The Military Estate in the North of England 1790 to 1914 – Shaped by Changing Military Priorities

The history of policing frequently implies that military sites were created to fulfil the requirement to provide a rapid response to support the civil powers. This article acknowledges that this factor, especially in the first half of the nineteenth century. The impact is set out through a detailed examination of General Napier’s plans in response to disturbances in manufacturing towns. Care needs to be taken not to ascribe the development of the whole military estate to the fulfilment of that particular function. There were always a small number of important defensive sites in the northern landscape. But the real change in the acquisition of land for military purposes came in the decades after the Crimean War when the military estate was shaped by weaponry and the struggle to create effective training. Accommodating the army remained the dominant factor in terms of the number of military sites. These were located to recruit enough soldiers to supply Britain’s often confused priorities of securing colonial interests and defending against European threats. This article maps out those key changes in the military estate in northern England, a development often overshadowed by the focus on military strength in London and the south coast.