The LOYAL WORLINGWORTH VOLUNTEERS 1798-1802

2015 saw the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo in 1815, the famous and decisive contest which finally defeated France and her brilliant leader Napoleon Bonaparte. Great Britain had been at war with France since 1793 and as Bonaparte began his meteoric rise to power with a series of campaign victories across Europe, the threat of invasion to England became a real possibility.

It was during the period 1793-1798 that the ‘volunteer corps’ movement established itself across south-east England and elsewhere. This late 18th century ‘Home Guard’ consisted of groups of the ‘better off’ inhabitants of towns and villages (e.g., merchants and farmers), who were ably supported by their local gentry and who pledged to defend their ‘patch’ when Napoleon and his armies came across the Channel. Some of these corps became established in towns such as Bungay, Woodbridge, Beccles, Eye and Southwold1 but one such volunteer corps was based in High Suffolk in and around the remote rural parish of Worlingworth.

At this time, Worlingworth had a population of about 650 souls2, mainly labouring folk, and many of whom were paupers. Its chief claims to fame at that time were the quality of its butter, sold in the markets of Colchester and London, and the hardness of its cheese ‘Suffolk Bang’, sold in the local general store (along with such diverse items as bombazine, gunpowder, Jamaica rum and cart grease3). Indeed Worlingworth, being a rural parish five miles distant from anywhere of note, may well have disappeared off the historic map were it not for the patronage of the Henniker and Henniker-Majors of Thornham and Worlingworth Halls. Before the story of the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers is told, the origins of the Volunteer movement can be briefly outlined.

In its early stages, many British people welcomed the French Revolution of 1789 with its promises of liberty, equality and fraternity but as the revolution turned increasingly violent, the views of middle-class society reverted back to a more patriotic conservatism. By 1792, small groups of loyalists began to meet and form themselves into societies or ‘Associations for Preserving Liberty and Property against Republicans and Levellers’. One such association was founded by a gentleman by the name of John Reeves who came to be acknowledged as a founder of this popular loyalism. Before long, there were over 2,000 local branches of these ‘Reeves Societies’. Their principal aims were to disrupt radical meetings, initiate proceedings against seditious elements and distribute their own loyalist tracts (and the government was only too happy to surreptiously support these societies).

An association along the lines of a Reeves Society was formed in Eye, Suffolk. Newspapers such as the Ipswich Journal were utilised to publicise their existence. On 26 th December 1792, a numerous and respectable meeting of the Magistrates, Gentry, Clergy and other Loyal Inhabitants of this County4 was held at Eye where an association was formed, to be called ‘The Loyal Association of the hundreds of Hoxne and Hartismere.’ John Henniker-Major and his father John Henniker M.P. were present at the meeting, as was Mr. William Ray, Gent., of the Red House, Worlingworth. This local association engendered the same principles and purposes as the Reeves societies, namely to identify and to take action against any seditious elements within the district. This was a positive move by the local population to safeguard their way of life in increasingly troubled times. It served to prevent the possibility of a repetition of the events across the Channel.

Meanwhile, continental Europe was in turmoil as a coalition of European states, including Britain, attempted to control the aggressive intentions of the French revolutionary armies. Successive coalitions would prove to be ineffective as the superior French forces won a series of victories across central Europe. These successes for the French coincided with the rise of the ‘little corporal’, Napoleon Bonaparte. The threat of an actual invasion by the French was not regarded seriously by the British government. However, in 1796, a French incursion set foot in southern Ireland. This was followed by a small French landing in south Wales – both incursions were unsuccessful but word spread rapidly about invasion. It gradually began to dawn on the authorities that a French invasion was indeed an ominous possibility.

Legislation had previously been passed in early 1794 when the Government invited “Gentlemen of Weight or Property” to come forward and carry out plans for the security of the country that included the formation of local volunteer infantry corps. This was as much to do with defeating the ‘enemy within’ rather than dealing with a threat from the enemy across the English Channel.

