BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.
1688
In the autumn of 1688, when the pernicious counsellors of King James II. had induced His Majesty to adopt measures which indicated a design to overthrow the constitution and established religion of the country, and many patriotic noblemen and gentlemen had solicited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army, to preserve the liberties and religion of the people, the King then became sensible of the dangerous position into which he had been brought, and resolved to augment his army: and among the corps embodied on that occasion was a regiment of pikemen and musketeers, which has been retained in the service to the present time, and now bears the title of "The SIXTEENTH, or the Bedfordshire Regiment of Foot."
This corps was raised in the southern counties of England, and the colonelcy was conferred on Lieut.-Colonel Archibald Douglas, from the royal regiment of foot, by commission dated the 9th of October, 1688. Captain Robert Hodges, from the grenadier company of the royal regiment, was appointed Lieut.-Colonel, and Murdock M'Kenzie was nominated Major. The establishment was fixed at nine hundred and twenty-seven officers and soldiers, including a grenadier company, which was afterwards ordered to be added to the regiment. The uniform was round hats, ornamented with white ribands; red coats, lined and faced with white; white waistcoats and breeches.
Five days after the warrants for the formation of the regiment were issued, a number of men had enrolled themselves under the standards of this corps,—principally from the county of Middlesex; and they were ordered to march to Reading in Berkshire, where the several enlisting parties were directed to assemble, and the formation of the corps was completed.
Early in November, when the armament under the Prince of Orange had passed Dover, the regiment was ordered to march to London, and occupy quarters in the borough of Southwark; it was afterwards directed to join the army: but the pernicious advice of the King's counsellors proved fatal to his interests; his soldiers refused to fight against the Prince of Orange; and some irregular orders were issued which appeared to leave the officers and men at liberty to quit their colours, when a number of corps were disbanded. The Prince of Orange issued orders for the several corps to be re-organised, and appointed quarters for every regiment;—the SIXTEENTH were directed to occupy quarters at Stony Stratford, in Buckinghamshire. King James afterwards fled to France.
Colonel Douglas adhered to the interest of King James, and the Prince of Orange promoted Lieut.-Colonel Hodges to the colonelcy of the regiment, by commission dated the 31st of December, 1688.
1689