112-638: The Surrey Militia was an auxiliary military force in Surrey , England. From their formal organisation as trained bands in 1558 until their final service as the Special Reserve , the Militia regiments of the county served in home defence in all of Britain's major wars. They also saw active service during the Second Boer War , and trained thousands of reinforcements during World War I . After
224-595: A barracks in Guildford for the permanent staff, armoury, etc . Under the 1852 Act a new 3rd Royal Surrey Militia was raised at Kingston on 26 March 1853. 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 1st RSM was embodied for service from 28 December 1854 to 10 June 1856, and the 2nd RSM from 1 February 1855 to 12 June 1856. Large numbers of militiamen elected to transfer to
336-672: A divisional field day and was considered a success, being repeated in subsequent years. In 1871 it was combined with that year's extensive Autumn Manoeuvres, and all three Surrey regiments were involved. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war. Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Militia regiments were brigaded with their local regular and Volunteer battalions . The 1st and 3rd RSM were linked with
448-412: A few years later at least part of it was subject to Mercia, since in 673–675 further lands were given to Chertsey Abbey by Frithuwald , a local sub-king ( subregulus ) ruling under the sovereignty of Wulfhere of Mercia . A decade later Surrey passed into the hands of King Caedwalla of Wessex, who also conquered Kent and Sussex, and founded a monastery at Farnham in 686. The region remained under
560-648: A former seamen's hospital when they foiled an attempt to tunnel out and a plot to overcome the guards, who were increased. In 1780 some of the Surrey companies were stationed at Ringwood in Hampshire , where they were called upon to assist the Revenue officers against smuggling. In June that year the regiment (45 officers and 1040 other ranks) was deployed on the streets of London against the Gordon Riots , clearing
672-627: A national average of 11.8% and as such is one of the few counties not to recommend new woodlands in the subordinate planning authorities' plans.In 2020 the Surrey Heath district had the highest proportion of tree cover in England at 41%. Surrey also contains England's principal concentration of lowland heath , on sandy soils in the west of the county. Agriculture not being intensive, there are many commons and access lands, together with an extensive network of footpaths and bridleways including
784-563: A raiding force at Thanet , but suffered heavy losses including their ealdorman , Huda. In 892 Surrey was the scene of another major battle when a large Danish army, variously reported at 200, 250 and 350 ship-loads, moved west from its encampment in Kent and raided in Hampshire and Berkshire. Withdrawing with their loot, the Danes were intercepted and defeated at Farnham by an army led by Alfred
896-579: A residence for the Bishop of Winchester , while other stone castles were constructed in the same period at Bletchingley by the de Clares and at Reigate by the Warennes. During King John 's struggle with the barons , Magna Carta was issued in June 1215 at Runnymede near Egham . John's efforts to reverse this concession reignited the war, and in 1216 the barons invited Prince Louis of France to take
1008-684: A shadowy postwar existence they were formally disbanded in 1953. The English militia was descended from the Anglo-Saxon Fyrd , the military force raised from the freemen of the shires under command of their Sheriff . The universal obligation to serve continued under the Norman and Plantagenet kings and was reorganised under the Assizes of Arms of 1181 and 1252 , and again by the Statute of Winchester of 1285. The men were arrayed by
1120-582: Is a ceremonial county in South East England . It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west. The largest settlement is Woking . The county has an area of 1,663 km (642 square miles) and a population of 1,214,540. Much of the north of the county forms part of the Greater London Built-up Area , which includes
1232-479: Is a non-metropolitan county with eleven districts. The county historically included much of south-west Greater London but excluded what is now the borough of Spelthorne , which was part of Middlesex . It is one of the home counties . The defining geographical feature of the county is the North Downs , a chalk escarpment which runs from the south-west to north-east and divides the densely populated north from
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#17327829197081344-548: Is a story that many of the Guardsmen at Waterloo were still clad in Surrey Militia uniforms. The 1st RSM was finally disembodied on 30 April 1816. After Waterloo there was another long peace. Although officers continued to be commissioned into the militia and ballots were still held, the regiments were rarely assembled for training and the permanent staffs of sergeants and drummers were progressively reduced. The 2nd RSM
1456-531: Is divided in two by the chalk ridge of the North Downs , running east–west. The ridge is pierced by the rivers Wey and Mole , tributaries of the Thames, which formed the northern border of the county before modern redrawing of county boundaries, which has left part of its north bank within the county. To the north of the Downs the land is mostly flat, forming part of the basin of the Thames. The geology of this area
1568-670: Is dominated by London Clay in the east, Bagshot Sands in the west and alluvial deposits along the rivers. To the south of the Downs in the western part of the county are the sandstone Surrey Hills , while further east is the plain of the Low Weald , rising in the extreme southeast to the edge of the hills of the High Weald. The Downs and the area to the south form part of a concentric pattern of geological deposits which also extends across southern Kent and most of Sussex, predominantly composed of Wealden Clay , Lower Greensand and
