The surviving lists of Bedfordshire men who were liable for military service between 1539 and 1831
The volume contains the surviving lists of Bedfordshire men who were liable for military service between 1539 and 1831: they are held at either The National Archives or Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (open in new windows) Many lists have not survived and the coverage for the county is uneven.
Militia lists must not be accepted as lists of men who served. The introductions to the volume and each record provide guidance on whether the men in each list were
eligible or whether they
served. The editor notes that the lists raise many other question. What proportion of the men balloted to serve in the militia did so? How many found substitutes? Where did substitutes come from? How long did recruits stay with militia units? When and why did they leave? Indeed, one document from the Civil War period lists men who ran away before they were clothed or armed.
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Chris Pickford studied history at Leicester and qualified as an archivist at University College London. He joined the staff of Bedfordshire County Record Office in 1977, becoming County Archivist in 1986. He left in 1998 to become Director of the Church of England Record Centre (CERC) in London. While at BCRO he took an active part in BHRS. He is an acknowledged expert on clocks and bells. Among a wide range of historical interests, architectural history and the study of buildings rank highest. Since leaving CERC in 2001 he has worked freelance. His revised edition of the Pevsner Buildings of England volume on Warwickshire, his native county, was published in 2016.