1798 Posse Comitatus

The Posse Comitatus, or civil power, was a survey of all men capable of acting in a military capacity who were not either Quakers, clergymen or already serving in a military unit. Men between the ages of 15 and 60 were included. In addition, the number of horses, wagons and carts available were surveyed.

The first such survey appears to have been conducted by Dorset in 1797. The publicity that followed caused several other counties to conduct similar surveys. It was at the initiative of the lord lieutenant, the Marquess of Buckingham, that the Buckinghamshire survey was conducted. The work was directed by John Penn, High Sheriff. He issued instructions on 16 February 1798. Returns were due by 5 March.

The survey was conducted against the background of war with revolutionary France, and the risk of invasion by French forces. By February 1798, Britain had been at war with France for five years.

Buckinghamshire is the only county for which a complete copy of the Posse Comitatus exists. In fact there are two surviving copies. One is in the British Library and the other in the Buckinghamshire Record Office. It seems likely that the Buckinghamshire record office copy was a working compilation from parish returns, and the British Library copy a presentation version.

The following is a complete list of the 265 Hanslope men in the Posse Comitatus.

The following is a list of persons keeping horses in Hanslope from the Posse Comitatus.

The following summarises the return for the whole county.

Source for the above information: Publication No.22 of the Buckinghamshire Record Society entitled "The Buckinghamshire Posse Comitatus 1798", published in 1985 (ISBN 0 901198 18 8).

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