Historical Record of the Tenth, or the North Lincolnshire, Regiment of Foot,: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of its Subsequent Services to 1847

In Short

This volume serves as an official regimental biography, meticulously documenting the formation, movements, and combat engagements of the Tenth Regiment of Foot between 1685 and 1847. Commissioned to foster institutional pride and record the specific deeds of officers and soldiers, the text transitions from a tactical manual of early modern weaponry to a chronological log of campaigns in Flanders, North America, India, and Egypt. It stands as a formal repository of British military heritage, preserving the names of the fallen and the evolving standards of professional conduct in the field.

The Story

The narrative begins in 1685, a year of internal upheaval, when King James II authorized the creation of eleven new companies to support the crown against the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion. These recruits, drawn from the Midlands, were united with an existing independent garrison company from Plymouth to form the Tenth Regiment. Initially equipped with a mix of pikes and matchlock muskets, the regiment’s early years were defined by the arduous transition toward modern infantry tactics. As the seventeenth century closed, the unit moved from domestic policing to continental warfare, becoming a fixture in the campaigns of William III and later, the Duke of Marlborough.

The early eighteenth century finds the Tenth deeply embedded in the grand conflicts of Europe. The text details their participation in the sieges of Huy and Limburg, followed by their presence at the pivotal Battle of Ramilies in 1706. As the soldiers gained experience under Marlborough’s command, their identity solidified through shared hardship. The account highlights the brutal, high-stakes nature of these engagements, particularly at the Battle of Malplaquet, where the regiment faced entrenched French positions in dense woodland. The narrative captures the grueling reality of these conflicts—the smoke-filled woods, the relentless musketry, and the psychological reliance on leadership during moments of intense carnage.

Following these European campaigns, the regiment entered a long period of garrison service, notably at Gibraltar, where it remained stationed for nineteen years. This phase reflects the quiet, repetitive nature of maintaining imperial outposts. However, the scope of the story expands dramatically in the late eighteenth century as the regiment is deployed to the American colonies. The narrative follows their movements across Long Island and through the difficult terrain of the Hudson Valley, where they participated in the assault on Fort Washington.

As the nineteenth century dawned, the Tenth was increasingly tasked with maintaining the reach of the British Empire. This led to an extraordinary journey to India and a subsequent expedition to Egypt to counter Napoleon’s forces. The soldiers endured the harsh realities of desert warfare, including dysentery and extreme heat, often navigating geography as daunting as the enemy. The chronicle concludes with the regiment’s later movements in the 1840s, including their arrival in the Punjab to engage in the Sikh Wars. The text ends not with a final resolution, but with a transition into the next chapter of imperial obligation, leaving the regiment as a permanent fixture of British military expansion.

How It Unfolds

The foundation of the regiment The narrative opens with the formation of the corps during the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, detailing its recruitment in Derby and Nottingham. It clarifies the early organizational structure, where companies functioned as distinct tactical units armed with pikes and muskets.

The era of continental campaigns The story shifts to the European stage, documenting the regiment's involvement in the wars of the early eighteenth century. It highlights the transition from skirmishing in Flanders to full-scale battle at Ramilies and Malplaquet, emphasizing the regiment's role in breaking French defenses.

Global projection and garrison life The focus turns to the regiment's long-term deployment to Gibraltar and the American colonies. These chapters illustrate the logistical challenges of colonial warfare, including amphibious operations and the siege of fortified positions.

The imperial theater The final movement follows the regiment to the East, covering the arduous trek through the Egyptian desert and subsequent service in India. This phase reflects the changing demands on the infantry in an era of global territorial acquisition.

The People

The text is defined more by the institution than by individual psychology, yet the figures who emerge are models of aristocratic and professional duty. John, Earl of Bath, serves as the progenitor, representing the link between the older loyalist traditions of the Civil War and the formalized army of the late seventeenth century. He is presented as a man of unwavering loyalty, whose career bridges the Restoration and the professionalization of the military.

William, Lord North and Grey, appears as the quintessential officer of the Marlborough era. He embodies the "gallant aspirant" for military fame, leading the regiment through the sieges of the Maese and distinguishing himself at Ramilies. His career serves as a focal point for the reader to understand the rapid advancement and heavy responsibility placed upon noble officers during the early eighteenth century.

Later commanders, such as Edward Pole and Colonel Thomas H. Franks, represent the transition toward a career-oriented officer class. Their lives are measured by their years of service, their promotions by purchase, and their final fates—often ending in tropical outposts, as seen with the death of Colonel Considine from cholera. These men are not portrayed as flawed or complex individuals, but as steady hands responsible for the order, discipline, and "native valour" of the troops they commanded.

In Its Own Voice

"The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted."

This opening sentiment from the preface explains the official motivation for creating these detailed historical records.

"The TENTH, and other corps at this point, penetrated among the trees, and a sharp fire of musketry was kept up; the foliage was thick, every tree was disputed, and the wood re-echoed the din of battle."

This passage describes the claustrophobic and intense combat conditions experienced by the regiment during the bloody Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an exploration of the institutionalization of courage. It argues that the "native valour" of the British soldier is a raw material that only gains true utility when shaped by the rigid, unchanging structures of discipline and military system. It is less a history of individual lives and more a history of the Regiment as a singular, enduring entity that survives the deaths of its members and the shifting of political tides. The underlying question is how a military force sustains its identity across centuries of transformation, moving from the pike-and-shot tactics of the seventeenth century to the globalized warfare of the mid-nineteenth century, while remaining fundamentally the same organization in spirit and mission.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in military history or the development of British imperial administration will find this an invaluable primary source. It provides a granular look at the movement of troops, the logistical realities of the pre-industrial army, and the formal language used by the Adjutant-General’s office to canonize its history. The writing is precise and factual, stripped of modern sentimentality, offering a cold, clear view of the priorities of the nineteenth-century military establishment.

However, the reader should be prepared for a dense, repetitive structure. The book is essentially a ledger of movements, names, and deaths, which may feel impersonal to those accustomed to narrative biographies. The text assumes a high level of familiarity with the political landscape of the 1700s and the geography of the British Empire. While it does not shy away from the harshness of war—noting the "dreadful" carnage and the loss of life from disease—it maintains a tone of unwavering loyalty to the Crown. It is a work of commemoration, intended to celebrate the regiment's persistence, and it succeeds in making the reader feel the weight of those two centuries of continuous, disciplined service. It is a record of an institution that valued endurance above all else.