to become the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency . Brecon and Radnorshire
7095-404: The Prince of Wales). The Royal Radnor Militia's buttons of 1803 bore a design of the Prince of Wales's feathers, coronet and 'Ich Dien' motto, with the letter 'R' either side of the plume and 'M' beneath. The officers' greatcoat of the Royal Radnor Rifles in 1858–81 had black (Rifle) buttons with the letters 'R-R-R' inside the strings of a light infantry bugle-horn with the strings tied into a bow,
7224-403: The Radnorshire Militia were stationed in Worcester . By 8 August that year the regiment, two companies strong, was stationed at Canterbury Barracks in Kent. The French Revolutionary Wars saw a new phase for the English and Welsh militia: they were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in the British Isles ), which
7353-447: The Radnorshire Volunteers transferred to the Local Militia, with Price and Vaughan retaining their positions. After the Battle of Waterloo ended the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 there was another long peace. The Regular Militia were disembodied and the Local Militia were disbanded in 1816. Although officers continued to be commissioned into the militia and ballots were still held until 1831, the regiments were rarely assembled for training and
7482-409: The Royal Radnor was 50th and retained this position when the list was revised in 1855. Most militia regiments paid little attention to the numeral, but the Radnors' regimental history used it in its title. Radnorshire Radnorshire ( Welsh : Sir Faesyfed ) was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales and later from 1974 to 1996 a district . It covered a sparsely populated area, and
7611-444: The Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Llanelwedd. The show lasts for four days and attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually. Radnor Young Farmers Club has 13 clubs throughout the county. It is affiliated to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs . Radnorshire Arts and Crafts Foundation, Museum of Welsh Textiles Whitton, Powys The Radnorshire Museum website , in Llandrindod Wells, collects, preserves and interprets
7740-404: The Supplementary Militia, a compulsory levy of men to be trained for 20 days a year in their spare time, and to be incorporated in the Regular Militia in emergency. Radnorshire's additional quota was fixed at 220 men. The militia were regularly moved around the country: in August 1798, for example, the Radnorshires were stationed at Dover . Major John Garbett commanded the regiment from 1797. With
7869-442: The Trained Bands had to step in to prevent them murdering their captain, whom they claimed to be a ' Papist '. The Radnor and Herefordshire Trained Bands then forced the levies to leave the county on their march to Newcastle. Control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between Charles I and Parliament that led to the English Civil War . When open war broke out between the King and Parliament, neither side made much use of
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#17328580859067998-428: The Welsh counties were small, and were grouped together under the direction of the Lord President of the Council of Wales . As Lord President, the Duke of Beaufort carried out a tour of inspection of the Welsh militia in 1684, when the Radnorshire units consisted of one Troop of horse and a regiment of three-foot companies 'who gave a good volley'. The 1697 militia returns showed that Radnorshire and Brecknockshire had
8127-412: The ability and authority to collect and remit the most meaningful forms of taxation then available at the local level. So, if the king wanted to ensure smooth revenue collection, he needed the gentry's cooperation. For all of the Crown's legal authority, its resources were limited by any modern standard to the extent that if the gentry refused to collect the king's taxes on a national scale, the Crown lacked
8256-430: The addition of the supplementaries and volunteers it reached a strength of 340 in 1798, and he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1800. However, the demand for volunteers to transfer to the Regular Army reduced all militia regiments at this time. Hostilities ended with the Treaty of Amiens on 27 March 1802, and the militia were disembodied. Radnorshire's quota was now reduced to 105 privates (140 all ranks). However,
8385-448: The arms of the Mortimers , Earls of March : Barry of six or and azure on a chief of the last two pallets azure between as may gyrons of the first . The council received a grant of armorial bearings by the College of Arms in 1954. The arms were made up of charges from local families. A gold reguardant lion on red was for Elystan Glodrhydd , Prince of Wales c. 1000; black boars' heads on white for his son Cadwgan . Around these
8514-438: The artillery park of the division, and they were later criticised as having worked as artillery and forgotten their infantry training. The Radnorshires were stationed at a militia camp under Lt-Gen Parker at Tiptree in Essex during the summer of 1780, where discipline was so poor that the local parishes complained of bad behaviour and pilfering by men from the camp. Parker had to post a large number of outposts and sentries round
