At the beginning of the 18th century, standing armies were
generally regarded as undesirable so wholesale disdandment of
regiments always followed a war as they did in 1712 after a
series of stunning victories had brought the War of the
Spanish Succession to a close. Queen Anne's death, however,
and the introduction of the Hanoverian monarchy caused unrest
amongst the supporters of the Stuart dynasty who called themselves
Jacobites. Richard Munden was one of many officers who found themselves
out of a job with the disdandments. The threat of a Jacobite uprising gave
him hope that his services would be needed again and it was not long before
his name was put forward to the Duke of Marlborough on a list entitled
Persons recommended to be officers in the newly raised Regiments :-
'Lt.-Col. Munden. Has spent a good part of his Estate in the service, and had
the honour to command the Battalion of Guards at Schellenberg. He says
he has some sort of promise from your Grace last year at Harwich. The
Earl of Orkney recommends him as having very good friends to assist him to raise a Regiment.'
There were 10 other names that were chosen with Munden's to raise eleven
regiments of Dragoons. The order sent to him on 23rd July 1715 from His
Majesty King George I started:
'Whereas We have thought fitt that a Regiment of Dragoons be forthwith
Raised under your Command for Our Service which is to consist of six Troops,
of One Serjeant, Two Corporals, One Drummer, One Hautbois, and Thirty
private Dragoons including the Widdows Men in Each Troop, These are to Authorize You by beat of Drumm or otherwise to raise So many Volunteers
as shall be Wanting to Compleat the said Regimt. to the above Numbers.'
A hautbois was a musician and 'Widdows Men' refers to non-existant men
whose pay went into a fund to support the widows of deceased officers.
The first action that involved Munden's Dragoons occured on 12th November 1715.
The battle of Preston in Lancashire was the main event of the First Jacobite Rebellion.
The Highlanders came south and occupied the town, putting up barricades in the roads
leading to Wigan and Lancaster. Munden's men were part of the force directed against
the Lancaster road barricade which they attacked from the rear. The houses on either
side of the road were occupied by rebels who fired down on the dragoons, wounding four
men and 12 horses. The houses were set alight, but the fight was a stalemate until the
arrival of General Carpenter the following day with 3 regiments of Dragoons. The rebels
surrendered on the 14th.
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