Town Guards 1661.

Officers and sergeants of the Saint George Civic Guard 1639 by Frans Hal.

(courtesy franshalsmuseum.nl)

Another little report from the travelling theologian:

On the Citizen Guard.

“At Brussels, Antwerp, and other towns, the citizens form the guard at the gates. Although there is a great number of soldiers in garrison at Cambrai, the citizens do not stop standing guard in the square, which is in the middle of the town, because they assume that an enemy might have traitors amongst them. In some places, like Aire, they close the gate, so that those on duty can have dinner.

When some cavalry arrive in a town, one knows of it by means of the belfries, which are on high places, built like towers, and covered over. The sentry who is on top strikes the bell many times, when there are cavalry approaching the town, flies a red standard for them, and a white one for infantry. Having arrived at the first gate, the cavalry are given two soldiers who lead them to the cavalry guardhouse. After they have spoken to the officer in command, he leads them to the custody of the governor, from where they are led to a hostelry. The hosteller is obliged to take their names to the town major, then one knows if the soldiers sent there are still there, otherwise a wide search is made. The same thing is done for infantrymen. Before closing the gates, a large bell called the Gate Bell is sounded for some time in order to encourage those who want to come into towns to hurry up, there being no suburbs in most places. “The retreat” is sounded at nine o’clock with drums and if anyone is found without a candle, the soldiers arrest them and they are fined.

Those posted on the belfries sound the trumpet every half hour during the night in order to indicate they are on watch. At Cambrai, and in some other towns, they make three blasts with a large horn. At Maastricht, fifty cavalrymen armed from head to foot, stand guard in this way: everyone stands near their horse, which is saddled and bridled; there is a man on guard mounted on his horse near the door to the stables, where the rest are, and one in front of the governor’s lodgings, to which the horse traders who arrive in great numbers in this town are required to show the horses they bring, and to find out whether anyone wants to buy them or not, before leading them to their hostelry. Some infantry officers visit the boats which arrive at towns where there are rivers, which are very common in these parts, and see who has come in them.

At Bruges, they are exempt from garrisons, in recognition of the fact that some towns in the Low Countries having revolted against the King of Spain, they did not take their side. When one reforms a regiment or a company, the captains, officers reformés [basically a junior officer in reserve] the King gives them the pay of three soldiers, the lieutenant and the cornet each have two, and they are all obliged to register themselves with one of their friends and serve if needed. The general can have his soldiers fight a battle whenever he feels it is appropriate, without waiting for orders from the Court.”

M. de Saint-Martin, Relation d’un voyage fait en Flandres, Brabant, Hainaut, Artois, Cambresis, etc. En l’an 1661, Caen, 1667, pp. 437-442.