On 14th March 1794, this enactment from Whitehall5 was published under the title “General Orders for the Security of Britain”. An extract follows:

“It is natural to be supposed that gentlemen of weight or property in different parts of the kingdom will separately stand forward, in order to carry into execution the several parts of the plan for the security of the country. In order to provide more completely for the security of the country against any attempts which may be made on the part of the enemy, it may be expedient to adopt some, or all, of the following measures:

“1. To augment the militia by volunteer companies, as was practised in the last war; or by an additional number of volunteers to be added as privates to each company.“2. To form volunteer companies in particular towns, especially in those situated on, or near the sea-coast, for the purpose of the local defence of the particular places where they may be raised, according to the accompanying plan, or such other as may, on application for that purpose, be approved of, as best adapted to the circumstances of any particular town.”

Voluntary military associations began to be formed in many parts of Great Britain, especially in the year 1798 when invasion seemed more likely. Nowhere were they more important than in the south east of England and on the south coast. One might understand the word ‘voluntary’ to mean that the gentlemen forming these companies were volunteering their services just as much as the men who ‘volunteered’ to serve. In fact many of these companies were ostensibly privately-funded armed groups, controlled by the local lord of the manor.

The volunteer force encompassed considerable regional variation with a wide variety of type and size of unit. Companies of volunteer infantry were the most common, each comprising a captain, one or two lieutenants, an ensign and between 50 and 100 private men. These corps were comprised of civilians of all social levels except for the very poor. They committed themselves to full-time military service in local defence in the event of an invasion or internal insurrection, but until such an event, they remained civilians, exercising only occasionally, as we shall see with the evidence of the Worlingworth corps activities.

They were administered by the Home Office through the Lords Lieutenant of each county and would have only come under the control of the military authorities, in the event of invasion or insurrection. From its beginnings in 1794 to its peak in 1804, this volunteer movement

eventually involved almost a fifth of adult males and comprised a force in 1804 of nearly 400,000 men6. We shall see that the “Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers” were a good example of this instrument of local defence and perceived “conservative patriotism”.

The instigator and driving force behind the Worlingworth corps in 1798 was John Henniker-Major, the son of Sir John Henniker, Bt., M.P. of Thornham and Worlingworth Hall. Henniker-Major was in his fifties and a Member of Parliament for Steyning. He would have had close links with William Pitt’s ministry as he had been M.P. for Romney, one of the Cinque Ports for whom Pitt was the ‘Keeper’.

We cannot know for certain how much of Henniker-Major’s enthusiasm for forming a local volunteer corps was through his sense of public duty or whether it was seen as a means of furthering any political ambition. Any gentleman with the idea of creating his own volunteer force would realise that favourable notice would be gained from senior figures in the Government and perhaps from the King himself. His father Sir John Henniker also formed his own corps of volunteers, although this corps was based in Stratford near London, close to Newton Hall, another family residence.

John Henniker-Major

The decision to base his loyal company of volunteers in Worlingworth was probably John Henniker-Major’s own choice, though his aunt Elizabeth, the Dowager Duchess of Chandos, a daughter of Sir John Major, may have had some influence. She and her nephew had a close relationship based on the evidence of correspondence between them, held at the Suffolk Records Office7. The Dowager Duchess (‘her Grace’) spent most of her time at Thornham Hall with the occasional weekend visiting Worlingworth with her nephew. Henniker-Major’s grandparents, Sir John and Lady Elizabeth Major, whom he would have known for the first thirty years of his life, were both interred in a vault in the chancel of St Mary’s Church,

Worlingworth in 1781 and Henniker-Major must have felt a particular affinity for the parish for that reason. The family owned Worlingworth Hall and about a third of the land in the parish. Worlingworth Hall had been purchased by Sir John Major in about 1752 but it was seldom used except as a weekend retreat. In a diary entry for 1782, John Henniker wrote that the roads to Worlingworth were terrible and the Hall was damp8. No wonder then that the family divided its time between Thornham Hall (also known as Major House) and Portman Square in London.

By the spring of 1798, the threat of a French invasion had probably never been higher. Bonaparte had been rampaging with his armies across southern Europe, achieving a series of victories on the battlefield to defeat the ‘Second Coalition’ of opposing nations ranged against France.