1680-568: Is the Thames , which historically formed the boundary between the county and Middlesex . As a result of the 1965 boundary changes , many of the Surrey boroughs on the south bank of the river were transferred to Greater London , shortening the length associated with the county. The Thames now forms the Surrey– Berkshire border between Runnymede and Staines-upon-Thames , before flowing wholly within Surrey to Sunbury , from which point it marks
1792-647: The Nox gaga and Oht gaga peoples in the Tribal Hidage may refer to two groups living in the vicinity of Surrey. Together their lands were assessed at a total of 7,000 hides , equal to the assessment for Sussex or Essex . Surrey may have formed part of a larger Middle Saxon kingdom or confederacy, also including areas north of the Thames. The name Surrey is derived from Sūþrīge (or Suthrige ), meaning "southern region" (while Bede refers to it as Sudergeona ) and this may originate in its status as
1904-485: The 31st (Huntingdonshire) and 70th (Surrey) Regiments of Foot in Sub-District No 47 (County of Surrey) with a shared depot at Kingston. The 2nd RSM was linked with the two battalions of the 2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot in Sub-District No 48 (County of Surrey) at Guildford. A planned second militia regiment for the sub-district, to be numbered the 4th Surrey, was never raised. The militia now came under
2016-563: The Battle of Hastings , the Norman army advanced through Kent into Surrey, where they defeated an English force which attacked them at Southwark and then burned that suburb. Rather than try to attack London across the river, the Normans continued west through Surrey, crossed the Thames at Wallingford in Berkshire and descended on London from the north-west. As was the case across England,
2128-581: The Battle of Lewes in Sussex. Although the rebels were victorious, soon after the battle royal forces captured and destroyed Bletchingley Castle, whose owner Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester , was de Montfort's most powerful ally. By the 14th century, castles were of dwindling military importance, but remained a mark of social prestige, leading to the construction of castles at Starborough near Lingfield by Lord Cobham , and at Betchworth by John Fitzalan , whose father had recently inherited
2240-675: The Great Fire of London . In May 1667, under threat of a Dutch invasion, the militia of the maritime counties was ordered to assemble, and on 10 June, with the Dutch fleet in the Thames estuary , the Surrey regiment was ordered to send half its men to Southwark to defend the London area, while the remainder stayed for local defence. The militia was called out during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, and several regiments saw action during
2352-455: The Hundreds into which each county was divided. There is a reference to the men of Wallington Hundred in Surrey being mustered in the 14th year of the reign of King Henry VIII (1522–3), and the great 1539 muster saw a number of hundreds in Surrey arrayed by the king's commissioners during March and April: Surrey was ordered to furnish 400 men when invasion threatened in 1545: each hundred
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#17327829197082464-956: The Italian Front , and the 2nd East Surreys on the Macedonian front . The Reserve battalions' secondary role was as garrison troops in Home Defence: The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 and then became the Supplementary Reserve in 1924, but almost all militia battalions remained in abeyance after World War I. Until 1939 they continued to appear in the Army List , but they were not activated during World War II and were all formally disbanded in April 1953. In September 1759 it had been ordered that militia regiments on service were to take precedence from
2576-585: The North Downs Way , a scenic long-distance path . Accordingly, Surrey provides many rural and semi-rural leisure activities, with a large horse population in modern terms. The highest elevation in Surrey is Leith Hill near Dorking . It is 295 m (968 ft) above sea level and is the second highest point in southeastern England after Walbury Hill in West Berkshire which is 297 m (974 ft). The longest river to enter Surrey
2688-727: The River Eden , a tributary of the Medway , are in Tandridge District , in east Surrey. The River Colne and its anabranch , the Wraysbury River , make a brief appearance in the north of the county to join the Thames at Staines. Like the rest of the British Isles , Surrey has a maritime climate with warm summers and cool winters. The Met Office weather station at Wisley , about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to
2800-556: The Sedgemoor campaign , but Surrey's was not involved in the fighting. Musters of the Surrey Militia in 1690 and 1697 under the command of the Duke of Norfolk as Lord Lieutenant of Surrey saw the county regiment of Foot furnishing 1000–1200 men in nine companies from towns across the county, wearing red coats, and two troops of horse totalling 120–132 men, while Southwark supplied another six companies (1500 men in 1690, 910 in 1697) with
2912-468: The War Office rather than their county lords lieutenant. Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the regular army. A new Kingston Barracks was built for the brigade depot in 1874–5; the 1st RSM moved there from Richmond before the end of 1880. The Militia Barracks built in 1854 at Guildford had proved to be unhealthy and were now too small, so the 2nd RSM transferred to
3024-498: The de Clare family. In 1088, King William II granted William de Warenne the title of Earl of Surrey as a reward for Warenne's loyalty during the rebellion that followed the death of William I . When the male line of the Warennes became extinct in the 14th century, the earldom was inherited by the Fitzalan Earls of Arundel . The Fitzalan line of Earls of Surrey died out in 1415, but after other short-lived revivals in
