Commission of array
A commission of array was a royal order telling local officers and gentry to gather the people of a county and prepare them for war, or to organize soldiers for service. The people who carried out this order were called arrayers in some old laws. It grew from the ancient obligation of free men to defend their land. Commissioners were usually experienced soldiers chosen by the crown to muster able-bodied men from each shire.
By the Wars of the Roses, drafted troops were less important than soldiers raised under contract. The system faded by the 17th century but King Charles I revived it in 1642 at the start of the Civil War, acting without Parliament’s consent, in response to Parliament’s Militia Ordinance. Both moves aimed to control the militia and raise more troops. The Commission of Array therefore sought to assemble a Royalist army. Commissioners were appointed for each county, often leading members of the local aristocracy and gentry who could influence their tenants and the local population. They publicly read the commission in main towns. People were often suspicious, fearing it could suppress them, and many saw the king as the aggressor in the conflict rather than Parliament.
In Devon, 28 Commissioners of Array were appointed on 19 July 1642, including prominent local figures.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:54 (CET).