William Goodwin of Earl Soham wrote in his diary in January 1798: "The invasion of England by France is now becoming a serious question. Her immense power, great preparations for ye purpose, her inveteracy and having no other enemy make the nation tremble. Our Government are providing all manner of means by sea and land to oppose them; are numbering all the people fit to bear arms from 15 to 60 years old, who are by their new requisition to be called out in case of the enemy landing. All our forces are in motion and our fleets on ye look out in almost daily expectation of their coming."

The British government had finally woken up to the threat of invasion and events moved quickly during that spring.

On 12th May 1798, John Henniker-Major was appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk by the Lord Lieutenant George Earl of Euston, under Acts of Parliament. I do nominate constitute and appoint John Henniker-Major Esq to be one of my deputy lieutenants of and for the said County giving and hereby granting unto my said Deputy Lieutenant full power and authority to execute perform and do all such matters and things as in and by an Act of Parliament made in the 26th year of the reign of his present Majesty instituted “An Act for amending and reducing into one Act of Parliament the laws relating to the militia in that part of Great Britain called England”.9

John Henniker-Major then called for a meeting of the principal inhabitants of the parish of Worlingworth and the eight parishes surrounding it, the meeting to take place on Tuesday, 15th May 1798 in Worlingworth. There is no evidence of exactly where this meeting took place but the likely venue would have been at the Swan Inn in the centre of the parish. The proceedings of the meeting have survived and are reproduced below10:

At a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Parishes of Worlingworth, Southolt, Athelington, Horham, Wilby, Brundish, Saxtead, Bedfield and Tannington.

Held in the Parish of Worlingworth on Tuesday, the 15th day of May 1798.

John Henniker-Major Esq. in the Chair.

Resolved Unanimously – That we hold ourselves bound in duty and gratitude at all times to assist in endeavouring to support and maintain the happy constitution of this country, and to contribute every assistance in our power, collectively and individually, to the due execution of the laws, the maintenance of civil order and good government, and the immediate suppression of all riots and tumults, under what pretence so ever they may be excited, or for what cause so ever they may arise.

Resolved Unanimously – That a Corps of Infantry be formed by the name of the LOYAL WORLINGWORTH VOLUNTEERS to be raised, exercised, and employed in any place within the Parishes abovementioned, government finding arms and accoutrements, with such proportion of ammunition as may be necessary for the use of the Corps, government also finding a Drill Serjeant, a Drummer and a Fifer.

Resolved Unanimously – That they shall not be called out except in case of actual invasion or imminent danger thereof, as explained in an Act of Parliament lately passed, or in case of riot or tumult, and in no case to be called out to do duty beyond the bounds of the said Parishes.

Resolved Unanimously – That they shall not be drafted or added to any other Corps.

Resolved Unanimously – That Government be requested to find arms, accoutrements and ammunition, and that the Corps do find the dress at the appointment of the officers.

Resolved Unanimously – That the Officers at present consist of a Captain and two Lieutenants, and that they be recommended to the Lord Lieutenant by the Corps.

Resolved Unanimously – That John Henniker Major Esq. be requested to accept the commission of Captain and that he be recommended accordingly to the Lord Lieutenant for that purpose.

Resolved Unanimously – That the Rev. Charles Buckle be requested to accept the office of Treasurer to this Association.

Resolved Unanimously – That Mr. Samuel Ray be recommended as First Lieutenant, and Mr. William Ray as our Second Lieutenant.

Resolved Unanimously – That every one of the above mentioned Parishes, joining the Parish of Worlingworth in this Association appoint one Committee man, and that the Parish of Worlingworth appoint seven persons for the said Committee.

Resolved Unanimously – That three or more of the persons above specified by a Committee, one of the Officers, the Captain, or either of the Lieutenants of the said Volunteer Corps, or the Treasurer of the same being present.

Resolved Unanimously – That the Corps be regularly trained and exercised in such manner and at such times as shall be appointed by the Committee.

