The Method of Turning the MILITIA of SCOTLAND, INTO A Standing ARMY, As it is Ordered by His Majesty's Privy Council there. FOrasmuch, as the King's Majesty, taking to Consideration, that by Act of Parliament in the Year 1663. the Estates of Parliament did then hearty offer unto His Majesty, the number of Twenty thousand Footmen, and Two thousand Horsemen, sufficiently armed and furnished, with Forty days Provision, to be raised in the several Shires of the Kingdom, according to the proportions mentioned in that Act. And seeing by Act of Parliament in the Year 1669. the Country is to pay the Horsemen at Eighteen shilling, and the Footmen at 6 shilling Scots per diem, for every day that they appear at any Rendezvous or Muster yearly; to the effect the Soldiers may be Exercised, and may thereby understand the Discipline of War: And that if His Majesty shall call them together for His Service, the Country is obliged to furnish them with Forty days Provision or Pay. In prosecution whereof, the Lords of Privy Council for the time, to whom the Parliament by their Act did remit the particular ordering and settlement of this matter, did by their several Acts, put in Execution the said Act of Parliament, by reducing these Forces of Horse and Foot, to form Troops and Regiments; and by His Majesty's Special Warrant, did prescribe the way for naming and placing all the inferior Officers of Horse and Foot, the chief Officers being Commissionate by His Majesty, as their Acts made thereanent, and the instructions given to them for that purpose, more fully bear. And whereas His Majesty by a Letter under His Royal Hand directed to. His Council, of the date of the 26 of October 1678. thought fit for this Service, and the present Exigent of Affairs, to appoint Five thousand Foot, and Five hundred Horse, of the number of the Twenty thousand Foot, and Two thousand Horse abovementioned, to be drawn out of the several Shires and burgh's of this Kingdom, being a 4th part of the whole, not including the Militia Regiment of the good Town of Edinburgh, as any part of this number. And did appoint these Foot to be divided into five Regiments, and the Horse into five Troops, and each Regiment consisting of ten Companies, to be commanded by a Major, and each Company to have a Lieutenant, Ensign, and two Sergeants; each Troop of Horse to have a Lieutenant, and four Corporals; and to whom, for their encouragement, His Majesty hath appointed competent yearly Salaries. And to the end this His Majesty's Royal Resolution might not be mistaken, thought fit to declare, That thereby He did not intent to put the Country to any greater Charge, than what they stand already obliged by Acts of Parliament yearly. And by this His intention, does not resolve to lay aside the yearly Rendezvous of the rest of the Militia of this Kingdom, Horse and Foot, as formerly. In Obedience, and Conform to which Letter, and His Majesties other Letters direct to His Privy Council since the said Letter relative thereto, The Lords of His Majesty's Privy Council have Ordained, and Ordain Five thousand Foot, and Five hundred Horse, of the number of these Twenty thousand Foot, and Two thousand Horse of the Militia, Established by Act of Parliament, to be drawn out of the several Shires and burgh's of this Kingdom, being a 4th part. of the whole, not including the Militia of the Town of Edinburgh, according to the Rule of Proportion, and hath made a particular division thereof, and given instructions to the Commissioners of the Militia in manner aftermentioned; All which is Ratified and Approven by His Majesty. Follows the Instructions given by His Majesty's Privy Council, to the Commissioners of the Militia, in the several Shires of the Kingdom. I. You are ordered to Stint the number of Horsemen and Footmen upon the parochs, Heretors, and Liferenters in your Shire, in the usual manner, having always a care to pitch upon such as may constantly attend upon the Service. II. You are to cause List the Names of the Soldiers, both Horse and Foot, and set down the names of their Parents, Designations, and dwellings-places, and to Rank them in their respective Companies, and to deliver these Lists to the respective Leiutenants. III. You are to change no Soldier, Horse or Foot, for another, without express consent of the Lieutenant, who is to be answerable to his Major for what he does thereanent; and both the Major and Leiutenant are to obey the Lieutenant-General, or Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Forces, as they will be answerable. iv You are to order, that no Horse once received and listed, be changed, without consent of the Lieutenant, and the allowance of his superior Officer. V You are to choice and list new Soldiers, in place of these who shall be removed by Death, or infirmity, or