3136-472: The suburbs within the M25 motorway as well as Woking (103,900), Guildford (77,057), and Leatherhead (32,522). The west of the county contains part of built-up area which includes Camberley , Farnham , and Frimley and which extends into Hampshire and Berkshire. The south of the county is rural, and its largest settlements are Horley (22,693) and Godalming (22,689). For local government purposes Surrey
3248-477: The 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RSM were assigned to 2nd Brigade of 2nd Division, III Corps . The brigade would have mustered at Redhill in time of war. The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, with the linked Regular regiments becoming two-battalion regiments and their linked militia formally joining as sequentially numbered battalions. On 1 July
3360-463: The 15th century the title was conferred in 1483 on the Howard family , who still hold it. However, Surrey was not a major focus of any of these families' interests. Guildford Castle , one of many fortresses originally established by the Normans to help them subdue the country, was rebuilt in stone and developed as a royal palace in the 12th century. Farnham Castle was built during the 12th century as
3472-464: The 16th century and collapsed in the 17th, harmed by falling standards and competition from more effective producers in other parts of England. The iron industry in the Weald, whose rich deposits had been exploited since prehistoric times, expanded and spread from its base in Sussex into Kent and Surrey after 1550. New furnace technology stimulated further growth in the early 17th century, but this hastened
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3584-618: The 16th-century Dissolution of the Monasteries . Now fallen into disuse, some English counties had nicknames for those raised there such as a 'tyke' from Yorkshire , or a 'yellowbelly' from Lincolnshire . In the case of Surrey, the term was a 'Surrey capon', from Surrey's role in the later Middle Ages as the county where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets. Under the early Tudor kings, magnificent royal palaces were constructed in northeastern Surrey, conveniently close to London. At Richmond an existing royal residence
3696-716: The 2nd became the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) , while the 31st and 71st became the East Surrey Regiment . At the same time the 1st and 3rd RSM became the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the East Surrey and the 2nd RSM the 3rd Bn of the Queen's. Militia battalions now had a large cadre of permanent staff (about 30). Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army. After
3808-595: The Americans' allies, France and Spain. The Surrey regiment was embodied on 26 March 1778, and that summer was at Coxheath Camp near Maidstone in Kent , which 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. In 1779 the regiment was at Gosport guarding 1500 Prisoners of War in
3920-611: The Army of Occupation after the abdication of Napoleon and returned to England in June. After Napoleon's exile to Elba both Surrey regiments were disembodied on 24 June 1814. When Napoleon returned to power in 1815, leading to the short Waterloo Campaign , the 1st RSM was called out again on 29 June 1815. At the beginning of the campaign several regular regiments including the Scots Guards were hurriedly brought up to strength with militia volunteers before embarking for Belgium. There
4032-574: The Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica of the Atrebates. The Atrebates were defeated, their capital captured and their lands made subject to Togodumnus , king of the Catuvellauni, ruling from Camulodunum ( Colchester ). Verica fled to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allied with Rome during the invasion of Britain in AD ;43. During
4144-667: The Duke as Colonel of both regiments. The county regiment had the following distribution of companies: The Militia passed into virtual abeyance during the long peace after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1712, although a few counties (not Surrey) were called out during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 . Under threat of French invasion during the Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established county militia regiments,
4256-661: The Earldom of Surrey. Though Reigate and Bletchingley remained modest settlements, the role of their castles as local centres for the two leading aristocratic interests in Surrey had enabled them to gain borough status by the early 13th century. As a result, they gained representation in Parliament when it became established towards the end of that century, alongside the more substantial urban settlements of Guildford and Southwark. Surrey's third sizeable town, Kingston, despite its size, borough status and historical association with
4368-611: The East Saxon diocese of London , indicating that it was under East Saxon rule at that time, but was later transferred to the West Saxon diocese of Winchester . Its most important religious institution throughout the Anglo-Saxon period and beyond was Chertsey Abbey , founded in 666. At this point Surrey was evidently under Kentish domination, as the abbey was founded under the patronage of King Ecgberht of Kent. However,
4480-595: The East Surreys were formed, the whole regiment, including the regular battalions, adopted a new badge based on that of the two militia battalions. It consisted of the arms of Guildford superimposed on the Garter Star, but in the small shield on the tower of Guildford's castle the Royal Arms were replaced by the arms of Kingston (three fish and a letter R). Surrey Surrey ( / ˈ s ʌr i / )
4592-637: The Great 's son Edward, the future King Edward the Elder , and fled across the Thames towards Essex. Surrey remained safe from attack for over a century thereafter, due to its location and to the growing power of the West Saxon, later English, kingdom. Kingston was the scene for the coronations of Æthelstan in 924 and of Æthelred the Unready in 978, and, according to later tradition, also of other 10th-century Kings of England. The renewed Danish attacks during