Resolved Unanimously – That a subscription be opened for carrying into effect the above mentioned resolutions, and that the money arising therefrom be lodged in the hands of the Treasurer, and be under the care and management of the said Committee.

Resolved Unanimously – That the Committee meet for the first time at the SWAN INN, in the Parish of Worlingworth, on Thursday the 24th instant, at six o’clock in the afternoon, to receive further signatures, and to transact other business relating to the said Corps.

Resolved Unanimously – That these resolutions be published once in the Bury paper and once in the Ipswich Journal, and that the Chairman be requested to dispatch them without delay to the Lord Lieutenant for the Approbation of his Majesty.

JOHN HENNIKER-MAJOR, Chairman.

Resolved Unanimously – That the thanks of this meeting be given to the Chairman for the great attention to the business of the meeting and his conduct in the chair.

Resolved Unanimously – That the thanks of this meeting be given to the Treasurer for the active and obliging interest he has taken in the formation of this Corps.JOHN FISHER, Clerk to the above Association.

The proceedings of this meeting appeared in the following week’s edition of the Ipswich Journal. It is likely that, at this meeting, many of the attendees will have put forward their names for inclusion in the ranks of the “Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers” (possibly signing an initial muster roll) and the subsequent Committee Meeting, held at the Swan Inn nine days later, would have collected the signatures and subscriptions of further candidates, until the required number of men had been obtained.

The Swan Inn, a central venue to the formation of the Worlingworth Corps

At the inaugural meeting, one might imagine that the locals would have been amazed to see a handsome carriage with its distinctive livery and footmen, pulling into the entrance of the drive of the village hostelry. They might have been further astounded to see their parish priest entering the inn as well!

The Loyal Worlingworth Volunteer Corps was accepted for service by the Lord Lieutenant about one month after the inaugural meeting, on the 18 th June 1798 and was in existence from 1st June 1798 to 30th April 1802, being “a body of infantry, ninety in number”. The fact that the Corps was quickly accepted for service suggests that there was no problem in recruitment.

A list of the names of the ninety men exists11 and this reads like a who’s who of Worlingworth and the surrounding parishes for that period. As examples, we have Henry Preston, the fifer, who was the father of the farmer and land surveyor of that name, well

known for a number of Suffolk Tithe Maps. The two lieutenants, William and Samuel Ray, spirit merchants, were members of a family who owned the Worlingworth Maltings at the Red House and who had once owned a plantation in Jamaica. James Clarke, on 2nd clarinet in the band, was of that ancient family who were at various times malsters, shopkeepers and farmers in Worlingworth. To also mention Spurling, Cupper, Shearing, Pipe and Ashford presents us with the surnames of the principal farmers of the parish at the turn of the century.

A notable absentee from the roll is John Cordy, the charitable Worlingworth village shopkeeper who would amass a great fortune in 1803 by providing the garrisoned soldiers of the Woodbridge Barracks with ale from his brewery on the Thoroughfare in Woodbridge. It is quite possible that Cordy was not asked to join the Worlingworth Volunteer Corps because he was ‘trade’. It might also have been the case that he was involved with the Woodbridge Volunteers.

Another question which arises and which challenges the historian is whether the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers were uniformed. We know that the captain was uniformed (see below) and that the corps paraded in front of significant military figures (at Saxtead in 1800). There were a number of ‘liberal subscribers’ to the Corps who funded its activities. I am convinced that Captain Henniker-Major would have wanted all of his men to be attired in a smart uniform. Since he presented each of his men with an expensive solid silver medal at the termination of their service, the conclusion to be drawn might be that he and his fellow subscribers would have also financed the provision of uniforms for his men at the beginning of the Corps’ existence. It might be fair to say that ‘money was no object’.

The “Defence of the Realm” Act of 1798 saw the raising of a large “levee en masse” in south-east England and on Wednesday June 27th, 1798, just six weeks after the Corps’ formation, John Henniker-Major Esq. was presented to His Majesty King George III, on his appointment to the command of the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers. Captain Henniker-Major may have worn the uniform for the first time at His Majesty’s pleasure. We are fortunate to know exactly what this uniform looked like. A remarkable record of the uniform adopted by John Henniker-Major for his Corps survives in the existence of a painting by the artist Mather Brown, held by the Ipswich Museum at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich.