8643-463: The ballot was used to keep up the numbers of the disembodied militia, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were actually mustered for annual training. Under the command of Maj John Beavan, the Radnorshires were exercised for 28 days in 1787, embodied again in 1788, then carried out annual training in each of the following years. The militia was already being called out when Revolutionary France declared war on Britain on 1 February 1793. In March
8772-408: The camp to stop men getting out at night. There was also fighting between the Radnorshires and the Cumberland Militia that threatened to spread to other units. Parker called in the commanding officers and demanded that their officers should set an example, but he complained to London that too many officers were absent to vote in that year's General Election. In February 1781 the regiment formed part of
8901-446: The centre. These carried matchlock muskets, an inaccurate weapon which nevertheless could be lethal at a range of up to 300 yards. Musketeers would assemble three rows deep, the first kneeling, second crouching, and third standing. At times, troops divided into two groups, allowing one to reload while the other fired. Among the musketeers were pike men, carrying pikes of 12 feet (4 m) to 18 feet (5.5 m) long, whose main purpose
9030-418: The centuries de facto powers of enough significance that monarchs could not simply ignore them indefinitely. For a monarch, Parliament's most indispensable power was its ability to raise tax revenues far in excess of all other sources of revenue at the Crown's disposal. By the 17th century, Parliament's tax-raising powers had come to be derived from the fact that the gentry was the only stratum of society with
9159-402: The conflicts in the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland had similarities, each had their own specific issues and objectives. The First English Civil War was fought primarily over the correct balance of power between Parliament and Charles I . It ended in June 1646 with Royalist defeat and the king in custody. However, victory exposed Parliamentarian divisions over the nature of
9288-542: The counties usually conscripted the unemployed and criminals rather than send the trained bandsmen. Radnorshire earned the government's displeasure for recruiting men from prison, but mainly because they were so 'naked and bare' that the royal treasury was forced to fit them out and sent the bill to the county for settlement. Between 1585 and 1602 Radnorshire supplied 530 men for service in Ireland and 75 for France . The men were given three days' 'conduct money' to get to Bristol ,
9417-464: The county council was abolished in 1974. The district council was based at The Gwalia , on Ithon Road in Llandrindod Wells, which had been built in 1900 as the Gwalia Hotel and had served as the offices of the old Radnorshire County Council since 1950. After the council's abolition The Gwalia became an area office for Powys County Council. Until 1954 Radnorshire County Council used a version of
9546-405: The county had secured 60 per cent of its quota of recruits. Radnorshire was given a quota of 120 men to raise. Some of the Welsh counties were slow to complete their regiments: the problem was less with the other ranks (ORs) raised by ballot than the shortage of men qualified to be officers, even after the requirements were lowered for Welsh counties. The Radnor 'corps' (it was too small to class as
9675-607: The county is forest, moorland and low mountains, with the Cambrian Mountains running through the west of the county beyond Rhayader . The Radnor Forest is a slightly isolated dome of hills in the middle of the county near the village of New Radnor , and included what was the highest ground in the former county. Here is found the former county top of Great Rhos , at a height of 660 metres (2,170 ft) above sea level. The Elan Valley contains several huge man-made reservoirs supplying water to Birmingham . The main rivers were
9804-614: The declining numbers of Volunteers, and if their ranks could not be filled voluntarily the Militia Ballot was employed. Many of the remaining Volunteer units transferred en masse to the Local Militia, and the rest were disbanded. Instructors were provided by the Regular Militia. Since 1803 the Radnorshire Volunteers had consisted of a single regiment of nine companies under Lt-Col Richard Price, including one keen and active company at Colwyn under Capt Hugh Vaughan. It appears that
9933-418: The end of the war. Until 1855 the Royal Radnor Rifles' stores and armoury were at 'Church House' or 'Garrison House', just north of St Andrew's Church . In that year a building was purchased for the stores and magazine, but inspecting officers found it damp and unsuitable. The county JPs were told they should repair the building and provide a proper pigsty (it appears that the sergeant in charge kept his pig in
10062-708: The first personal union of the Scottish and English kingdoms . As King of Scots, James had become accustomed to Scotland's weak parliamentary tradition since assuming control of the Scottish government in 1583, so that upon assuming power south of the border, the new King of England was affronted by the constraints the English Parliament attempted to place on him in exchange for money. Consequently, James's personal extravagance, which resulted in him being perennially short of money, meant that he had to resort to extra-parliamentary sources of income. Moreover, increasing inflation during this period meant that even though Parliament