shall remove off the Ground, and send their names to their Leiutenants; and that these new listed Soldiers be sufficient men for the Service, conform to the first Act of the second Session Parliament 2. Charles 2. VI You are to appoint all these listed within your Shire, to Rendezvous once in two Months, and to keep together eight days, at such Times and Places within the Shire, as the Major of Foot or the Lieutenant of Horse shall appoint; and if the Rendezvous be without the Shire at such Times and Places as the Leiutenant-General, or Commander in Chief shall appoint; and the keeping of the Rendezvous once in two Months eight days together shall continue, until the Commander in Chief shall order it otherwise. VII. You are to order the Heretors to give allowance to the Horsemen and Foot Soldiers, for keeping the said days of Rendezvous of eight days, once every two Months, and that for ten Months (His Majesty being to pay them for the last two Months) at the rate of six Shillings Scots a day for ilk Footman, and eighteen Shillings Scots for each Horseman, conform to Act of Parliament: And ready obedience is expected hereto, seeing they are at no more expense by paying forty days to this number, than they were at formerly, by paying ten days to the whole, which they either did, or should have done. VIII. You are to take care that both Horsemen and Footmen be sufficiently clothed, fitted with all kind of furniture for the service; and that the Arms for the Foot, be two parts Muskets, and one part Pikes; and the Horsemen to be armed with a sufficient Sword, and Hulster-Pistols. IX. Each Leader of Horse is to furnish and uphold a sufficient Horse with his Furniture, for the space of seven Years from their first Muster; and at the expiring of the seven Years, He and these of the Fraction with him are to contribute for another Horse, not under the value of ten pounds Sterling, and fifty eight Inches high, and that a Horse be provided accordingly, and so forth at the expiring of each seven Years successive. X. You are to be careful that the persons to be listed for the Militia, Horse or Foot, shall be able bodies of Men, fit for the service; and that they be such as the Muster-master shall approve of, and who shall take the Military Oaths appointed by Act of Council, each Rendezvous day, and such Oaths as are contained in the Articles of War. XI. The Heretors of your Shire are to pay their proportion of forty eight pound Scots to the Trumpeter, with the other shires who are joined with them in constituting the Troop: As also, Your shire is to pay twelve pound Scots to every Drummer who serves in the Companies within your Shire, conform to the Act of Parliament. XII. And since His Majesty has under his Royal Hand, given Commissions to Majorsâ–Ş Leiutenants, and Ensigns of Foot, and to the Lieutenants of Horse; and has declared it his Pleasure, that the Leiutenants of Horse and Foot shall choose their own Corporals and Sergeants: Therefore you are to give your concurrence to them in their respective stations. XIII. You are to appoint two of your number per vices, to attend the first day of each Rendezvous within your Shire, and one of your number to attend the general Rendezvous of your Regiment or Troop when they come together, it being , that there be one Commissioner present for every Shire out of which the Regiment or Troop is taken, to the effect they may give order for fining and punishing the Absents, and for proceeding against all Deficients, and for performance of every thing else incumbent to them, conform to the Acts of Parliament and Council made thereanent, as well in every Company of Foot and Squad of Horse, as when the whole Regiment and Troop are together. XIV. These two Commissioners, with the concurrence of the Commanding Officer present for the time of the Foot-Company, or Squadron of Horse, or Corporalship, and of the Major of Foot and Lieutenant of Horse, or other Commanding-officer present, when the Regiment of Foot, or Troop of Horse is together; are carefully to cause poinded every Deficient and other Transgressor's, conform to the Acts of Parliament and Council anent the Militia: Hereby requiring the said's Commissioners to do exact diligence herein, as they will be answerable at their outmost peril. And certifying these Commissioners who shall be absent, or being present, shall neglect their duty, hereby, and by Act of Parliament entrusted to them, shall be proceeded against as Contemners of his Majesty's Authority and Service, and neglecters of the public Peace of the Kingdom. XV. The Commissioners of the Militia on the South side of the North Water of Esk, in the several Shires of the Kingdom, are appointed to have their first meeting at the head Burgh of the Shire, upon the fifteen day of July next, and the