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4704-502: The Kentish rebel army. In 1082 a Cluniac abbey was founded at Bermondsey by Alwine, a wealthy English citizen of London. Waverley Abbey near Farnham, founded in 1128, was the first Cistercian monastery in England. Over the next quarter-century monks spread out from here to found new houses, creating a network of twelve monasteries descended from Waverley across southern and central England. The 12th and early 13th centuries also saw
4816-532: The Midlands in the mid-17th century, but the manufacture of paper and gunpowder proved more enduring. For a time in the mid-17th century the Surrey mills were the main producers of gunpowder in England. A glass industry also developed in the mid-16th century on the southwestern borders of Surrey, but had collapsed by 1630, as the wood-fired Surrey glassworks were surpassed by emerging coal-fired works elsewhere in England. The Wey Navigation , opened in 1653,
4928-639: The 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 the declining numbers of Volunteers, and if their ranks could not be filled voluntarily the Militia Ballot was employed. Surrey's quota was assessed at 3584, organised into three regiments: Because
5040-404: The Napoleonic War were much as before: home defence and garrisons, prisoners of war, and increasingly internal security in the industrial areas where there was unrest. Increasingly the regular army regarded the militia as a source of trained men and many militiamen took the proffered bounty and transferred, leaving the militia regiments to replace them through the ballot or 'by beat of drum'. While
5152-399: The Queen's bodyguard. With the passing of the threat of invasion, the trained bands declined during the following decades until King Charles I attempted to reform them into a national force or 'Perfect Militia' answering to the monarch rather than local officials. In 1638 the reformed Surrey Trained Bands totalled 1500 men organised into three foot regiments and one of horse. In 1640 Surrey
5264-436: The Roman era, the only important settlement within the historic area of Surrey was the London suburb of Southwark (now part of Greater London ), but there were small towns at Staines , Ewell , Dorking , Croydon and Kingston upon Thames . Remains of Roman rural temples have been excavated on Farley Heath and near Wanborough and Titsey , and possible temple sites at Chiddingfold , Betchworth and Godstone . The area
5376-461: The Supplementary Militia (especially compared to the Volunteers), so although the 1st Surrey Supplementary Militia was successfully raised on 14 January 1797 (and became the permanent 2nd Surrey Militia the following year) the 2nd Regiment (intended to be the 3rd Surrey Militia) never reached establishment and was disbanded. The 'Old Surrey Militia' now became the 1st Surrey Militia . A peace treaty having been agreed (the Treaty of Amiens ), most of
5488-421: The Supplementary Militia, a compulsory levy of men to be trained in their spare time, and to be incorporated in the Militia in emergency. Surrey's quota was fixed at 2460 men, a third of which was assigned as reinforcements to the 'Old Surrey Militia', as the original regiment became known. The remainder were to form two supplementary regiments. Surrey has been described as one of the 'black spots' in recruitment for
5600-539: The Surrey Local Militia, or had been officers in the Volunteers, particularly the Bermondsey Volunteer Infantry/1st Surrey Volunteers. The local militia ballot returns for the 4th and 5th regiments show that the other ranks were drawn from Surrey parishes that were later included in the County of London or Greater London . The 4th and 5th regiments carried out their first periods of training at their headquarters in July and June 1813 respectively. They were inspected again in February 1814. The permanent staff were reduced after
5712-416: The Surrey–Greater London border as far as Surbiton . The River Wey is the longest tributary of the Thames above London. Other tributaries of the Thames with their courses partially in Surrey include the Mole , the Addlestone branch and Chertsey branch of the River Bourne (which merge shortly before joining the Thames), and the Hogsmill River , which drains Epsom and Ewell . The upper reaches of
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#17327829197085824-446: The abdication of Napoleon in 1814, but the regiments continued in existence until May 1816 when the Local Militia Ballot was suspended and the remaining permanent staff were paid off. Legislation was passed in 1811 permitting English militia regiments to serve in Ireland for two years, and most of the 2nd RLM volunteered to serve there. It embarked on 1 August and returned in July 1813, the headquarters and right wing stationed at Dorking,
5936-408: The capital boosted the wealth and population of the surrounding area, but urban development elsewhere was sapped by the overshadowing predominance of London and by the lack of direct access to the sea. Population pressure in the 12th and 13th centuries initiated the gradual clearing of the Weald , the forest spanning the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Kent, which had hitherto been left undeveloped due to
6048-445: The chalk of the Downs. Much of Surrey is in the Metropolitan Green Belt . It contains valued reserves of mature woodland (reflected in the official logo of Surrey County Council, a pair of interlocking oak leaves). Among its many notable beauty spots are Box Hill , Leith Hill , Frensham Ponds , Newlands Corner and Puttenham & Crooksbury Commons . Surrey is the most wooded county in England, with 22.4% coverage compared to
