Documents pertaining to the activities of the Loyal Suffolk Yeomanry
Cavalry at a time when England was under threat of invasion.
With invasion by the French revolutionary armies thought to be imminent,
in 1794 a county-wide subscription was raised to support groups of
Suffolk gentry, farmers, tradesmen and professionals to provide a
defence for Suffolk. They formed themselves into a volunteer and
part-time cavalry - the Loyal Suffolk Yeomanry Cavalry. Cornelius
Collett, a banker in Woodbridge, joined his local Troop at its inception
and remained a member for the next twenty six years. During this period,
he collected and transcribed - in three large, leather-bound books - a
range of unique and wide-ranging documents. These included, as well as
details of musters and reviews, letters from the Lord Lieutenant, orders
from central government, and plans for evacuation that would be put into
place should the French arrive on Suffolk's shores. In addition to the
external threat, Collett also gives details of the Yeomanry's secondary
role of aiding the civil authorities in case of social unrest at home -
something that became more important as a result of economic hardship
after the conclusion of the French Wars. With relevance to the whole of
Suffolk, these volumesalmost certainly represent the most comprehensive
collection of documents of its kind.
The volumes are presented here with an introduction and notes, providing
new insights into the role and functioning of the Suffolk Yeomanry
between 1794 and 1820 and the nature of its patriotic duty.
