This is a page from the Return of Men and Carts of 1798 for Widdrington Township. The list records the names of men eligible to serve in the local militia and the number of carts and cart horses available.
Fear of invasion by the French led to the drawing up of lists of names of men between the ages of 15 and 60 who were eligible to serve in the militia [army reserves]. The lists also recorded the number of waggons, carts and cart horses available "for the removal of Dead Stock, and conveying Soldiers and their Baggage ..." These lists are usually found amongst Quarter Sessions records. The Quarter Sessions were the quarterly meetings of Justices of the Peace who met to hear some criminal cases and to deal with some local administrative issues. These, and additional records of the Northumberland Quarter Sessions are held by Northumberland Archives Service.
