A Mutinous Disposition? Discipline and (Dis)order in the Fencible Regiments in Britain and Ireland, 1793–1802

Abstract

The fencible regiments of the 1790s operated like the regulars but were limited to serve only in wartime, like the militia, and only in Scotland, later becoming the British Isles. These restrictions were the primary cause of the 1794 ‘mutinies’. These events, alongside other incidents of poor discipline across all ranks, have been previously used to portray the fencibles poorly. This article will argue that the ‘mutinies’ and the wider interactions within the military justice system both demonstrate the ‘soldier as worker’ approach and how the inherent temporary nature of the fencibles fundamentally shaped the employment of fencible officers and men.