6160-405: The conquest of England by Cnut. Cnut's death in 1035 was followed by a period of political uncertainty, as the succession was disputed between his sons. In 1036 Alfred , son of King Æthelred, returned from Normandy , where he had been taken for safety as a child at the time of Cnut's conquest of England. It is uncertain what his intentions were, but after landing with a small retinue in Sussex he
6272-463: The control of Caedwalla's successor Ine in the early 8th century. Its political history for most of the 8th century is unclear, although West Saxon control may have broken down around 722, but by 784–785 it had passed into the hands of King Offa of Mercia. Mercian rule continued until 825, when following his victory over the Mercians at the Battle of Ellandun , King Egbert of Wessex seized control of Surrey, along with Sussex, Kent and Essex. It
6384-411: The county administration was moved to Newington in 1791 and to Kingston upon Thames in 1893. The county council's headquarters were outside the county's boundaries from 1 April 1965, when Kingston and other areas were included within Greater London by the London Government Act 1963 , until the administration moved to Reigate at the start of 2021. Before Roman times the area today known as Surrey
6496-410: The date of their arrival in camp. In 1760 this was altered to a system of drawing lots where regiments did duty together. During the War of American Independence the counties were given an order of precedence determined by ballot each year, beginning in 1778. For the Surrey Militia the positions were: The order balloted for at the start of the French Revolutionary War in 1793 remained in force throughout
6608-484: The difficulty of farming on its heavy clay soil. Surrey's most significant source of prosperity in the later Middle Ages was the production of woollen cloth, which emerged during that period as England's main export industry. The county was an early centre of English textile manufacturing, benefiting from the presence of deposits of fuller's earth , the rare mineral composite important in the process of finishing cloth, around Reigate and Nutfield . The industry in Surrey
6720-430: The disasters of Black Week at the start of the Second Boer War in December 1899, most of the regular army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations. All three Surrey militia battalions were involved: After the Boer War, there were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in
6832-402: The disastrous reign of Æthelred led to the devastation of Surrey by the army of Thorkell the Tall , which ravaged all of southeastern England in 1009–1011. The climax of this wave of attacks came in 1016, which saw prolonged fighting between the forces of King Edmund Ironside and the Danish king Cnut , including an English victory over the Danes somewhere in northeastern Surrey, but ended with
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#17327829197086944-438: The establishment of Augustinian priories at Merton , Newark , Tandridge , Southwark and Reigate. A Dominican friary was established at Guildford by Henry III's widow Eleanor of Provence , in memory of her grandson who had died at Guildford in 1274. In the 15th century a Carthusian priory was founded by King Henry V at Sheen . These would all perish, along with the still important Benedictine abbey of Chertsey , in
7056-403: The extinction of the business as the mines were worked out. However, this period also saw the emergence of important new industries, centred on the valley of the Tillingbourne , south-east of Guildford, which often adapted watermills originally built for the now moribund cloth industry. The production of brass goods and wire in this area was relatively short-lived, falling victim to competitors in
7168-438: 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, and almost the whole burden of home defence and internal security was entrusted to the militia. On 4 September 1666, Charles II called out the Surrey Militia to assist in fighting
7280-440: The largest landowners in Surrey (then Sudrie ) at the end of Edward's reign were Chertsey Abbey and Harold Godwinson , Earl of Wessex and later king, followed by the estates of King Edward himself. Apart from the abbey, most of whose lands were within the shire, Surrey was not the principal focus of any major landowner's holdings, a tendency which was to persist in later periods. Given the vast and widespread landed interests and
7392-424: The left wing at Reigate. From November 1813 the militia were invited to volunteer for limited overseas service, primarily for garrison duties in Europe. Both the 1st and 2nd RSM provided detachments to the 'Provisional Battalions' in a Militia Brigade that embarked on 10–11 March 1814 and joined the Earl of Dalhousie 's division that had occupied Bordeaux just as the war was ending. The brigade did not form part of
7504-569: The maintenance of horses and armour ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 2), which placed the county militia under a Lord Lieutenant appointed by the monarch, 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 county militia in England. Although the militia obligation was universal, it was clearly impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man (in 1574 Surrey had 6000 able men, of whom 1800 were armed, and 96 Demi-lancers with half-armour), so after 1572
7616-405: The men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. Surrey was given a quota of 800 men to raise, under the command of the Lord-Lieutenant , Richard Onslow, 3rd Baron Onslow (a descendant of Sir Richard Onslow). Arms for the Surrey Militia were authorised on 23 February 1759 when 60 per cent of the quota had been raised, and the regiment
7728-401: The militia was called out, even though Revolutionary France did not declare war on Britain until 1 February 1793. The Surrey Militia was embodied on 1 December 1792. The French Revolutionary Wars saw a new phase for the English 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
