Manchester Regiment (Jacobite)

The Manchester Regiment was a unit of soldiers recruited by the Jacobites in Manchester during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. They owed their allegiance to Charles Edward Stuart and the House of Stuart and were in rebellion against George II.

Having landed in Scotland in 1745, during the War of the Austrian Succession, Charles Edward Stuart had succeeded in gathering a large army of Highlanders which captured Edinburgh after defeating government forces during the Battle of Prestonpans. The Jacobite army then advanced into England, where it was believed there was strong support for a Stuart restoration.

Reaching Manchester, the Jacobites received only limited support. The 300 volunteers recruited there were formed into a Manchester Regiment, mainly drawn from the unemployed of the town. They were commanded by Colonel Francis Towneley of the Burnley Towneley family, who had returned from serving in the French army. Despite the optimistic reports, there turned out to be very little overt support by the English populace. Although only an untested force of militia stood between the Jacobites and their goal of capturing London, the decision was made to withdraw back to Scotland.

Charles saw the withdrawal as only being a temporary tactical retreat and to maintain his claim to the throne he ordered the Manchester Regiment to remain and garrison Carlisle, which had been captured by the Jacobites. When the town was re-captured by government forces in the subsequent Siege of Carlisle, the regiment was imprisoned, with many including Colonel Towneley executed. However a small detachment from the Manchester Regiment is now known to have left with Charles's main force and their task was to man the Jacobite artillery, where they were subsequently defeated at the Battle of Culloden and the rebellion collapsed.