A section (digitally enhanced) of the painting of Captain John Henniker-MajorThe painting depicts Captain John Henniker-Major in full dress uniform, holding the reins of a horse, which stands behind him. Worlingworth Hall and the church tower are depicted in the background. Above and to the right of the captain are the colours of the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers, a red banner with the motto ‘For our King and our Country’ at the top and ‘Worlingworth’ at the bottom. The painting and uniform are accurately described by R.J. Wyatt in a journal article in 1983, as follows12:

“Dress: Uniform, blue coat with red collar to it and white edging around, similar epaulettes and cuffs, white waistcoat. Sword strap over right shoulder on which is an insignia consisting of a heart surrounded by nine hands, gorget above, white breeches, black boots, spurs, a pink sash tied around the waist. Left hand is downwards, gloved and holding another glove, also a cap with pink lace around the sides tied with white and tassels behind and a red plume in it. The other hand holds the bridle of a black horse. On top of the picture are the colours of a Regiment and another “For our King and our Country” and below “Worlingworth”.”

Wyatt’s article, which came to me by chance, alerted me to the existence of this painting which, because of its condition and size, has lain in storage for over fifty years. The painting is in need of extensive conservation. It should be restored and displayed because it may represent the only painting of a Suffolk Napoleonic volunteer in existence and therefore has great historic value.

The next evidence regarding the Worlingworth Volunteers comes with the colours of the Corps being presented by the Hon. Mrs Henniker-Major in October 1798. This occasion was described in the Ipswich Journal13:

Thursday se’nnight the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers had a grand field day; when Mrs. Henniker Major, after a most energetic speech, presented them with a very elegant standard, which was carried to church at the head of the corps, where an excellent sermon was preached by the Chaplain, from the 4th chapter of Nehemiah, and the 14th verse. After the prayer of consecration, they proceeded to the field, where they went through the manual and platoon exercise, and their different manoeuvres, with a precision and correctness that gained them great honour. A detachment from the third troop of Yeomanry Cavalry, by the indulgence of Captain Maynard, kept the ground, and at the conclusion, went through the broad sword exercise with great dexterity. After which they all partook of a plentiful dinner at the hall, given by the Captain, where old English hospitality was completely revived, and the day concluded with great pleasure and cordiality.

When I read about the sermon being delivered, I wanted to know what it said. It is worth reproducing the fourteenth verse from Nehemiah Chapter 4 in order to better appreciate the extent of the local fervour that was being generated around this Corps and the wider movement.

‘I saw that the people were worried, so I said to them and to their leaders and officials, “Don’t be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and terrifying the Lord is, and fight for your fellow countrymen, your children, your wives, and your homes”.’

This sermon would have certainly counteracted any doubts amongst the audience about what was at stake in those coming months. I expect that this particular reading would have received a lot of ‘airplay’ at that time.

The evidence for the activities of the Worlingworth Corps is not substantial but we catch further glimpses of the Corps on ‘manoeuvres’ in reports from the Ipswich Journal. It appears that they were keen to honour the King in a number of ways and one is struck by the deep patriotism displayed by these countrymen.

From June 1800, on the occasion of the King’s birthday14: ‘Wednesday the Worlingworth Volunteers had a grand field day, and although the weather was unfortunately very unfavourable, they fired three excellent volleys in honour of their Sovereign. They were afterwards regaled in an elegant marquee provided by their Captain, attended by a number of gentlemen who had been liberal subscribers and firm friends to the corps. Many appropriate songs were sung, and the day finished with that peace, harmony and perfect goodwill, which has always marked this respectable Association.’

From October 1800, on the occasion of the Sovereign’s anniversary of his accession to the throne15: ‘The Worlingworth Volunteers were convivially entertained by their Captain, the Hon. John Henniker-Major, at Worlingworth Hall. A company considerably above 100 sat down to dinner at 4 o’clock, and mirth and good order kept equal pace to a protracted hour.