7840-433: The militia were disembodied in 1802, when Surrey's quota was reduced to 1336. But the Peace of Amiens broke down in 1803 before the 1st Surreys could be disembodied and the regiment remained in service; the 2nd Surreys were embodied again on 11 March 1803. On 23 April 1804 both the Surrey militia regiments were granted the title 'Royal', becoming the 1st and 2nd Royal Surrey Militia (1st and 2nd RSM). Militia duties during
7952-408: The militia. The regiments raised before the peace of 1763 took the first 47 places: both Surrey regiments were deemed to predate 1763 (even though the 2nd had disappeared between 1763 and 1797), and the 2nd RSM was allotted 11th place, the 1st RSM only 20th. Formally, the regiments became the 20th, or 1st Royal Surrey Militia and 11th, or 2nd Royal Surrey Militia : most regiments paid little notice to
8064-464: The monarchy, did not gain parliamentary representation until 1832. Surrey had little political or economic significance in the Middle Ages. Its agricultural wealth was limited by the infertility of most of its soils, and it was not the main power-base of any important aristocratic family, nor the seat of a bishopric. The London suburb of Southwark was a major urban settlement, and the proximity of
8176-519: The more rural south; it is pierced by the rivers Wey and Mole , both tributaries of the Thames . The north of the county is a lowland, part of the Thames basin. The south-east is part of the Weald , and the south-west contains the Surrey Hills and Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons , an extensive area of heath . The county has the densest woodland cover in England, at 22.4 per cent. Surrey
8288-447: The mouth of the Thames in a fleet of about 350 ships, which would have carried over 15,000 men. Having sacked Canterbury and London and defeated King Beorhtwulf of Mercia in battle, the Danes crossed the Thames into Surrey, but were slaughtered by a West Saxon army led by King Æthelwulf in the Battle of Aclea , bringing the invasion to an end. Two years later the men of Surrey marched into Kent to help their Kentish neighbours fight
8400-587: The national and international preoccupations of the monarchy and the earldom of Wessex, the Abbot of Chertsey was therefore probably the most important figure in the local elite. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the emergence of the shire's internal division into 14 hundreds , which continued until Victorian times. These were the hundreds of Blackheath , Brixton , Copthorne , Effingham Half-Hundred , Elmbridge , Farnham , Godalming , Godley , Kingston , Reigate , Tandridge , Wallington , Woking and Wotton . After
8512-493: The native ruling class of Surrey was virtually eliminated by Norman seizure of land. Only one significant English landowner, the brother of the last English Abbot of Chertsey, remained by the time the Domesday survey was conducted in 1086. At that time the largest landholding in Surrey, as in many other parts of the country, was the expanded royal estate, while the next largest holding belonged to Richard fitz Gilbert , founder of
8624-473: The new Stoughton Barracks built in 1876 as the depot for the Queen's. Although often referred to as brigades, the sub-districts were purely administrative organisations, but in a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for
8736-496: The north of the county, extending to Guildford, is within the Greater London Built-up Area . This is an area of continuous urban sprawl linked without significant interruption of rural area to Greater London. In the west, there is a developing conurbation straddling the Hampshire/Surrey border, including the Surrey towns of Camberley and Farnham . Guildford is often regarded as the historic county town , although
8848-667: The north-east of Guildford, has recorded temperatures between 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) (August 2003) and −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) (January 1982). From 2006 until 2015, the Wisley weather station held the UK July record high of 36.5 °C (97.7 °F). Surrey has a population of approximately 1.1 million people. Its largest town is Woking with a population of 105,367, followed by Guildford with 77,057, and Walton-on-Thames with 66,566. Towns of between 30,000 and 50,000 inhabitants include Ewell , and Camberley . Much of
8960-573: The numbering, but the 1st RSM incorporated the numeral into its badge and the 2nd RSM did include it in the title of its later regimental history. The regiments' precedence and royal status were confirmed in 1855, when the new 3rd RSM became 118th in the order of precedence. The official badges of the 1st and 3rd RSM were the Coat of arms of Guildford and the star of the Order of the Garter respectively. When
9072-571: The numbers of men enrolled in the Volunteer Corps continued to decline, a new Act in 1812 increased the strength of the Local Militia. Surrey's quota was now 5344, and two new regiments were raised in 1813: Lieutenant-Colonel Mawbey had served in the 2nd Royal Surrey Militia while Lt-Col Gaitskell hed been a Volunteer officer. A number of the other officers were transferred from the Royal Surrey Militia, from other regiments of
9184-698: The order was countermanded after the Battle of Dunbar . During the Scots' counter-invasion in 1651, the Surrey Militia was moved to Dunstable and then Oxford to join the army, and part of the regiment was present at the Battle of Worcester . After the Restoration of the Monarchy , the English Militia was re-established by The King's Sole Right over the Militia Act 1661 under the control of
9296-536: The outbreak of World War I the Special Reserve was embodied on 4 August and its battalions mobilised at their regimental depots. Their role throughout the war was to prepare reinforcement drafts of reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the regular battalions serving overseas: the 1st Queen's and 1st East Surreys fought on the Western Front , the 2nd Queen's ended the war on
