34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot

{{Short description|British Army infantry regiment (1702-1881)}} {{Infobox military unit |unit_name=34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot |image=34th Foot Colours.jpeg |caption=Colours of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot |dates= 1702–1881 |country= {{flag|Kingdom of England}} (1702–1707) {{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}} (1707–1801) {{flag|United Kingdom}} (1801–1881) |allegiance= |branch={{army|UK}} |type= |role= |size= |command_structure= |garrison=[[Carlisle Castle]] |garrison_label= |nickname=Cumberland Gentlemen<ref name="Burnham">{{cite book |last1=Burnham|first1=Robert|last2=McGuigan|first2=Ron|year=2010|title=The British Army against Napoleon|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire|publisher=Frontline Books|isbn=978-1-84832-562-3|page=125}}</ref> |patron= |motto= |colors= |colors_label= |march= |mascot= |equipment= |equipment_label= |battles=[[War of the Spanish Succession]] [[Seven Years' War]] [[American Revolutionary War]] [[Napoleonic Wars]] [[Upper Canada Rebellion]] [[Crimean War]] [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]] |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= |battle_honours_label= |disbanded= |flying_hours= |website= }} The '''34th Regiment of Foot''' was an [[infantry]] [[regiment]] of the [[British Army]], raised in 1702. Under the [[Childers Reforms]] it amalgamated with the [[55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot]] to form the [[Border Regiment]] in 1881.

==History== === Early history ===

The regiment was raised in [[East Anglia]] by Colonel [[Robert Lucas, 3rd Baron Lucas of Shenfield|Lord Lucas]] as '''Lord Lucas's Regiment of Foot''' in February 1702 to fight in the [[War of Spanish Succession]].<ref name=regiments>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/034-702.htm |title=34th (the Cumberland) Regiment of Foot |publisher=regiments.org |access-date=6 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060301140648/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/034-702.htm |archive-date=1 March 2006 }}</ref> The regiment embarked for [[Spain]] in May 1702<ref>Cannon, p. 11</ref> and took part in the [[Siege of Barcelona (1705)|siege of Barcelona]] in September 1705.<ref>Cannon, p. 12</ref> The regiment was then garrisoned at [[Tortosa]] before returning to England in spring 1707.<ref>Cannon, p. 15</ref> The regiment then embarked for [[France]] in July 1708 and fought at the [[Siege of Lille (1708)|siege of Lille]] in autumn 1708,<ref>Cannon, p. 16</ref> the siege of [[Douai]] in spring 1709<ref>Cannon, p. 18</ref> and the [[siege of Bouchain]] in summer 1711.<ref>Cannon, p. 19</ref> The regiment returned to England after the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] and was disbanded in spring 1713.<ref>Cannon, p. 20</ref> The regiment was reformed without loss of precedence in 1715.<ref name=regiments/> It sailed in September 1719 and took part in the [[capture of Vigo]] in October 1719 during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]] and then returned home later in the year.<ref>Cannon, p. 21</ref>

The regiment embarked for [[Flanders]] in June 1744 and saw action at the [[Battle of Fontenoy]] in May 1745 during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].<ref>Cannon, p. 24</ref> It was ordered home in September 1745 as part of the government response to the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite rebellion]]<ref>Cannon, p. 25</ref> and were in the right wing of the front line at the [[Battle of Culloden]] in April 1746.<ref>Cannon, p. 27</ref> In 1751 a royal warrant declared that regiments should no longer be known by the name of their colonel, but their number in the order of precedence, and Conway's duly became the '''34th Regiment of Foot'''.<ref name=regiments/>