10191-617: The garrison of Landguard Fort , in Suffolk , and in May that year was at Greenwich (then in Kent ). By then the time-expired men of 1778 had been replaced by newly balloted men, and the two balloted companies had been supplemented by a 60-strong independent volunteer company. A peace treaty having been signed, the militia were stood down, the Radnorshires being disembodied on 23 March 1783. From 1784 to 1792
10320-459: The impression that Charles wanted to avoid Parliamentary scrutiny of his ministers. Having dissolved Parliament and unable to raise money without it, the king assembled a new one in 1628. (The elected members included Oliver Cromwell , John Hampden , and Edward Coke .) The new Parliament drew up a Petition of Right , which Charles accepted as a concession to obtain his subsidy. The Petition made reference to Magna Carta , but did not grant him
10449-659: The industrial centres, ports, and economically advanced regions of southern and eastern England, including the remaining cathedral cities (except York, Chester, Worcester). Lacey Baldwin Smith says, "the words populous, rich, and rebellious seemed to go hand in hand". Many officers and veteran soldiers had fought in European wars, notably the Eighty Years' War between the Spanish and the Dutch, which began in 1568, as well as earlier phases of
10578-436: The initial charge, leaving their forces scattered and tired, whereas Cromwell's cavalry was slower but better disciplined. Trained to operate as a single unit, it went on to win many decisive victories. The English Civil War broke out in 1642, less than 40 years after the death of Queen Elizabeth I . Elizabeth had been succeeded by her first cousin twice-removed , King James VI of Scotland , as James I of England, creating
10707-448: The issue. On 21 April, the Commons passed the Bill (204 in favour, 59 opposed, and 250 abstained), and the Lords acquiesced. Charles, still incensed over the Commons' handling of Buckingham, refused his assent. Strafford himself, hoping to head off the war he saw looming, wrote to the king and asked him to reconsider. Charles, fearing for the safety of his family, signed on 10 May. Strafford
10836-602: The king failed to issue a proper summons, the members could assemble on their own. This act also forbade ship money without Parliament's consent, fines in distraint of knighthood, and forced loans. Monopolies were cut back sharply, the courts of the Star Chamber and High Commission abolished by the Habeas Corpus Act 1640 , and the Triennial Act respectively. All remaining forms of taxation were legalised and regulated by
10965-418: The law was changed, directing that the assizes should no longer be held at Rhayader, but should instead alternate between New Radnor and Presteigne. The practice of holding sessions alternately at New Radnor and Presteigne later gave way to all sessions being held at Presteigne. The county's poverty was remarked upon thus in the 17th century by an anonymous visitor: Poor Radnorsheer, poor Radnorsheer, Never
11094-476: The livelihood of thousands after the King awarded a number of drainage contracts. Many saw the King as indifferent to public welfare, and this played a role in bringing much of eastern England into the Parliamentarian camp. This sentiment brought with it such people as the Earl of Manchester and Oliver Cromwell , each a notable wartime adversary of the King. Conversely, one of the leading drainage contractors,
11223-469: The local government functions of the old court of quarter sessions , the new Radnorshire County Council decided to meet at Llandrindod Wells rather than Presteigne. The county council was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . The area became the lower-tier Radnor district within the new county of Powys . The district was renamed Radnorshire in 1989. Radnorshire District Council
11352-575: The magazine), but they were reluctant to pay out of local taxation. In 1861 the War Office ordered the amalgamation of the small Welsh militia quotas to form larger regiments. The Royal Radnor Rifles were officially merged with the Royal Cardigan Rifles at Aberystwyth and the Royal Brecon Rifles at Brecon to form the Royal Cardigan, Brecon & Radnor Rifles . This merger was unpopular:
11481-419: The new county of Powys . The district was renamed Radnorshire in 1989. Radnorshire District Council was abolished in 1996 when Powys became a unitary authority . Powys County Council then had a Radnorshire "shire committee" until 2018. The largest town in Radnorshire was Llandrindod Wells, with other towns being Knighton , Presteigne, and Rhayader . The Radnor Forest is an area of high ground covering
11610-425: The opportunity presented by the King's troubles to force various reforming measures – including many with strong "anti- Papist " themes – upon him. The members passed a law stating that a new Parliament would convene at least once every three years – without the King's summons if need be. Other laws passed making it illegal for the king to impose taxes without Parliamentary consent and later gave Parliament control over
11739-495: The original county town. From 1543 onwards the assizes were held alternately at New Radnor and Presteigne , later settling at Presteigne alone. Presteigne then served as the county's administrative centre until 1889 when Radnorshire County Council was established and chose to base itself in Llandrindod Wells instead. The administrative county was abolished in 1974, with the area becoming the lower-tier Radnor district within
