The internet, or more specifically online archives, is like a box of chocolates as you never know what you will find. The Calendar of Treasury Books is like one of those boxes: lots and lots of letters, memos, notes, snippets on all kinds financial. Sometimes the information is quite detailed (someone requesting reimbursement for something he paid for at this and that period in time), sometimes you will find complete lists of half-pay officers.
Volume 7 of this CTB, covering the years 1681-85, gives us details on the Establishment of Ireland, Civil and Military, starting on Christmas 1682. It is found under Entry Book: March 1683. For example for the Civil List: the Earl of Burlington, who was Lord Treasurer, received 336£ a year, whereas the keeper of the records in Birmingham Tower had to do with 10£ a year. All together, this Civil List required a little over 23,335£ a year.
The military forces kept in Ireland requested, however, six times that amount: 167,113£ per year. The Master of the Ordance earned a comfortable 453£ 9s, the colonel of the Royal Regiment of Guards was good for 201£ 12s. A private soldier in one of the 74 foot companies had to do with a modest 6d a day, or 8£ 8s per year.
The whole military establishment for Ireland comprised one troop of horse guards of 100 men, twenty-four troops of horse, each of 45 men. There was company of foot guards, armed and clad as the Yeomen of the Guard in England, a regiment of foot guards, with 12 strong companies, of over 1,100 men in total. The Scotch Regiment, the future Royal Scots, was also in Ireland with twenty-one companies, each 50 men strong. The backbone, probably, was formed by 74 companies of foot, each consisting of 60 privates.
The amounts in this overview are given as being per month, and a -- financial -- month seems to have numbered 28 days.
Interesting on this document is the inclusion of the Tangier Garrison, which was paid for from the Irish Treasury, apparently! We find two regiments of foot, each consisting of sixteen companies of 50 privates each, and four troops of horse, each of 25 privates. These regiments are of course the Tangier and 2nd Tangier Regiments, better known in our era as the Queen's Royal Regiment and King's Own Royal Regiment. I may have overlooked this in literature, but this piece of information tells somehow that these regiments were on the Irish Establishment whilst in Tangier. As an aside, though the Scotch Regiment is listed under the troops in Ireland, sixteen companies were actually serving in Tangier between 1680 and 1684.
The Governor of Tangier received a nice income of 1,500£ per year! A colonel of foot had to do with 219£ a year, and a humble private with 4£ 11s 3d, i.e. 3d a day. A little algebra tells that the yearly income of a private was about what the governor received in just one day. Though his stay in Tangier was a kind of all-inclusive -- victualling was taken care of and trips for a meet-n-greet with the locals were also scheduled -- a memorandum informs us that clothing, and other necessaries, were to be paid from that 3d. Despite this meagre income for the private soldiers, the Tangier Garrison still cost about 42,338£ per year.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
The Scottish brigade in the service of the Dutch Republic, 1689 to 1782
A rather wild search on the WWW returned a rather nice article from the hand of professor John Childs on the Scots (Scottish) brigade in service of the Dutch Republic during the 18th Century. The article is of additional interest as it gives sufficient introductory and contextual details on the genesis of the brigade.
The article can be found under the following link:
http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_doc003198401_01/_doc003198401_01_0004.php
The article can be found under the following link:
http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_doc003198401_01/_doc003198401_01_0004.php
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Keeping track of accounts
Working with a non-decimal system can be problematic and confusing. This might be the case when one tries to study financial topics during the early 18th century. In those days, a English pound was divided into 20 shillings, and each shilling numbered 12 pence.
Two tools were created to ease working with this non-decimal system. One is designed to convert a daily payment into its yearly equivalent. In documents on, for example, half-pay officers, the sums paid to these officers is given in daily or yearly sums. The second tool is a simple calculator, to enable addition and subtraction.
The tools can be found at http://drenthpublishing.nl/research.html.