===Seven Years' War===

Posted to [[Menorca]] in 1755, the regiment deployed a detachment of 26 officers, 29 sergeants, 19 Drummers, and 678 other ranks as part of [[William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney|Lord Blakeney's]] garrison (with the [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|4th]], [[Royal Welch Fusiliers|23rd]] and [[South Wales Borderers|24th Regiments]]).<ref>Cannon, p. 30</ref> As such they were besieged by a larger French force under Marshal [[Armand de Vignerot du Plessis|Duke De Richelieu]] and retreated to [[Mahón|Fort St Phillip]]. After a defence of two months' duration, at one point watching themselves being abandoned by the fleet under [[John Byng|Admiral Byng]], the British forces capitulated and retreated to [[Gibraltar]].<ref>Cannon, p. 32</ref> A second battalion was formed in 1757 to serve as marines.<ref name=regiments/> The regiment then took part in the [[raid on St Malo]] in June 1758, the [[raid on Cherbourg]] in August 1758 and the [[Battle of Saint Cast]] in September 1758.<ref>Cannon, p. 33</ref>

[[File:Dominic Serres the Elder - The Capture of Havana, 1762, the English Battery before Morro Castle.jpg|thumb|The [[siege of Havana]], which the regiment fought in]]

The regiment departed with the [[Siege of Havana|British expedition against Cuba]] and was part of the besieging force which took [[Morro Castle (Havana)|Fort Morro]] in July 1762 and [[Battle of Havana (1762)|Havana]] in August 1762.<ref name="Cannon, p. 35">Cannon, p. 35</ref> It was ordered to return to England in 1763, but while en route the orders were changed and the 35th, along with the [[Cheshire Regiment|22nd Regiment]], was sent to garrison [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], part of the [[West Florida]] region transferred to Britain by the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000878/17630831/001/0001|title=London, August 27|work=Dublin Courier|date=31 August 1763}}</ref> In December 1765 the regiment moved upriver to [[Fort de Chartres]] in the [[Illinois Country]], taking five months in transit, with detachments taking over a number of other posts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000045/17660723/007/0002|title=London|work=Caledonian Mercury|date=23 July 1766}}</ref> The regiment returned to England in 1768.<ref name="Cannon, p. 35"/>

===American Revolutionary War=== The regiment was dispatched to [[Canada]] in spring 1776 and, while participating in numerous small skirmishes, drove out the American forces and forced them to abandon [[Fort Ticonderoga]] in July 1777.<ref>Cannon, p. 37</ref> A detachment of the regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel [[Barry St. Leger]] also took part in the unsuccessful siege of [[Fort Stanwix]].<ref name=cannon39>Cannon, p. 39</ref> Captain Alexander Fraser, a veteran of the [[French and Indian War]] serving with the regiment, commanded what became known as the Company of Select Marksmen and saw action as skirmishers during the [[Saratoga campaign]] in autumn 1777.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmid.com/the-british-rangers/|title=Captain Alexander Fraser's Company of Select Marksmen|publisher=Company of Select Marksmen|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031150806/http://www.csmid.com/the-british-rangers/|archive-date=31 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A number of other officers and other ranks, including Lieutenant Bright Nodder, were captured by the American forces and held as part of the [[Convention Army]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA491107|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031085806/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA491107|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2016|title=The Royal Army in America During the Revolutionary War: The American Prisoner Records|first=Kenneth|last= Baumgardt|publisher=Defense Technical Information Center|access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref>

On 31 October 1780 the [[brig-sloop]] [[HMS Ontario (1780)|HMS ''Ontario'']] was foundered during a violent storm and was sunk east of [[Fort Niagara]] on [[Lake Ontario]] with the loss of 80 lives including one officer, 34 other ranks, four women and five children from the regiment.<ref>Haldimand Papers CO42/14 XP003691 Copy 1 Niagara, 18 November 1780</ref> The resting site of HMS ''Ontario'' remained a mystery until 2008 when the nearly pristine brig "was discovered resting partially on its side, with two masts extending more than 20 metres above the lake bottom", in approximately 150 meters of water "off the southern shore".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/british-warship-sunk-in-1780-found-in-lake-ontario-1.302155|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016011135/http://www.ctvnews.ca/british-warship-sunk-in-1780-found-in-lake-ontario-1.302155|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 October 2012|title=British warship sunk in 1780 found in Lake Ontario|publisher=CTV News|date=13 June 2008|access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref>

The regiment was granted the county title as the '''34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot''' in 1782<ref name=regiments/> but did not return to England until 1786.<ref name=cannon39/>

