ABSTRACT
Government authorisation for the Force was contained in a circular from the Secretary of State for War, General Peel, to Lords Lieutenant on 12 May 1859. The Force was to be raised under the provisions of the Act of 1804 which had consolidated previous Acts relating to the Volunteers. In giving to the Lord Lieutenant control over the formation of a corps and the appointment of its officers the Government seemed to be ensuring that the Force would remain socially and politically safe. Plans for increased fortifications had long been discussed by experts, but it was only in the crisis circumstances of 1859-60 that there could be secured authorisation and finance for their implementation. The incoming Conservative Government pressed ahead with a new Militia Bill which met with success and empowered the Government to raise a force of 80,000 men, or 120,000 in case of great emergency.
