It was embodied in 1778, at which time it was ranked the 8th regiment of militia, and remained active for five years.
With the resumption of hostilities in 1803, it was embodied as the 12th, and disembodied in 1816 following the peace.
It saw service during the Crimean War, being embodied in 1854 and volunteering for garrison service in the Mediterranean, being embodied again in late 1857 and finally disembodied in 1860.
In 1881, under the Childers Reforms, the regiment was transferred into The Oxfordshire Light Infantry as the 4th Battalion.
The battalion nominally remained in existence throughout the Second World War, but was never activated, and was finally disbanded in 1953.