===Napoleonic Wars=== [[File:El mariscal Beresford desarmando a un oficial polaco en La Albuera.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Albuera]], during which the regimental colours were successfully recovered after the colour-bearer was shot, in May 1811]]

The regiment was posted to the [[West Indies]] in February 1795 and was based in [[Saint Lucia]] where it defended the island from French forces and then suppressed a rebellion in [[Saint Vincent (Antilles)|Saint Vincent]].<ref>Cannon, p. 40</ref> The regiment returned to England in July 1797.<ref>Cannon, p. 41</ref> It was posted to the [[Cape of Good Hope]] in 1800 and to [[India]] in 1802.<ref>Cannon, p. 42</ref> It remained in India campaigning against the [[Maratha Empire]] for nineteen years before returning home.<ref>Cannon, p. 69</ref>

A second battalion of the regiment was raised in 1804 serving in England and [[Jersey]],<ref>WO/379/6 Regimental annual dispositions. National Archives. Retrieved 8 August 2018</ref> and embarked for [[Portugal]] in July 1809 for service in the [[Peninsular War|Peninsular Campaign]] of the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref>Cannon, p. 45</ref> The 2nd battalion took part in the [[Second siege of Badajoz (1811)|siege of Badajoz]] in spring 1811<ref>Cannon, p. 48</ref> and the [[Battle of Albuera]], [[Battle of Albuera order of battle| (order of battle)]] during which the regimental colours were successfully recovered after the colour-bearer was shot, in May 1811.<ref>Cannon, p. 49</ref> The battalion captured the drums and the Drum Major's mace of the French 34e Régiment at the [[Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos]] in October 1811.<ref>Cannon, p. 52</ref> It went on to fight at the [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|siege of Ciudad Rodrigo]] in January 1812,<ref name=cannon53>Cannon, p. 53</ref> the [[Battle of Almaraz]] in May 1812<ref name=cannon53/> and the [[Battle of Vitoria]] in June 1813.<ref>Cannon, p. 55</ref> It then pursued the French Army into France fighting at the [[Battle of the Pyrenees]] in July 1813,<ref>Cannon, p. 60</ref> the [[Battle of Nivelle]] in November 1813<ref>Cannon, p. 61</ref> and the [[Battle of the Nive]] in December 1813<ref name=cannon62>Cannon, p. 62</ref> as well as the [[Battle of Orthez]] in February 1814<ref name=cannon62/> and the [[Battle of Toulouse (1814)|Battle of Toulouse]] in April 1814.<ref name=cannon62/> The battalion then embarked for [[Ireland]] in July 1814.<ref>Cannon, p. 43</ref>

=== Victorian era === In August 1829 the regiment was posted to [[Canada]].<ref>Cannon, p. 71</ref> A detachment from the regiment fought American [[Hunters' Lodges]] at the [[Battle of Windsor]] in December 1838 during the [[Upper Canada Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edunetconnect.com/cat/rebellions/1837f04.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222042026/http://www.edunetconnect.com/cat/rebellions/1837f04.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 February 2007|title=Chronology of events|publisher=The 1837 rebellions|access-date=30 October 2016}}</ref> The regiment embarked for the journey back to England in June 1841.<ref>Cannon, p. 76</ref> The regiment was then engaged suppressing [[Chartism|Chartist riots]] in the North of England in 1842.<ref>Cannon, p. 77</ref> The regiment next saw action at the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55)|siege of Sevastopol]] in winter 1854 during the [[Crimean War]].<ref name=life>{{cite web|url=http://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/about-us/our-regiments/34th-regiment/|title=34th Regiment|publisher=Cumbria's museum of military life|access-date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413194649/http://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/about-us/our-regiments/34th-regiment/|archive-date=13 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> It also fought at the [[siege of Cawnpore]] in June 1857 and the [[siege of Lucknow]] in autumn 1857 during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]].<ref name=life/>

As part of the [[Cardwell Reforms]] of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 26th was linked with the [[55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot]], and assigned to district no. 2 at [[Carlisle Castle]].<ref name=training>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210172841/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 February 2006|title=Training Depots|publisher=Regiments.org|access-date=16 October 2016}}</ref> On 1 July 1881 the [[Childers Reforms]] came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot to form the [[Border Regiment]].<ref name=regiments/>

