6o BELPER REGIMENT. 



The Rev. Francis Foxlow, of Staveley, Captain of the Staveley 

 Volunteers ; who was afterwards Vicar of Elmton. 



The usual day for drill was tlie Sunday, sometimes immediately 

 after morning service, at other times early in the afternoon. Old 

 Mr. Goodwin, of Hazelvvood, who, if now living, would be 

 upwards of no, has often told us of the meeting of the Belper 

 corps, of which he was a member, in the Market Place, at ten 

 o'clock in the forenoon ; when Rev. Joseph Bradshaw would ride 

 up at a canter, in Major's uniform, and instantly read some of the 

 Church prayers from horseback. He had put the morning service 

 at Holbrook Chapel an hour earlier, to enable him to be present 

 at that hour. The corps then proceeded to the Derwent meadows 

 for drill. Another old man, resident some years ago at Riber, 

 has told us of the whole Wirksworth battalion, under the com- 

 mand of Mr. Hurt, meeting not infrequently at Wirksworth, on a 

 Sunday, and that it made the town like a fair, all the young lads 

 and lasses of the neighbourhood flocking in to see them. He 

 added, that some of the Methodists spoke against this Sunday 

 drill, and one Church parson ; but then he was only a curate, 

 and his rector dismissed him for preaching about it in Matlock 

 pulpit. * 



The uniform of the majority of the corps of the Derbyshire 

 Volunteers was scarlet coat, with yellow collar and cuffs, and 

 dark blue trousers, but a considerable number had white trousers. 

 The North High Peak corps wore scarlet coat, with blue collar 

 and cuffs, and white trousers. The officers of most of the corps 

 had gold lace, but some corps wore silver lace, and others none. 



The movement attained such proportions, that official accounts 

 returned the Volunteers, on January ist, 1804, at 341,600. But 

 this military fervour evaporated almost as quickly as it had arisen. 

 So far as Derbyshire was concerned the Volunteers came practically 

 to an end in 1808, on the establishment of a new Militia force, to 

 which many of the officers transferred their service ; a few corps 



* Rev. Dr. Holcombe was at this time rector of Matlock ; he was also 

 rector of East and West Leake, Notts., where he resided. 



