Muster Books and Pay Lists (WO 12/3320): 16th (Buckinghamshire) Regiment of Foot: 1767-1769; 1778-1787

            War Office 12, generated by the Commissary General of Musters Office, comprises the Household troops, the cavalry, Guards and regular infantry regiments of the line; as well as, special regiments or corps, colonial troops and various foreign legions and troops.
 The muster rolls record the name, rank, military station and pay period of each soldier while they were with the regiment. They were prepared by the commanding officer of each company of a regiment for the purpose of paying the officers and soldiers.  During a muster, each man was physically checked against his name on the roll and a note was made if their circumstances had changed since the last muster, for example, on duty, recruiting, sick, furlough, deserted, transferred or died.  In addition, notes related to officers include promoted, absent, and resigned.  Pay lists record rate of pay.
 The 16th was raised in 1688 under the colonelcy of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Douglas and initially is known by its Colonel's names until 1751, when it is designated the 16th Regiment of Foot. During the years of these musters, the Colonels are Lieutenant General James Gisborne, formerly of the 121st Foot, 1766-1778; and Lieutenant General James Robertson, formerly Lieutenant Colonel of the 16th, 1778-1788.  The Lieutenant Colonels on the musters are Joseph Gabbett, 1767-8; James Robertson, 1768-69: Alexander Dickson, 1781-83; and James Henry Craig, 1783-86. 
 Earlier, it had been involved in the Nine Years War (1688-1697) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). According to the Historical Record of the 16th, the regiment embarked for Florida in 1767, making Pensacola its head-quarters for the next eight years. As the American War heated up, it was ordered to join Lieutenant General Sir William Howe, under Lieutenant Colonel William Earl Harcourt, at New York in 1776. The following and successive years of the war, the 16th helped to defend the South. In 1782, March, after being ordered home due to their losses, arrived in England.

In 1782 the regiment was authorized to use the county designation, 16th (Buckinghamshire) Regiment of Foot.  In 1783 it moved to Ireland as a small peace time compliment.  In 1809, the regiment was designated the 16th Bedfordshire Regiment.            

            The musters are organised chronologically with a muster for each company, which for the 1760's for example, amounted to 9 companies.  The pay periods cover 9 July 1767 - 24 Oct. 1769; 25 June 1777-31 Dec. 1786.  During the American War of Independence, the remarks "prisoner with the Spaniards" and prisoner with the rebels" are sometimes found beside a soldier's name.  The documents include Proof Tables indicating the number of effectives for the company's pay period.  

The locations attached to the signed documents are the following:

1767-1769 - Fort George, Crown Point and New York
1778 - St. Augustine [Florida]
1781 - New Town, Long Island
1782-83 - England:  Leeds, High Wycombe, Dover Castle
1783-87 - Ireland:  Kinsale, Limerick, Galway, Ballinrobe, Athenree, Oughterarde, Dublin, Colerain, Belfast and Killough

The officers commanding companies for the muster period 25 Dec. 1781-24 June 1782 include:  Captain William Barker, Lt. Gen. James Robertson, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Dickson, Major Henry Savage, Captains George Sproule, Collin Graham, Charles Arbuthnot, Carew Smyth, George Dawson, Fitzmaurice Connors, Thomas Boyd and John Jones.            

            A Microfilm Finding Aid including the Commanders name, Payroll Start date, Payroll End date, Company Captain, Place, Date, and Notes, is available. Documents have been filmed by date.
 The finding aid is available in print in the Loyalist Collection Inventory binders (red binders) and online as an Electronic Finding Aid Record (linked below).