==Battle honours== Battle honours won by the regiment were:<ref name=regiments/> * ''Peninsular War'': [[Battle of Albuera|Albuhera]], [[Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos|Arroyo dos Molinos]], [[Battle of Vitoria|Vittoria]], [[Battle of the Pyrenees|Pyrenees]], [[Battle of Nivelle|Nivelle]], [[Battle of the Nive|Nive]], [[Battle of Orthez|Orthes]], Peninsula * ''Crimean War'': [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)|Sevastopol]] * ''Indian Mutiny'': [[Siege of Lucknow|Lucknow]] * ''West Indies'': [[Battle of Havana (1762)|Havannah]] (''awarded 1909 to The Border Regiment'')

==Victoria Crosses== Victoria Crosses awarded to men of the regiment were: * Private [[William Coffey (VC)|William Coffey]], [[Crimean War]] (29 March 1855) * Private [[George Richardson (VC)|George Richardson]], [[Indian Mutiny]] (27 April 1859) * Private [[John Joseph Sims]], Crimean War (18 June 1855)

==Regimental Colonels== Colonels of the regiment were:<ref name=regiments/> *1702–1705: [[Robert Lucas, 3rd Baron Lucas of Shenfield]] *1705–1712: Hans Hamilton *1712–1723: Thomas Chudleigh *1723–1732: Robert Hayes *1732–1738: Hon. [[Stephen Cornwallis]] *1738–1742: Lord [[James Cavendish (MP for Malton)|James Cavendish]] *1742–1749: Hon. [[James Cholmondeley]] *1749–1751: Hon. [[Henry Seymour Conway]]

===34th Regiment of Foot=== *1751–1754: Charles Russell *1754–1760: [[Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham]] *1760–1797: [[Lord Frederick Cavendish (British Army officer)|Lord Frederick Cavendish]]

===34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot=== *1797–1810: George Fitzroy, 2nd Lord Southampton *1810–1816: Gen. Sir [[Eyre Coote (British Army officer)|Eyre Coote]] *1816–1826: Gen. Hon. Sir [[Galbraith Lowry Cole]] *1826–1860: Sir [[Thomas Brisbane]] *1860–1874: Gen. [[John Eden (British Army officer)|John Eden]] *1874–1875: James Creagh *1875–1879: Gen. [[William Irwin (British Army officer)|William Irwin]] *1879–1881: Gen. [[Alexander Maxwell (British Army officer)|Alexander Maxwell]]

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources== *{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Cannon|author-link=Richard Cannon|title=Historical Record of the Thirty-Fourth, or the Cumberland Regiment of Foot|year=1844|location=London|publisher=Parker, Furnivall and Parker|isbn=9780665483547 |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_48354}}

==Further reading== *{{Cite book|editor-last=Green|editor-first=Peter|year=2025|title=Singular Honour The 34th Regiment of Foot's unique battle hounour 'Arroyo Dos Molinos' a series of essays Resumenes en Castellano |location=Kendal|publisher=CMOML (Museum)|isbn=978-1-0369-0802-7}} *{{Cite book|editor-last=Probert|editor-first=Rebecca|year=2014|title=Catherine Exley's Diary: the life and times of an army wife in the Peninsular War|location=Kenilworth|publisher=Takeway (Publishing)|isbn=978-0-9563847-9-9}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151115100225/http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/34th-cumberland-regiment-foot 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot] National Army Museum

* [https://www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/museum/museum-history/34th-foot-regiment/ 34th Regiment of Foot (Cumberland)] Regimental Museum Cumbria's Museum Life in Carlisle Castle

{{DEFAULTSORT:34th (Cumberland) Regiment Of Foot}} [[Category:Infantry regiments of the British Army]] [[Category:History of Cumberland]] [[Category:Military units and formations in Cumbria]] [[Category:Military units and formations established in 1702]] [[Category:Regiments of the British Army in the American Revolutionary War]] [[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1881]] [[Category:1702 establishments in England]]