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From: "Janet Booth" <>
Subject: Re: [HRT] MILITIA LISTS
Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2005 10:39:33 +0100
References: <5.2.0.9.0.20040626160457.00b1ecd0@mail.netconnect.com.au>


Hello George,

I, too, have purchased some of the Militia Lists for Hertfordshire and have
found them invaluable for finding lost ancestors. I put a query on the
British Genealogy Forum as to age limits etc and this is the reply I
received:

I quote from 'Militia Lists and Musters 1757-1876' by Jeremy Gibson and
Mervyn Medlycott. published by the FFHS ISBN 1 872 094 02 3.

Page 5
"Under the 1757 Act the parish contables were ordered annually to record the
names of all men aged 18 to 50, excluding only those who were peers, clergy,
teachers, apprentices and 'peace officers'. However in the 1758 Act (31 Geo
II c26) and thereafter until 1831, Parliament directed that no names be
excluded, although the upper age limit was lowered to 5 from 1762.

The militia ballot lists should therefore in theory be complete annual
censuses of all men aged 18 to 50, from 1758 to 1762, and aged 18 to 45,
from 1762 to 1831."

Don't know if this will help at all, but I suppose you could purchase the
booklet quoted as the source from one of your local FHS.

Janet.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fordham" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 9:59 AM
Subject: [HRT] MILITIA LISTS


> Back again after a period of 12 months to seek more assistance.
> I have lists called Militia Lists which give a date, given and surname,
> town and occupation.
>
> Could someone please give a brief explanation of what these lists really
> are. Are they just lists of men available for service or who served during
> the times shown? Were there age restrictions for service?
>
> A final column lists the word "DRAWN". An explanation please.
> George.
>
> MY INTERESTS: FORDHAM, ORSMAN, VALENTINE.
>
>
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