Two tools were created to ease working with this non-decimal system. One is designed to convert a daily payment into its yearly equivalent. In documents on, for example, half-pay officers, the sums paid to these officers is given in daily or yearly sums. The second tool is a simple calculator, to enable addition and subtraction.
The tools can be found at http://drenthpublishing.nl/research.html.
Monday, 3 September 2012
The pity of war
The Calendar of Treasury Books are a real goldmine for all kinds of detail on regiments, their movements, payments due to regiments, etc etc. One will also find many details related to individuals. Sometimes in the form of a petition, when officers from a regiment reduced long ago demanded payment of arrears. In this post the example of a pension granted to a captain who had to leave active service because of illness. This captain had to wait, and suffer, for more than four years for his pension, because of some mistake in the bureaucratic machinery.
Royal warrant dated St. James's [to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland] to insert on the list of French pensioners on the Establishment of Ireland the name of Moses Caries with 3s. a day pension as from Sept. 29 last, he having been Capt. of a Company in the late Foot Regiment of Col. Charles Dubourgay, and being by sickness and other infirmities contracted in the service rendered unable to repair to his post in Spain, whereupon the late Queen granted him a pension of 3s. a day on the Establishment of Ireland in lieu of his Company, but the said Queen's warrant for that purpose to the Marquess of Wharton, then Lieutenant General of Ireland, being by mistake countersigned by Robert Walpole, then Secretary at War, whereby said Caries could never obtain any benefit of the said pension, whereby he has been there 4½ years in a starving condition, being now bedridden and almost blind. Out Letters (Ireland) IX, p. 622.This makes one wonder about the fate to ordinary soldiers, who had fallen ill during service. (Excerpt taken from Warrant Books, February 1715, Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 29.)
new book: Marlborough: Soldier and Diplomat
The author was recently notified on a new publication on the Duke of Marlborough: Marlborough: Soldier and Diplomat. Other than previous publications, in which Marlborough is typically seen by, through and for British perspective, this publication places Marlborough in a much wider, European, context. A dozen specialists have written on the Duke, each from a different perspective.
The book is edited by John B. Hattendorf, Augustus J. Veenendaal, and Rolof van Hövell tot Westerflier. Contributing authors include David Onnekink from the Netherlands, John Hattendorf, Jamel Ostwald, and John Stapleton from the United States, and Alan Guy and Tony Claydon from the United Kingdom.
The book is published by Karwansaray Publishers, and more information on the book is found here. Judging from the topics covered, the book looks like a 'must-read' and one will eventually find its way to the author's library.
The book is edited by John B. Hattendorf, Augustus J. Veenendaal, and Rolof van Hövell tot Westerflier. Contributing authors include David Onnekink from the Netherlands, John Hattendorf, Jamel Ostwald, and John Stapleton from the United States, and Alan Guy and Tony Claydon from the United Kingdom.
The book is published by Karwansaray Publishers, and more information on the book is found here. Judging from the topics covered, the book looks like a 'must-read' and one will eventually find its way to the author's library.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Danish Troops in the Williamite Army in Ireland, 1689-91 ~~ by Klejd Hald Galster
There is not much literature on the Nine Years War, there seems to be even less on the Williamite War in Ireland between 1689 and 1691. A couple of years ago John Childs wrote The Williamite Wars in Ireland. This was a welcome scholarly piece of work on this episode during the Nine Years War, and may be considered a standard work. Furthermore, there are monographs on particular battles. such are Mike McNally's books on the battles of the Boyne and Aughrim.
Recently another book was published, namely Danish troops in the Williamite army in Ireland, 1689-91 by Kjeld Hald Galster. Apart for providing a narrative of the war in Ireland during 1689-91, this book gives also a first hand account of subsidy troops and fills in an important gap in the literature. In 17th and 18th century warfare subsidy troops (hilfstruppen) played an important role, even made up a substantial part of the Williamite, and later Marlburian, armies in Flanders. However, there is no single monograph on any of these subsidy troops, as far as I am aware, and this on the Danish contingent is very welcome.