11868-496: The outbreak of the War of American Independence , when the country was threatened with invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain. The Radnorshire Militia were 'embodied' for permanent duty for the first time on 31 March 1778. Later that year an inspecting officer found the Radnorshires to be notably lacking in training, but this was because the corps consisted largely of recruits. In
11997-482: The permanent staffs of sergeants and drummers were progressively reduced. Edward, 5th Earl of Oxford & Mortimer was appointed Major-Commandant of the Royal Radnor Light Infantry on 23 June 1819; his eldest son, Edward, Lord Harley, took over command on 1 July 1822. In 1840 J. Barnes was major-commandant of the regiment, and John Abraham Whitaker of Newcastle Court, Old Radnor , formerly a captain in
12126-489: The policy of coastal counties and inland ports such as London paying ship money in times of need, but it had not been applied to inland counties before. Authorities had ignored it for centuries, and many saw it as yet another extra-Parliamentary, illegal tax, which prompted some prominent men to refuse to pay it. Charles issued a writ against John Hampden for his failure to pay, and although five judges including Sir George Croke supported Hampden, seven judges found in favour of
12255-555: The political settlement. The vast majority went to war in 1642 to assert Parliament's right to participate in government, not abolish the monarchy, which meant Charles' refusal to make concessions led to a stalemate. Concern over the political influence of radicals within the New Model Army like Oliver Cromwell led to an alliance between moderate Parliamentarians and Royalists, supported by the Covenanter Scots . Royalist defeat in
12384-465: The port of embarkation for Ireland. Conduct money was recovered from the government, but replacing the weapons issued to the levies from the militia armouries was a heavy cost on the counties. As late as 1623, when Ireland was officially at peace, 150 men were levied in Radnorshire and Brecknockshire for service there and sent from Bristol to Waterford , and another 50 from Radnorshire were sent to Plymouth in 1627 (probably for Buckingham 's expedition to
12513-471: The property-owning class to meet, primarily, at least from the point of view of the monarch, to sanction whatever taxes the monarch wished to collect. In the process, the representatives could debate and enact statutes , or acts . However, Parliament lacked the power to force its will upon the monarch; its only leverage was the threat of withholding the financial means required to implement his plans. Many concerns were raised over Charles's marriage in 1625 to
12642-438: The rebellion in Scotland but had insufficient funds to do so. He needed to seek money from a newly elected English Parliament in 1640. Its majority faction, led by John Pym , used this appeal for money as a chance to discuss grievances against the Crown and oppose the idea of an English invasion of Scotland. Charles took exception to this lèse-majesté (offense against the ruler) and, after negotiations went nowhere, dissolved
12771-511: The regiment's uniform was red with the blue facings usually associated with 'Royal' regiments. This changed to Rifle green with blue facings when it became a Rifle corps in 1853, the facings changing to scarlet the following year. From an early date the regiment wore the Prince of Wales's feathers as a badge, its continued use being authorised by Horse Guards in 1808 as a provincial badge ( ie denoting Wales, rather than any specific connection to
12900-506: The regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, while their traditional local defence duties were taken over by the Volunteers and mounted Yeomanry . In an attempt to have as many men as possible under arms for home defence to release regulars, in 1796 the Government created
13029-456: The rich cultural heritage of Radnorshire. This is reflected in its diverse collections of Geology, Palaeontology, Archaeology, Natural History, Social History and Fine Art. The Radnorshire Wildlife Trust manages 17 nature reserves across the county. The Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival is held annually at the end of August. It offers open-air and street theatre and music, a fairground, craft fair, historical re-enactment, entertainments at
13158-450: The right of tonnage and poundage , which Charles had been collecting without Parliamentary authorisation since 1625. Several more active members of the opposition were imprisoned, which caused outrage; one, John Eliot , subsequently died in prison and came to be seen as a martyr for the rights of Parliament. Charles avoided calling a Parliament for the next decade, a period known as the " personal rule of Charles I ", or by its critics as
13287-441: The sanitary districts. Directly elected urban and rural district councils became the governing bodies. The new districts were identical to the sanitary districts, with the exception that where a RSD was divided by a county boundary it was split into separate rural district in each county. Radnorshire was divided into eight UDs and RDs, which were unchanged until their abolition in 1974: From the medieval period until 1974, Radnorshire