9408-592: The period, armies from Kent heading for London via Southwark passed through what were then the extreme north-eastern fringes of Surrey during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and Cade's Rebellion in 1450, and at various stages of the Wars of the Roses in 1460, 1469 and 1471. The upheaval of 1381 also involved widespread local unrest in Surrey, as was the case all across south-eastern England, and some recruits from Surrey joined
9520-543: The practice was to select a proportion of men for the Trained Bands , who were mustered for regular drills. From 1584 Surrey was rated as a 'maritime' county in danger from Spanish invasion, and was given extra training by professional captains. The Armada Crisis in 1588 led to the mobilisation of the trained bands and eight Surrey companies (1900 men) were present at the camp where Queen Elizabeth gave her Tilbury speech , when 500 Surrey men were specially selected as
9632-462: The rebels heading for London briefly occupied Guildford and fought a skirmish with a government detachment on Guildown outside the town, before marching on to defeat at Blackheath in Kent. The forces of Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554 passed through what was then northeastern Surrey on their way from Kent to London, briefly occupying Southwark and then crossing the Thames at Kingston after failing to storm London Bridge. Surrey's cloth industry declined in
9744-410: The regiment was split into two battalions of five companies each, the 1st or Eastern commanded by Carew and the 2nd or Western by Onslow. They then went into winter quarters in Surrey, the 1st Bn at Kingston, the 2nd at Putney, Fulham and Wandsworth . Thereafter the regiments were frequently moved about the country, one of their duties being to guard French prisoners of war . The Peace of Fontainebleau
9856-524: 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 a fresh attempt to have as many men as possible under arms for home defence in order to release regulars, the Government created
9968-548: The regular army. The newly raised 3rd RSM was not embodied at this time. The 1st RSM was called out again from 5 November 1857 to 22 January 1858 during the Indian Mutiny. Thereafter the regiments were called out for their annual training. As an experiment in 1867 this was held in May at Aldershot in conjunction with the regular division stationed there. The 1st and 2nd RSM were both attached to 1st Brigade. The camp ended with
10080-399: The six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War . However, little of Brodrick's scheme was carried out. Under the sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve , a semi-professional force similar to the previous Militia Reserve, whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime: On
10192-475: The social control exercised there by the local authorities of Surrey was less effective and restrictive than that of the City authorities. Bankside was the scene of the golden age of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre , with the work of playwrights including William Shakespeare , Christopher Marlowe , Ben Jonson and John Webster performed in its playhouses. The leading actor and impresario Edward Alleyn founded
10304-526: The southern portion of the Middle Saxon territory. If it ever existed, the Middle Saxon kingdom had disappeared by the 7th century, and Surrey became a frontier area disputed between the kingdoms of Kent , Essex, Sussex, Wessex and Mercia , until its permanent absorption by Wessex in 825. Despite this fluctuating situation it retained its identity as an enduring territorial unit. During the 7th century Surrey became Christian and initially formed part of
10416-456: The streets and bridges with the bayonet when parties of rioters refused to disperse. The regiment was disembodied on 28 February 1783 after the signing of the Peace of Paris . From 1784 to 1792 the militia were assembled for their 28 days' annual training, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were actually called out each year. In view of the worsening international situation in late 1792
10528-553: The summer of 1642 and in November they defended Kingston Bridge while the Battle of Brentford was fought nearby. New Militia Acts in 1648 and 1650 replaced Lords Lieutenant with county commissioners appointed by Parliament or the Council of State . From now on the term 'Trained Band' began to disappear in most counties. Sir Richard Onslow was ordered to march a regiment of Surrey Militia to Scotland during Cromwell's invasion , but
10640-520: The throne in 1042. This hostility peaked in 1051, when Godwin and his sons were driven into exile; returning the following year, the men of Surrey rose to support them, along with those of Sussex, Kent, Essex and elsewhere, helping them secure their reinstatement and the banishment of the king's Norman entourage. The repercussions of this antagonism helped bring about the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The Domesday Book records that
10752-449: The throne. Having landed in Kent and been welcomed in London, he advanced across Surrey to attack John, then at Winchester , occupying Reigate and Guildford castles along the way. Guildford Castle later became one of the favourite residences of King Henry III , who considerably expanded the palace there. During the baronial revolt against Henry, in 1264 the rebel army of Simon de Montfort passed southwards through Surrey on their way to
10864-653: The trained bands of the county, dispersed Digby's men at Kingston, and seized the county magazine for Parliament. He also put men into Farnham to watch the Portsmouth Road . Once the Civil War developed, neither side made much further use of the Trained Bands except as a source of recruits and weapons for their own full-time regiments. However, Surrey Trained Bands participated in the Siege of Portsmouth in
