By February 1798 Britain had been at war with revolutionary France for several years. Previously, on the 3rd of May 1794 a meeting at Aylesbury of Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, Freeholders and Yeomen had agreed a general subscription for the defence of the Kingdom. By April of 1798 a bill had been passed by parliament called the “Defence of the Realm Act”. This enabled the government to obtain a return of all males eligible to serve in the event of an invasion. By the 1st of May some 625 men at and around Newport Pagnell had added their names to the list.

However there were exemptions such as Quakers, aliens and the infirm. There were also some feeble excuses and some legitimate excuses for joining or not. The following is a listing for Newport Pagnell and elsewhere:
Crooked Fingers
Lame
Infirm
Deaf & Dumb
Hard of Hearing
Broken Leg
Not at all right in his mind
Now in his 78th year but desirous of being enrolled as a man able and willing to serve
Cripple
Limping
One Eye
Subject to fits
An Idiot
A very poor creature!
A great rogue and very lame
Been in Bethlem!!
Rupture
No legs
In a decline
In a Dropsy
Fistleloe (Ulcer)
Whipper In?
William the carter and George the milkman refuse to tell their surnames
Broken Bellied
Deserter
Impotent in his feet
Lunatic at times
Non Composmentis
Not in his right senses
Broken Body but able to serve!?
Scalded Head

A list of unusual names for Newport Pagnell and Bucks

Rev. Will Stockins
John Standixthstreet
George Jug
Darnell Keys (alehouse keeper)
Hezekiah Troote
Shaswell Werton
Ezra Eagles
In Milton Keynes Village there are five “Bird” carpenters and three “Green” basket makers
Leaky Janes
Joseph Jizeph
Aquilla Leverett
Habakuk Pride
After Quick
Pussel Ladyman
Vezey Raffety
James Riddle (Jimmy!)
Caleb Spuffard
Aylemour Stopps
Halkins Tomkins
Perl Holt
Stanley Birdseye
Evan Evans (clerk at the copper mill)

The Posse Comitatus gives help to those of us who are researching our family histories. The first Census was taken in 1801 but was only a head count. It was not until 1841 that the first Census with names was taken. After every ten years a further count was taken and each time it improved on the former. So we are indeed fortunate in Buckinghamshire to have such a document with so much information and history of the time.