| Type: | Act |
| Long Title: | An act to enable subjects of France to enlist as soldiers in regiments to serve on the continent of Europe, and in certain other places; and to enable his Majesty to grant commissions to subjects of France, to serve and receive pay as officers in such regiments, or as engineers under certain conditions. |
| Year: | 1794 |
| Citation: | 34 Geo. 3. c. 43 |
| Introduced By: | William Pitt the Younger |
| Territorial Extent: | Great Britain |
| Royal Assent: | 9 May 1794 |
| Status: | Repealed |
| Original Text: | https://archive.org/details/statutesatlarge51britgoog/page/n152 |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | no |
The Enlistment Act 1794 (also known as the Emigrant Corps Bill or Act) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that allowed the British government to create regiments of émigrés from France. This specific legislation was needed to enlist men who were not British subjects in the British Army and to allow George III to commission foreigners as officers. The Act was a major break from the military conventions about enlisting soldiers from other states in the Eighteenth Century.[1] The Act expired with the Peace of Amiens.
Many of those who fled France in the wake of the French Revolution were soldiers and officers of the French Royal Army. With the outbreak of French Revolutionary Wars in 1792 émigré nobles set up units and formed Armée des émigrés. Soon after the France declaration of war on Britain in February 1793, émigré officers also offered to raise units for the British Army. The British government welcomed the additional manpower.[2]
The first unit to be raised was the by Louis, duc de La Chastre.[3] To avoid political problems, the officers were commissioned by George III as Elector of Hanover and then they were transferred to British pay.[4] This arrangement was not practical for further offers, so new legislation was introduced to allow émigré units to be raised and maintained directly by Britain.
As the French officers of these units were Catholic, they needed exemptions from British laws against Catholics. Also, throughout the Eighteenth Century, many British MPs has been hostile to employing foreign troops within the British Army.[5]
There were significant debates in the House of Commons about the "Bill to enable subjects of France to enlist as Soldiers". The political arguments focused on two areas. Firstly, there were concerns over the government using foreign troops within the British isles, which was seen as a threat to British political liberty. Secondly, that by recruiting Frenchmen Britain was changing the nature of the war with France, and showing that it wanted to overturn the French Revolutionary government. Charles James Fox, one of the MPs who said most on this, thought that the war would be longer and more violent as a result, and negotiating a peace much harder. Despite these concerns being raised in Parliament, the government had enough of a majority for the bill to pass, although votes were held at each stage.[6]
The main terms of the Act were:
Parliamentary debates: Book: T. C. Hansard. 31. The Parliamentary history of England from the earliest period to the year 1803. London. 1818. 373–432.
Edmund Burke's speech on 11 April 1794: Book: Burke, Edmund. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. The Speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke in the House of Commons and in Westminster Hall: In Four Volumes. 4 . 1816. 163–167 .
Charles James Fox's speech on 17 April 1794: Book: Fox, Charles-James. Longman. The Speeches ... in the House of Commons. 1815. 245–260.
HL/PO/PU/1/1794/34G3n119, Public Act, 34 George III, c. 43, An Act to enable Subjects of France to enlist as Soldiers in Regiments to serve on the Continent of Europe, and in certain other Places; and to enable His Majesty to grant Commissions to Subjects of France to serve and receive Pay as Officers, in such Regiments, or as Engineers, under certain Restrictions.