1659
In September, 1658, Cromwell died; and in 1659 the Prince of Condé disbanded his forces, and having tendered his submission to the crown of France, he was received into the favour of Louis XIV. At the same time a treaty of peace, called the Peace of the Pyrenees, was concluded between France and Spain, and Dunkirk was ceded to England.
1660
After this treaty was concluded the strength of the French army was decreased, and Douglas' Regiment was reduced to eight companies. These events were followed by the restoration of King Charles II. to the throne of Great Britain; when the British troops which had been in the service of Spain were placed in garrison at Dunkirk; and Douglas' Regiment, in the French service, was in garrison at Avennes.
1661
Soon after the restoration, King Charles II. disbanded the army of the Commonwealth, which he found in England at his return. It was, however, deemed necessary to have a regular force established, for in January, 1661, a number of religious fanatics, called millenarians, or fifth monarchy-men, took arms against the government, and, although this insurrection was suppressed in a few days, yet it was deemed necessary to send for the Duke of York's troop of Guards from Dunkirk, and afterwards for Douglas' veteran Scots regiment from Flanders.
The regiment having arrived in England in the spring of 1661, it obtained rank in the British army from that date. It appears, however, to have had rank in the Swedish army from about the year 1625, and in the French army from 1633. No instance has been met with of its having been distinguished by any other title than the name of its Colonel, except during part of the time it was in the Swedish service, when it was designated, together with three other Scots regiments of which it is now the representative, the Green Brigade.
Soon after its arrival in England the establishment of the regiment was augmented, and its presence at this particular period was of great service to King Charles II.[49] But his Majesty having (after disbanding the whole of the army of the Commonwealth) established three troops of Life Guards, a regiment of Horse Guards, and two regiments of Foot Guards, in England; and a troop of Life Guards, and a regiment of Foot Guards in Scotland; it was not deemed necessary to detain Douglas' veteran corps in England, and it was, accordingly, sent back to France in 1662.
1662
At the same time, General Andrew Rutherford, who commanded the battalion of Scots Guards in the French service, having been appointed Governor of Dunkirk by King Charles II., his battalion was incorporated in Douglas' Regiment. There was also another battalion of Scots Foot in the service of France, commanded by Lord James Douglas, and this battalion was likewise incorporated into Douglas' veteran regiment, which now consisted of twenty-three companies of one hundred men each, and its established numbers, including officers and non-commissioned officers, were upwards of 2500.