13416-527: The spring of 1779, organised as two companies under the command of Major John Jones, the regiment was marched to Kent to join Coxheath Camp near Maidstone . This was the army's largest training camp, where the militia were exercised as part of a division alongside regular troops while providing a reserve in case of French invasion of South East England. The understrength militia units from small counties (Anglesey, Carnarvon and Rutland) were attached to guard
13545-532: The start of the French Revolutionary War in 1793 remained in force throughout the war: Radnorshire was again omitted. Another ballot for precedence took place in 1803 at the start of the Napoleonic War and this time the county was allotted 23rd place. This list remained in force until 1833. In 1833 the King drew the lots for individual regiments, those raised between 1763 and 1783 receiving places 48–69;
13674-559: The term The British Civil Wars . From the Restoration to the 19th century, the common phrase for the civil wars was "the rebellion" or "the great rebellion". The wars spanning all four countries are known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . In the early 19th century, Sir Walter Scott referred to it as "The Great Civil War". The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica called the series of conflicts
13803-532: The term 'Trained Band' began to disappear in most counties. Under the Commonwealth and Protectorate the militia received pay when called out, and operated alongside the New Model Army to control the country. By 1651 the militias of the South Welsh counties appear to have been combined, with the 'South Wales Militia' being ordered to rendezvous at Gloucester to hold the city during the Worcester campaign . After
13932-566: The three contingents never trained together, and the COs of the Royal Brecon and Royal Cardigan continued as joint lieutenant-colonels commandant. The mergers were abandoned in 1867 and the Royal Radnor Rifles regained its independence. Captain William J. Thomas, formerly of the 2nd Dragoon Guards , was appointed major-commandant on 16 March 1871. By the early 1870s the Royal Radnor Rifles were equipped with
14061-417: The time of Elizabeth I about church attendance and fined Puritans for not attending Anglican services. The end of Charles's independent governance came when he attempted to apply the same religious policies in Scotland. The Church of Scotland , reluctantly episcopal in structure, had independent traditions. Charles wanted one uniform Church throughout Britain and introduced a new, High Anglican version of
14190-419: The time, the Parliament of England did not have a large permanent role in the English system of government. Instead, it functioned as a temporary advisory committee and was summoned only if and when the monarch saw fit. Once summoned, a Parliament's continued existence was at the King's pleasure since it was subject to dissolution by him at any time. Yet in spite of this limited role, Parliament had acquired over
14319-546: The title 'Royal'. During the summer of 1805, when Napoleon was massing his 'Army of England' at Boulogne for a projected invasion, the regiment (131 men in 3 companies under Col Walsham Garbett) was deployed with the artillery reserve at Canterbury Barracks and on the coast of Kent. In common with a number of other Welsh militia regiments, the Royal Radnor was converted into a light infantry regiment on 27 March 1810. In 1811 an Act of Parliament permitted interchange with
14448-455: The trained bands beyond securing the county armouries for their own full-time troops. Most of Wales was under Royalist control for much of the war, and was a recruiting ground for the King's armies. Once Parliament had established full control in 1648 it passed new Militia Acts that replaced lords lieutenant with county commissioners appointed by Parliament or the Council of State . At the same time
14577-603: Was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms , the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War . The Anglo-Scottish War of 1650 to 1652 is sometimes referred to as the Third English Civil War. While
14706-501: Was abolished in 1996 when Powys became a unitary authority . Powys County Council then had a Radnorshire "shire committee" comprising the Powys councillors elected from the wards covering the former Radnorshire district from 1996 until the county council abolished its shire committees in 2018. In the east and south were some comparatively level tracts, including the Vale of Radnor, but much of
14835-462: Was appointed major-commandant on 27 March 1854. War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the Crimea , the militia began to be called out for home defence. The Royal Radnor Rifles began their annual training on 11 May that year, and offered their services to the government. However, the regiment was not actually embodied until February 1855. It remained at Presteigne until
14964-571: Was beheaded two days later. In the meantime, both Parliament and the King agreed to an independent investigation into the king's involvement in Strafford's plot. The Long Parliament then passed the Triennial Act 1640 , also known as the Dissolution Act, in May 1641, to which royal assent was readily granted. The Triennial Act required Parliament to be summoned at least once in three years. When
15093-501: Was bounded to the north by Montgomeryshire and Shropshire , to the east by Herefordshire , to the south by Brecknockshire and to the west by Cardiganshire . The county was formed in 1536 from several Marcher lordships under the Laws in Wales Acts , as part of the formal annexation of Wales into the Kingdom of England by Henry VIII . The county was named after New Radnor , which was
