Trained band

Trained bands were a type of militia force which existed in England, Wales and English America between the 16th and 18th centuries. Trained bands were first organised in England and Wales in 1572 at the county level, and were supposed to drill on a regular basis although actual training was much less frequent. Trained bands were common in England's American colonies, where they were normally referred to as Trainbands. Units of trained bands were gradually renamed as "militia" over the course of the 17th century, a process which was completed by the 18th century, although the militia of London was still referred to as the "London Trained Bands".

Etymology

The exact derivation and usage is not clear. A nineteenth-century dictionary says, under "Train":

train-band, i.e. train'd band, a band of trained men, Cowper, John Gilpin, st. I, and used by Dryden and Clarendon (Todd)

The issue is whether the men "received training" in the modern sense, or whether they were "in the train" or retinue or were otherwise organized around a military "train" as in horse-drawn artillery.

Trained Bands in England and Wales

Founded in 1572, and organised by county, it was not until the 'Exact Militia Programme' of 1625 that they began to have regular training and weapons drill. Even then, standards varied considerably, and depended on the level of financial support by the local gentry.