It would seem that these two royal anniversaries gave the Captain and his Corps every good reason to celebrate their existence. We learn from the newspaper that the Corps were not just exercising in their own parish, but travelled farther afield as well16.

In November 1800, ‘the Worlingworth and Framlingham Volunteers were reviewed on Saxtead Green by Major Gen. Lord Charles Fitzroy, when he expressed himself highly

satisfied with their very military appearance, and the regularity and precision with which they went through the different evolutions. The weather being remarkably fine added much to the pleasure of the numerous spectators and the day went off with great credit to the corps.’

One imagines that the Corps would have marched from Worlingworth to Saxtead to participate in this event. They would have undoubtedly presented a reassuring sight to the local populace.

What about any physical evidence for the activities of the Corps? We are grateful to local detectorists for some recently discovered artefacts. In 2014, physical evidence for the activities of the Corps was found in fields within the parish of Worlingworth. Two tunic buttons were discovered at different locations (not connected with Worlingworth Hall), suggesting that the Corps met for marching and musketry practice on a more frequent basis than has been outlined here.

A button was found in a field between Lodge Farm and Valley Farm on New Road. Lodge Farm was owned by Henry Cupper, whose second and third sons, William and Samuel, were on the muster roll. Both of these men were in their early twenties.

It is hoped that further evidence may be discovered in the future. We shall now return to the muster roll and the identity of the ninety men.

Worlingworth Volunteers Tunic Button

John Henniker-Major wrote and published a pamphlet entitled “Some Account of the Families of Henniker and Major”, in which he thanked his men for their service and outlined his family history. This document included the muster roll of the corps, giving the names of the ninety volunteers. A great deal of work has now been done to determine exactly who those ninety men were, their parish of origin and their ages in 1798. Of sixty-five men who have been clearly identified and had their ages calculated from baptismal/burial registers, the eldest was Joseph Taylor of Saxtead who was sixty years old in 1798. The youngest was James Clarke of

Worlingworth who was just fifteen (his father passed away in July 1797). The average age of the sixty-five men was 34. Twenty-four of these men were aged below 30 and the older volunteers comprised mainly of the officers and NCOs. We also learn from the muster roll the names of the Volunteers Band, as follows:

William Vinall DrummerHenry Preston FiferJohn Fisher 1st ClarinetWilliam Baldry 1st ClarinetJames Clarke 2nd ClarinetJohn Ashford Snr 2nd ClarinetJohn Meadows 1st Horn

Edward Bumpstead 1st HornRobert Newman BassoonJohn Bolton TrumpetWilliam Patrick Bass DrumWilliam Ashford Octave FluteWilliam Chenery Triangle

This was no cacophony of sound emanating from a church gallery – these were middle class farming men who had probably received some form of private education and learnt some playing skills. In the summer of 1801, the band played at a concert in Aldeburgh17. The fact that the band was playing at a prestigious event for Mrs. Henniker-Major suggests that they were, indeed, very capable musicians.

It might be imagined that the Corps had served out its usefulness if, by 1801, the only newspaper evidence consisted of advertisements for concerts. In fact, by 1801, the threat of invasion had lessened considerably. Early the following year, a peace treaty was signed between Britain and France at Amiens and the country celebrated wildly with village parties, bonfires, fireworks, roast beef and plum pudding for everyone.

Following the Peace of Amiens being signed in March 1802, the Worlingworth Corps was, like many other volunteer corps in the country, disbanded and the curtain was brought down on this noble group of men who had served their country and their King for barely four years.

