Muster Rolls pre-1650

A muster roll was a list of able-bodied men who were capable of military service. They were armed at their own expense. Several muster rolls survive for Ulster counties from the early seventeenth century. They are usually arranged by estate and consist in the main of a list of names with perhaps the weapon, if any, possessed.

1642 Muster Roll Raphoe
MUSTER ROLLS FOR ULSTER (PRONI)
Antrim 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Antrim 1631 D1759/3C/3
Armagh 1631 T934/1
Cavan 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Cavan 1631 T934
Donegal 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Donegal 1631 D1759/3C/2
Down 1630 D1759/3C/1
Fermanagh 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Londonderry 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Monaghan 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Tyrone 1618 D1759/3B/5 (Mss copy extracts)
Tyrone 1631 T934

See also:
A list of the men and arms of Sir Thomas Phillips and Sir Robert MacClelan [McClelland], County Londonderry, 1611–16 – T/1080/1 Muster roll of Coleraine and Londonderry, 1622 – printed in Londonderry and the London Companies, edited by D. A. Chart (Belfast, 1928), pp. 52–4

A large collection of muster rolls for the period 1642–5 is available in the Groves collection in PRONI (T808/15166–15177). Researchers should look at the calendar list carefully. The following is a selection from this list.
  • Muster roll of Sir Robert Stewart’s regiment at Raphoe, County Donegal, 1642 – T808/15166 (1223 named individuals)
  • Muster roll of foot companies of Chichester, Clanaboy, Clotworthy and Montgomery, and of the horse company of Col. Arthur Hill, 1642, c.4,000 names – T808/15172 
  • Muster roll held at the city of Derry, 1642–3 – T808/15176 
  • Muster roll of Col. Audley Mervyn’s company, 1643 – T808/15175, 15177
Other muster rolls from the seventeenth century include:

County Antrim muster roll, 1642 – T3726/2 

County Down muster roll, 1642–3 – T563/1 

Donaghadee muster roll, 1642 – T3726/1

For those interested in the muster rolls for Co L'Derry I have transcribed these and they are available for purchase at the link below. The format is in PDF so the entire publication is searchable.



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