Militia thereof, to have their first Rendezvous upon the thirteenth of August thereafter. And the Commissioners benorth the said Water, are to have their first meeting upon the tenth of August, and the Militia thereof to have their first Rendezvous upon the 24. of Aug. And the Commissioners on the south side of the said Water, are to give an account what they do at their first meeting to the Council, upon the first Council day of August, and to give the second account of the condition of their first Rendezvous, against the first Council day in September. And these benorth the said water, are to give an account what they do at their first meeting, the first Council day in September; and the second account of the condition of the first Rendezvous, the first Council day in October next. XVI. The Commissioners of the Militia of the several Shires at their first meeting, are to appoint the place of the first Rendezvous in every Shire, and to acquaint the person of Quality afternamed, who is appointed to be present thereat. XVII. The Persons of Quality afternamed, are appointed to conveen the Commissioners of the Militia to their first meeting, and to be present thereat, and to go to the several shires, and see the first Rendezvous keeped, and give an account thereof to the Council. XVIII. His Majesty's Privy Council have appointed, and appoints, that in the shires of Ross, Sutherland, Caithness, and Orkney, which had not formerly a Militia settled therein, the Justices of Peace, and Commissioners of Excise, be Commissioners of the Militia. Extracted by me WILL. PATERSON, Cl. Sti. Concilii. Additional Instructions for the Militia. Edinburgh, the Eighth day of July, 1680. I. THE Lords of His Majesty's Privy Council considering, that by the first Article of the late Instructions, the Heretors and Liferenters are ordered to Stint the number of Horse and Foot in the usual way, do Declare, That albeit according to the Act of Parliament, the Heretors and Liferenters be liable thereto, yet they are to have their relief from the Tenants, whose proper Burden it is to furnish the Bodies of the Footmen and their Arms, and Pay, during the days of the Rendezvous; and the Heretors may accordingly force any of their Tenants or Servants who are fittest, the rest of the Tenants contributing for their several Proportions, in the way formerly accustomed, either by parochs, or otherwise, according as has been used in the respective Shires. II. As to the third and fourth Articles of the said Instructions, whereby it is appointed, that no Soldier, Horse, or Foot, be changed for another, and that no Horse once received and listed, be changed without consent of the Lieutenant, it is ordered that no such change be made, without express consent of the Lieutenant, and two Commissioners of the Militia. III. As to the sixth Article of the Instructions, where it is appointed, that Rendezvous be kept eight days every two Months, for the space of ten Months: It is Ordained, that the first Rendezvous shall meet for this year, as is formerly appointed, viz. upon the 13th, and 24th of August respective, and to continue together for eight days; and the next Rendezvous to begin the first Wednesday of October, and to continue together sixteen days; and for the subsequent Years, it is appointed that the first Rendezvous shall begin the first Wednesday of June, and to continue for sixteen days; and the next Rendezvous to be upon the first Wednesday of October, and to continue then likewise for sixteen days, and so forth to continue yearly thereafter; which two Rendezvouses completes the 32 days, payable by the Country. iv As to the Ninth Article, It is appointed, that the Militia Horse be worth Ten Pound Sterling, Conform to the Act of Parliament, and be 58 inches high; at least, that the Horse be sufficient size, fit for service. V It is hereby declared, That these that are liable in the Fraction, shall pay to the Leaders of Horse, and Outreikers of Foot, their proportional parts of what is due for the Pay both of Horse and Foot, during the whole time they stay at the Rendezvouses. VI Whereas, since the Act of Parliament in the Year 1663., Establishing the Militia, by which there are 800 Foot, and 88 Horse, appointed for the Shire of Dumfreis, there is a late Act of Parliament disjoining the Militia of the five Kirks of Eskdale from the said Shire, and uniting the same to the Militia of Roxburgh, whose proportion of the great Militia, is One hundreth Foot and ten Horse, the Lords of Council Ordain the proportion of the New Modelled Militia of these two Shires to be regular accordingly. Extracted by me Will. Paterson, Cl. Sti. Concilii. FINIS. Reprinted at London (according to the Copy printed at Edinburgh) for John Gay in Fleetstreet, and William English in Chancery lane. 1680.