[1][2][3][4][5] King Henry VIII called a 'Great Muster' in 1539, which showed 2858 men available for service in the County of Cardiganshire, of whom 609 had 'harness' (armour), and 184 horsemen.

Conduct money was recovered from the government, but replacing the weapons issued to the levies from the militia armouries was a heavy cost on the counties.

When open war broke out between the King and Parliament, neither side made much use of the trained bands beyond securing the county armouries for their own full-time troops.

Under the Commonwealth and Protectorate the militia received pay when called out, and operated alongside the New Model Army to control the country.

An adjutant and drill sergeants were to be provided to each regiment from the Regular Army, and arms and accoutrements would be supplied when the county had secured 60 per cent of its quota of recruits.

Arms were issued to the Cardiganshire Militia at Aberystwyth on 1 October 1762, and it appears that the regiment carried out a short period of training.

The militia were called out, and the Cardigan regiment was embodied for the first time at Aberystwyth on 31 March 1778 under its Major-Commandant, Viscount Vaughan of Trawsgoed, son of the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Lisburne.

In March 1779 the Cardigan Militia moved to Carmarthen, and in June into Pembrokeshire, where its main duty was to guard French prisoners-of-war confined in Pembroke town.

On 24 May 1780 Viscount Vaughan was succeeded as major-commandant by John Campbell of Stackpole Court and the regiment marched to Hampshire to take up garrison duties at Portsmouth.

In 1780 a high proportion of the men requested leave to go home to vote in the general election that year: only three officers but 42 other ranks present with the main body and perhaps another 70 on the march had applied, proportionately much higher than for any English regiment for which figures remain.

[45] In 1781 the regimental establishment was increased from 120 privates to 228, the augmentation being achieved by recruiting two volunteer companies paid for by public subscription.

In August the Cardigan Militia (120 men in four companies) under the command of Maj William Lewis marched via Gloucester to take up duties on the invasion-threatened Sussex coast.

[47] The French Revolutionary Wars saw a new phase for the English militia: they were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in the British Isles), which the regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits.

On the march south the regiment had dropped a company at Aberystwyth, where in October it was placed at the disposal of the Revenue officers to assist in preventing smuggling.

[42][47][49][50][51] In January 1797 regimental HQ summoned a detachment back from Aberystwyth to reinforce the company guarding French prisoners of war at Pembroke Dock.

A force of militia, yeomanry and volunteers was quickly gathered at Haverfordwest under the command of Lord Cawdor to oppose this invasion.

There was some minor skirmishing, but with discipline collapsing among his troops (the Légion Noire) and wrongly believing himself outnumbered by Cawdor's force, the French commander surrendered.

Warrants had already been issued to embody the militia, and the Cardiganshires were marching to Woolwich to join the garrison for the Royal Arsenal and the Dockyard, followed by a contingent of supplementaries.

[21][22][29][30][41][54] In July the regiment was in Hampshire where it was shipped from Portsea to the Isle of Wight, where duties included guarding prisoners and manning the forts and redoubts protecting the island and the approaches to the Solent and Spithead.

On 11 September, John Palmer Chichester of Arlington Court, formerly Brigade of Guards, was appointed commanding officer in succession to Col Brooks.

In May 1808 the Royal Cardigan left Sheerness and moved first to Ospringe Barracks near Faversham, and then to Deal for duties in the coastal defences and Martello towers.

[54] In 1810 the regiment was redesignated the Royal Cardigan Light Infantry, when the drums were replaced by bugles and the sergeants exchanged their Spontoons for fusils.

Due to the disturbed nature of the countryside in 1819 the weapons in the Welsh militia armouries were deactivated by removing their flint locks and bayonets, leaving only sufficient serviceable arms for the permanent staff.

After 1831 neither ballots nor training were held for the militia, and although officers continued to be commissioned by the lord lieutenant the permanent staffs and armouries were repeatedly reduced.

[29][30][41][57][31] A purpose-built Militia Barracks, designed by Sir James Szlumper, was constructed for the regiment in Borth Road, Abersytwyth, in 1867.

The brigade based in Aberystwyth was redesignated The Cardigan Artillery (Western Division, RA), with its establishment increased to 619 other ranks in six batteries.

There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (militia, yeomanry and volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War.

[69][70] Under the sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve, a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime.

In line with the other Welsh militia regiments, the flag probably bore the Coat of arms of the Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire, at that time the Earl of Lisburne.

In 1833 the King drew the lots for individual regiments and the resulting list continued in force with minor amendments until the end of the militia.