On 30th April 1802, in a solemn ceremony held at the church, Captain John Henniker-Major presented each of his officers and men with a commemorative solid silver medal. The medal was described thus: “the obverse of the medal, besides a view of Worlingworth Hall and the Church tower, with Union Jack flying, a man in uniform standing at attention, holding a rifle with bayonet fixed by his left side, and a drum on the ground to his right. On the reverse was a circle of nine hands, expressive of the number of parishes involved, in a Gordian knot,

surrounding a heart. Above and below the words “Worlingworth”, “Volunteers”, surrounded by a garter on which was inscribed “for our King and our Country”. Above was the Royal Crown and the date 1798. On either side were sprays of roses and thistles, and below the words “John Henniker-Major Commt.” The same hand and heart emblem is engraved on a brass gilt oval shoulder belt plate worn by members of the Unit; above and below are the words “Worlingworth” and “Volunteers” and on an oval garter “For our King and our Country”18. The design of the medal is shown below:

Each man, after receiving his medal, must have had the option of having his name inscribed on the coin edge. We know of two medals which bear the owner’s name – Samuel Ray and John Nance Gooch. These were medals that were sold at auction within the last twenty years. The medal on display at the Lanman Museum in Framlingham and two medals in private ownership do not have names inscribed on their edges. Some of these ninety medals have now been traced to places in Canada and Australia.

Worlingworth Volunteers Medal

The ‘colours’ of the Corps were ceremonially lowered during the disbandment ceremony and placed in a corner of the chancel at St. Mary’s Church, close to the Henniker family box pew behind the dado of the rood screen. In 1839 when David Elisha Davy visited the church, he noted that the colours of the Worlingworth Corps ‘were decaying fast’19. They did not survive.

John Henniker-Major wrote a short letter to his volunteers, the text of which is presented below. This text survives in the form of a small book which also gives an account of the Henniker and Major families. It is possible that a copy of the book was presented to each man along with the medal, but there is no documentary evidence to support this idea.

The letter reads as follows:

Gentlemen,

I beg leave to offer you, individually, some account of my family, which I should not have done, but that I feel that you have in one part a particular interest.

It is no small honour to anyone to step forward from an easy and private situation, to succour his country in distress, and to forsake the tranquilities and enjoyments of domestic scenes, for the acquirement of martial knowledge and practice. You have been ready, at every peril, to guard from deadly and dangerous foes, the sanctity of your religion, the safety of your King, and the excellence of your free constitution.

This is an opportunity which I take with great pleasure, to bear my testimony to those who may hereafter tread the ground that we have trodden, that you were conspicuous in zeal, punctuality, alertness and discipline, and not less in the brotherly friendship which to the end pervaded all ranks of the Worlingworth Volunteers.

I remain,With great respectGentlemenYour very humble servantJOHN HENNIKER MAJOR

Portman Square12 March 1803

Stirring words. The European peace was short-lived, war broke out again and in the summer of 1803 the threat of a French invasion returned and was possibly even greater than in 1798. Many of the volunteer companies had been disbanded and the process of recruiting new volunteer defence forces had to begin quickly in view of the invasion threat.

Even though 1802 saw the end of the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers, it was not the end of home defence service for many of the ninety men. A newspaper report20 of September 1803 suggests that the Worlingworth volunteers became part of a larger company of militia known as the Hoxne Hundred Volunteer Infantry or Stradbroke Association.

This association, similar to the earlier Hoxne and Hartismere Hundred Association, was divided into four companies of volunteer infantry based on the four districts of the Hoxne Hundred. Worlingworth’s district comprised of the same nine parishes from which the Loyal

Worlingworth Volunteers were recruited from, with the parish of Bedingfield added. The company had the same captain, John Henniker-Major now the 2nd Lord Henniker, the same lieutenants, William and Samuel Ray, and the same ensign, Rayner Bellman. Men of substance throughout each parish were asked to subscribe towards the cost of clothing each volunteer, presumably because there was a new uniform. For example, from Worlingworth, John Cordy subscribed £10 whilst John Shearing donated two guineas. Six other men of Worlingworth subscribed a guinea each.

Evidence for the continuation of the ‘Stradbroke Association’ appears to be sparse and is beyond the remit of this article. Once Napoleon had been defeated, home defence measures were largely ignored by the government for the next forty years but Stradbroke served as a centre for militia activities, such as the hosting of regular rifle shooting events, throughout the early 19th century.

