Act, 29 December 1692, Edinburgh

Att Edinburgh the Thretteint day off August J^aj vj^c nyntie tuo years

A1692/8/57

A1692/8/57¹

Procedure

Opinion of Councill anent Militia and schem of 5000 men

The Following opinion of the Councill and shem of Fyve thousand men being read wes votted and approven and appoynted to be sent to the Kings Majesie, whereoff the tenor followes
The Lords of there majesties privie Councill In obedience to his majesties Comands contained in his Letter direct to them of the Fourteint of Jully Last Haveing considered how the milita of this Kingdome or any pairt thereof might be made effectuall for his majesties service upon any occurences aither at home or from abroad Find so many difficultyes to occurr from the militia as now Established That without a parliament to affoord propper remedies They can hardly be made serviceable upon any sudden Exigent Therefore Humbly propose to be Laid befor his majestie the Schem of Fyve Thousand Men to be raised modelled and keeped in readiness for his Majesties service upon all occurences as followes viz That the said Fyve Thousand men shall consist of tradesmen and others who are of fixed and setled residence in burghes and touns or villadges next adjacent to them over the wholl natione And that the severall Companyes are to be made up out of the burghes and touns alse much as may be And where a wholl Companie Cannot be made up in a toun That it be Compleatted out of the next adjacent villadges And each Companie is to Consist of a Captain a Leivetennent a serjeant and Fourtie eight centinells and a drummer Item that his Majestie may be please to grant Comissiones to ten Collonells to the said Fyve thousand men who are to be divyded in ten regiments And each regiment in Ten Companyes And that his majestie Impower the Councill with advyce of the Colonells to name the majors Captains and other officers (Leivetennent Collonells not being necessarie) Item that the major have Fiftie pound sterling a year The Leivetennent Ten pound sterling and each serjeant Four pound sterling a year and everie Centinell have a pennie a day and the drummer […] a day Item that the majors Leivetennents and serjeants are to take particular care and paines for Engadging there men And the Leivetennents and serjeants take particular Inspectione of the respective Companyes and duetly train and exercise them And the major of each regiment to have the particular oversight of ten Companyes under him And to see them exercised when neadfull Item that the Leivetennent and serjeant reside constantly in the touns where Companyes are made up And in case they be pairtly made up in touns and pairtly in villadges The Leivetennent is to reside with the greatest and the serjeant with the Lesser number To the end They may be the more frequently exercised with Less trouble and Loss of tyme Item that the regiments be made up of Companyes Lyeing most Contiguous together. And that the haill Centinells and others Imployed in the service be free of watching and warding quartering of any souldiers upon transient or Locall quarters and of being Lyable to any press or Levie for any other service by sea or Land And to have all other Encouragement from the government which there condition shall requyre Item that his majestie may signifie his pleasure to the Councill to recomend to the respective touns and villadges where the respective Leivetennents and serjeants shall reside to provyde a suteable quarter for each of them An to recomen to the severall burghes Royall to allow the freedom of there burghes an particular Incorporationes within the same to any tradesmen who shall come and reside in there burghes and engage in the said service Item By the shem forsaid His majestie will have Fyve Thousand good men well trained and readie for his service to appear in the fields when ever called for the setled charge and expenses of nyne Thousand Four Hundreth pound sterling yearly And in case the exigencie of the government shall requyre the said Fyve Thousand men to goe to the Fields with his Majesties standing troops upon any particular occasione They are to be subsisted at his majesties charge dureing the tyme of there being in the fields.