15222-466: Was built in Presteigne in 1542 and rebuilt in 1829, which served as the main administrative building for the county. When the county council was established, during preliminary meetings before the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, it was decided by 12 votes to 11 that the county council would not meet at Presteigne but in Llandrindod Wells . The Shire Hall in Presteigne continued to serve as
15351-569: Was divided into civil parishes for the purpose of local government; these in large part equated to ecclesiastical parishes (see the table below), most of which still exist as part of the Church in Wales. Chapelries are listed in italics . Prior to the creation of Radnorshire County Council in 1889, the county was administered by its court of quarter sessions , which initially alternated between New Radnor and Rhayader, then between New Radnor and Presteigne, before settling at Presteigne alone. A Shire Hall
15480-523: Was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances: The Radnorshires were revived as the Royal Radnorshire Rifle Corps in 1853, still with the headquarters at Presteigne. Lawrence Henry Peel, formerly of the 52nd Foot ,
15609-562: Was fought on 22 June 1402 at Pilleth during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr . Until the Laws in Wales Act 1535 , Radnor was outside the Principality of Wales . This peculiar Marcher status and its want of Welsh speakers gave weight to the traditional local expression, "Neither Wales nor England, just Radnorsheer" The 1535 act created Radnorshire from a number of former territories, including
15738-425: Was granting the King the same nominal value of subsidy, the income was actually worth less. This extravagance was tempered by James's peaceful disposition, so that by the succession of his son Charles I in 1625 the two kingdoms had both experienced relative peace, internally and in their relations with each other. Charles followed his father's dream in hoping to unite the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland into
15867-652: Was included in the three unions of Knighton, Presteigne and Rhayader. Parishes on the edges of the county were included in unions based in other counties: Builth and Hay on Wye in Brecknockshire and Kington in Herefordshire. There were no town councils in the county until 1850, when a local board was formed at Knighton. Similar bodies were later formed at Llandrindod Wells (originally named Trefonen) and Presteigne in 1891. The Public Health Act 1875 divided England and Wales into sanitary districts , each governed by
15996-405: Was now under the lord lieutenant , assisted by the deputy lieutenants and justices of the peace . The entry into force of these Acts in 1558 is seen as the starting date for the organised Militia of England and Wales . Although the militia obligation was universal, it was clearly impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man, so after 1572 the practice was to select a proportion of men for
16125-567: Was occupied and Charles forced to pay £850 per day to keep the Scots from advancing. Had he not done so they would have pillaged and burnt the cities and towns of Northern England. All this put Charles in a desperate financial state. As King of Scots, he had to find money to pay the Scottish army in England; as King of England, he had to find money to pay and equip an English army to defend England. His means of raising English revenue without an English Parliament fell critically short of achieving this. Against this backdrop, and according to advice from
16254-530: Was placed a gold and blue compony bordure based on the Mortimer arms. The motto adopted by the county council was Ewch yn Uwch ("Go Higher"). In 1974 the arms were transferred to Radnor District Council. In 1996 the arms were transferred a second time to Powys County Council, for use by the Radnorshire Shire Committee. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as
16383-435: Was still spoken by a sizeable minority west of the town of Rhayader , the language disappearing as the century progressed. Of course there were Welsh speakers living in Radnorshire who had come from other parts of Wales, and today their number has been swollen by children being educated through the medium of Welsh in school. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 , taking over
16512-423: Was to protect the musketeers from cavalry charges. Positioned on each side of the infantry were cavalry, with a right wing led by the lieutenant-general and left by the commissary general . Its main aim was to rout the opponents' cavalry, then turn and overpower their infantry. The Royalist cavaliers' skill and speed on horseback led to many early victories. Prince Rupert , commanding the king's cavalry, used
16641-537: Was to revive conventions, often outdated. For example, a failure to attend and receive knighthood at Charles's coronation became a finable offence with the fine paid to the Crown. The King also tried to raise revenue through ship money , demanding in 1634–1636 that the inland English counties pay a tax for the Royal Navy to counter the threat of privateers and pirates in the English Channel. Established law supported
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