The Worlingworth Corps was not forgotten as time passed. A monograph written about St. Mary’s Church in 1887 by David Ross mentions the salient points about this episode in the parish’s history. Nearly one hundred years after the Corps existence, the Loyal Worlingworth Volunteers were granted a place in what could be described as the first church guidebook! This respect for the parish’s heritage by its inhabitants was not confined to the memory of the volunteer corps but extended to the preservation of the ancient 1760 parish fire engine, which, when threatened with removal from the parish in the 1970s, caused an uproar and severe censure for the parish priest through a village petition. The protest was organised by a man whose family had been connected with the parish for one hundred and fifty year. The fire engine remains in the parish to this day, standing in a corner of the nave of the church.

The story of the Worlingworth Volunteers may have ended in 1802 but the search for artefacts continues. In 1969, the aforementioned Rector of Worlingworth wrote a short article in a Deanery newsletter21 about a sword that was owned by a lady in the neighbouring parish of Wilby. The sword was inscribed with the name of the owner, William Ray, one of the two lieutenants of the Worlingworth Corps. It appears that the sword was disposed of, probably at auction, and so for a fleeting moment in time, a relic of the glorious past appeared and then promptly disappeared from view.

Today it may seem a little far-fetched to contemplate with seriousness this band of local men parading in their colourful uniforms around the parish and further afield – it is slightly unbelievable that such an episode could occur in a parish often described as being far removed from civilisation. But people at that time were sufficiently worried about the threat of invasion to rouse themselves and take whatever action they could to prepare for what must have seemed inevitable. At Woodbridge, in the Drybridge garrison, soldiers considered their tomorrow as being possibly their last day on earth. The officers spent a great deal of time drowning their sorrows whilst their ladies spent a fortune in the fashionable shops along the Thoroughfare22. In Ardleigh in 1796 the rector had even took an unofficial census of the inhabitants as a consequence of the threat, and in preparation for the aftermath, of an invasion23.

With the motivation of a member of the gentry behind them, the men of Worlingworth and the surrounding parishes were determined to defend their patch as were the various volunteer companies spread around the county and beyond. Whilst the armies of Europe strove to contain the threat of Napoleon and his all-conquering armies, Worlingworth men stood shoulder to shoulder, ready to defend their parish, their way of life and their freedom. For that

reason, the role played by those ninety men is now firmly established and will remain in Worlingworth’s roll-call of history.

References1. Ipswich Journal 1798-1802, 19th Century British Newspapers: Gale Databases2. Suffolk Parish History (East Suffolk I-Y) SRO 942.643. Ipswich Journal June 1815: Gale Databases4. Ipswich Journal January 1793: Gale Databases5. Collection of State Papers relative to the war against France: Debrett J.6. Journal of Army Historical Research (1983)7. SRO - Henniker Estate Papers HA116/1/20/158. SRO – Henniker Estate Papers - Diary of Sir John Henniker HA116/1/20/79. SRO – Henniker Estate Papers - Letters of Appointment HA116/1/2/310. Transcription held by Worlingworth Local History Group archive11. SRO – Henniker Estate Papers HA116/1/2/612. Journal of Army Historical Research (1983)13. Ipswich Journal October 1798: Gale Databases14. Ipswich Journal June 1800: Gale Databases15. Ipswich Journal October 1800: Gale Databases16. Ipswich Journal November 1800: Gale Databases17. Ipswich Journal August 1801: Gale Databases18. Journal of Army Historical Research (1983)19. SRO - Notes by David Elisha Davy on microfilm20. Ipswich Journal September 1803 : Gale Databases21. CofE - Hoxne Deanery Newsletter 196922. Geoff Cordy – Cordy Family Papers23. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~melanie/1796census.htm

Some local Suffolk Parishes where Volunteer Companies existed:

Beccles, Bungay, Eye, Framlingham, Hadleigh, Helmingham, Melton, Sibton and Peasenhall, South Elmham, Tunstall Blaxall and Iken, Woodbridge, Worlingworth, Yoxford and Darsham

This is not a comprehensive list and those given here may apply to either 1798-1802 or 1803 onwards. The London Gazette details the commissions handed out to officers of these various companies. An internet search can provide more information on specific parishes – Google search for “Helmingham” “volunteer” “1803”, for example.

Geoffrey Robinson