10976-577: The war. Surrey's precedence of 18th applied to both regiments. Another ballot for precedence took place at the start of the Napoleonic War : Surrey was 41st. The militia order of precedence balloted for in the Napoleonic War remained in force until 1833. In that year the King drew the lots for individual regiments and the resulting list remained in force with minor amendments until the end of
11088-590: Was a founding shareholder of the East India Company who became the company's Governor and later Lord Mayor of London . Southwark expanded rapidly in this period, and by 1600, if considered as a separate entity, it was the second-largest urban area in England, behind only London itself. Parts of it were outside the jurisdiction of the government of the City of London , and as a result the area of Bankside became London's principal entertainment district, since
11200-419: Was assessed at 4–8 archers and 16–32 billmen, the towns ( Southwark , Kingston upon Thames , Guildford and Croydon ) at 4–6 archers and 6–16 billmen each. This selected body of men was commanded by two captains, Thomas Hall of Compton and William Creswell of Farnham . Under the later Tudors the legal basis of the militia was updated by two acts of 1557 covering musters ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 3) and
11312-570: Was focused on Guildford, which gave its name to a variety of cloth, gilforte , which was exported widely across Europe and the Middle East and imitated by manufacturers elsewhere in Europe. However, as the English cloth industry expanded, Surrey was outstripped by other growing regions of production. Though Surrey was not the scene of serious fighting in the various rebellions and civil wars of
11424-468: 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 1st and 2nd RSM were reorganised, with most of the old officers and permanent staff pensioned off and replaced, and annual training was resumed. In 1854 the 2nd RSM began building
11536-480: Was formed at Richmond-upon-Thames on 18 April 1759. By now Lord Onslow had resigned the colonelcy (he remained lord lieutenant) and had been replaced by Sir Nicholas Hacket Carew, 2nd Baronet , of Beddington , with his kinsman George Onslow as lieutenant-colonel. The regiment was embodied for full-time service from 6 July 1759 and marched to Kent , where the companies were distributed. In August they were concentrated again and marched to Frindsbury . On 3 November
11648-512: Was incorporated into Wessex as a shire and continued thereafter under the rule of the West Saxon kings, who eventually became kings of all of England. In the 9th century England was afflicted, along with the rest of northwestern Europe, by the attacks of Scandinavian Vikings . Surrey's inland position shielded it from coastal raiding, so that it was not normally troubled except by the largest and most ambitious Scandinavian armies. In 851 an exceptionally large invasion force of Danes arrived at
11760-479: Was met by Godwin, Earl of Wessex , who escorted him in apparently friendly fashion to Guildford . Having taken lodgings there, Alfred's men were attacked as they slept and killed, mutilated or enslaved by Godwin's followers, while the prince himself was blinded and imprisoned, dying shortly afterwards. This must have contributed to the antipathy between Godwin and Alfred's brother Edward the Confessor , who came to
11872-403: Was one of England's first canal systems. George Abbot , the son of a Guildford clothworker, served as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1611–1633. In 1619 he founded Abbot's Hospital , an almshouse in Guildford, which is still operating. He also made unsuccessful efforts to revitalise the local cloth industry. One of his brothers, Robert , became Bishop of Salisbury , while another, Maurice ,
11984-541: Was only called out for training in 1820, 1821, 1825 and 1831. 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
12096-596: Was ordered to send 800 picked men for the Second Bishops' War . Control of the trained bands was one of the major points of dispute between Charles I and Parliament that led to the First English Civil War . As the crisis deepened, Lord Digby and Sir Thomas Lunsford began raising Royalist volunteers and gathering arms and armour at Kingston. On 17 January 1642 Sir Richard Onslow , Member of parliament and Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey, raised
12208-655: Was probably largely occupied by the Atrebates tribe, centred at Calleva Atrebatum ( Silchester ), in the modern county of Hampshire , but eastern parts of it may have been held by the Cantiaci , based largely in Kent . The Atrebates are known to have controlled the southern bank of the Thames from Roman texts describing the tribal relations between them and the powerful Catuvellauni on the north bank. In about AD 42 King Cunobelinus (in Welsh legend Cynfelin ap Tegfan ) of
12320-467: Was rebuilt on a grand scale under King Henry VII , who also founded a Franciscan friary nearby in 1499. The still more spectacular palace of Nonsuch was later built for Henry VIII near Ewell. The palace at Guildford Castle had fallen out of use long before, but a royal hunting lodge existed outside the town. All these have since been demolished. During the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 ,
12432-511: Was signed on 3 November 1762, ending the war, and the regiments were disembodied. The following year the two battalions were merged into a single regiment again; Sir Nicholas Carew had died in August 1762, so George Onslow was appointed colonel of the amalgamated regiment. The Militia was called out after the outbreak of the War of American Independence when the country was threatened with invasion by
12544-525: Was traversed by Stane Street and other Roman roads. During the 5th and 6th centuries Surrey was conquered and settled by Saxons . The names of possible tribes inhabiting the area have been conjectured on the basis of place names. These include the Godhelmingas (around Godalming ) and Woccingas (between Woking and Wokingham in Berkshire). It has also been speculated that the entries for
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