The author, Kjeld Hald Galster, did a very good job here to clarify the genesis and role of these Danish troops as part of the Williamite forces in Ireland. Gold played, obviously, an important role for Christian V of Denmark when he hired out 7,000 of his troops to William III of England. However, Galster makes clear other, politically motivated, factors played an equally important role. Hiring out troops was also an opportunity for the army to gain experience.
Galster provides the reader with a theoretical framework for warfare, considerations that needed to be taken by commanders, etc. In particular coalition warfare, and the role of the Danish contingent, is given much attention. Regarding the latter, the author frequently reference to modern day wars where so-called coalitions of the willing are important for an international community to achieve certain goals (cf. peace-keeping operations or operations in Iraq and Afghanistan).
On a more detailed level, this book narrates on the operations in Ireland between, roughly speaking, the arrival of the Danish troops in early 1690 until the signing of the Treaty of Limerick in late 1691. Here, Galster makes ample use of documents from the Danish State Archives (Rigsarkivet), hitherto unpublished material. This all should appeal to anyone interested in the conduct of operations during the Williamite Wars. Problems related to reinforcements and payments seem an almost continuous theme.
For a work of such a scope, or actually such a detailed and well-defined topics, it is almost unavoidable that some loose ends and minor issues remain.
First there is the role Denmark would have played as part of the coalition against France that may have needed some more explanation. Though Denmark supplied of course some 7,000 men, Denmark was, as far as I know, not a member of the League of Augsburg or Grand Alliance against France.
Secondly, as the story of the Danish troops is set against that of the Glorious Revolution, the latter is detailed a bit as well. However, here there seems a preference for the 'invitation/conspiracy' theory, neglecting other theories stating that William of Orange's invasion of England was more a pre-emptive strike.
Looking at the welcome tables and illustrations, a few remarks may be made. On page 60 a chart is given on the organization of the Williamite forces.
Here the presence of a Brandenburg regiment is bit odd. Of course, this refers to the Regiment Brandenburg, a regiment of the Dutch standing army. It was not, for example, a (subsidy) regiment from the Brandenburg army. Hence, it should be be listed as part of the 'regiments of Dutch infantry'. The Brandenburg regiment is listed separately in the appendix as well. Looking at the other regiments of cavalry, Schomberg's regiment was a Huguenot regiment but is not listed as such (the Huguenot foot is).
The appendix with Danish regiments is particular nice. I was pleased to find the names of various French officers, Huguenots refugees. As a lineage aficionado I regret there is not more regimental detail on the nine Danish regiments of foot that each supplied one battalion. But something needs to be wished for of course!
But that is all minor compared to the rest of this work. The addition of a book on the Williamite War in Ireland is always welcome. Though the book's main character, the Danish contingent, may be a bit esoteric, it provides a very nice perspective on the operations and conduct of warfare in Ireland between 1690 and 1691. The discussion of topics such as coalition warfare, and the role of the Danes, as an abstraction makes this book stand out as being more than a, for example, regimental history.
This book is therefor highly recommended to anyone with an interest in this period. The book can easily be obtained via the published: the Four Courts Press.
Recently another book was published, namely Danish troops in the Williamite army in Ireland, 1689-91 by Kjeld Hald Galster. Apart for providing a narrative of the war in Ireland during 1689-91, this book gives also a first hand account of subsidy troops and fills in an important gap in the literature. In 17th and 18th century warfare subsidy troops (hilfstruppen) played an important role, even made up a substantial part of the Williamite, and later Marlburian, armies in Flanders. However, there is no single monograph on any of these subsidy troops, as far as I am aware, and this on the Danish contingent is very welcome.
The author, Kjeld Hald Galster, did a very good job here to clarify the genesis and role of these Danish troops as part of the Williamite forces in Ireland. Gold played, obviously, an important role for Christian V of Denmark when he hired out 7,000 of his troops to William III of England. However, Galster makes clear other, politically motivated, factors played an equally important role. Hiring out troops was also an opportunity for the army to gain experience.
Galster provides the reader with a theoretical framework for warfare, considerations that needed to be taken by commanders, etc. In particular coalition warfare, and the role of the Danish contingent, is given much attention. Regarding the latter, the author frequently reference to modern day wars where so-called coalitions of the willing are important for an international community to achieve certain goals (cf. peace-keeping operations or operations in Iraq and Afghanistan).
On a more detailed level, this book narrates on the operations in Ireland between, roughly speaking, the arrival of the Danish troops in early 1690 until the signing of the Treaty of Limerick in late 1691. Here, Galster makes ample use of documents from the Danish State Archives (Rigsarkivet), hitherto unpublished material. This all should appeal to anyone interested in the conduct of operations during the Williamite Wars. Problems related to reinforcements and payments seem an almost continuous theme.
For a work of such a scope, or actually such a detailed and well-defined topics, it is almost unavoidable that some loose ends and minor issues remain.
First there is the role Denmark would have played as part of the coalition against France that may have needed some more explanation. Though Denmark supplied of course some 7,000 men, Denmark was, as far as I know, not a member of the League of Augsburg or Grand Alliance against France.
Secondly, as the story of the Danish troops is set against that of the Glorious Revolution, the latter is detailed a bit as well. However, here there seems a preference for the 'invitation/conspiracy' theory, neglecting other theories stating that William of Orange's invasion of England was more a pre-emptive strike.
Looking at the welcome tables and illustrations, a few remarks may be made. On page 60 a chart is given on the organization of the Williamite forces.
Here the presence of a Brandenburg regiment is bit odd. Of course, this refers to the Regiment Brandenburg, a regiment of the Dutch standing army. It was not, for example, a (subsidy) regiment from the Brandenburg army. Hence, it should be be listed as part of the 'regiments of Dutch infantry'. The Brandenburg regiment is listed separately in the appendix as well. Looking at the other regiments of cavalry, Schomberg's regiment was a Huguenot regiment but is not listed as such (the Huguenot foot is).
The appendix with Danish regiments is particular nice. I was pleased to find the names of various French officers, Huguenots refugees. As a lineage aficionado I regret there is not more regimental detail on the nine Danish regiments of foot that each supplied one battalion. But something needs to be wished for of course!
But that is all minor compared to the rest of this work. The addition of a book on the Williamite War in Ireland is always welcome. Though the book's main character, the Danish contingent, may be a bit esoteric, it provides a very nice perspective on the operations and conduct of warfare in Ireland between 1690 and 1691. The discussion of topics such as coalition warfare, and the role of the Danes, as an abstraction makes this book stand out as being more than a, for example, regimental history.
This book is therefor highly recommended to anyone with an interest in this period. The book can easily be obtained via the published: the Four Courts Press.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Comics on the Peace of Utrecht
Some time ago a Dutch website devoted to the Peace of Utrecht was discussed on this blog. Apparently, a series of comics on this peace treaty, and the preceding war, is made by various artists. Several sample pages can be found at the following url:
http://www.vredevanutrecht2013.nl/Home/Over/Vrede-van-Utrecht-Stript.aspx
It is nice to see such attention to this important event in European history.
The text is in Dutch only, but I think that the drawings are clear enough.The text, and coverage of historical events, seem to suffer a bit from oversimplification (only judging from these few sample pages). Somehow Germany existed already in 1700 and, there is the suggestion that the war was between France and German, with England and the Dutch Republic helping Germany.
But fair enough, it is not an Osprey publication :-)
http://www.vredevanutrecht2013.nl/Home/Over/Vrede-van-Utrecht-Stript.aspx
It is nice to see such attention to this important event in European history.
The text is in Dutch only, but I think that the drawings are clear enough.The text, and coverage of historical events, seem to suffer a bit from oversimplification (only judging from these few sample pages). Somehow Germany existed already in 1700 and, there is the suggestion that the war was between France and German, with England and the Dutch Republic helping Germany.
But fair enough, it is not an Osprey publication :-)
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