 | History
1689-1700
Henry, Duke of Norfolk, raised a regiment on the little Roodee at Chester, in an effort to resist any attempt by James II to re-take the English throne. For the early part of its formation, the regiment was known by the name of the current Colonel-in-Chief, later becoming known as the 22nd Regiment of Foot. In the same year that it was raised, the regiment saw its first action as part of a British force sent to Ireland under the command of General Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg, taking part in the siege and capture of Carrickfergus. In 1690, the 22nd fought in the Battle of Boyne, and in 1691 at the Battle of Aughrim. The regiment continued to serve as a garrison in Ireland from this point until 1695, when it was sent to the Low Countries for a short time before returning to its duties in Ireland.
1751-1770
By 1751 the regiment had become the 22nd Foot, having previously been called after its successive colonels. In 1758 it formed part of Lord Amhest's expedition against the fortress of Louisburg in French Canada. The following year the regiment took part in General Wolfe's victory over the French at Quebec. The 22nd Foot received two battle honours for taking part in the capture of Martinique and the British expedition against Cuba during 1762.
1775-1780
After home service the regiment was sent to America in 1775. Having embarked in advance of the rest of the regiment at the request of Colonel Gage, Lt. Col. Abercrombie arrived in Boston just before the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he was killed in action. The regiment later evacuated from Boston to Halifax and then onto the New York and New Jersey campaigns of 1776. Its Light Infantry Company participated in the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 and later the Southern Campaigns in the 1780s, eventually surrendering with Cornwallis at Yorktown. The Battalion Companies occupied Newport Rhode Island, participating in the Battle of Rhode Island, eventually returning to New York City in 1779 and surrounding territory where the bulk of the regiment would remain until the end of the War, participating most notably at the First Battle of Springfield in early June 1780.
1780-1850
Although the County designation existed as early as 1772, the regiment was retitled The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782, the regiment served in the West Indies from 1793, taking part in expeditions against Martinique, St Lucia, Guadeloupe and St Domingo. Between 1800 and 1803 the 22nd was posted to South Africa, then moving to India where it suffered heavy losses during the assault on Bhurtpore (1805). In 1810, the regiment took part in the occupation of Mauritius where it remained in garrison until 1819. In 1843, the regiment gained the battle honours of Meeanee, Hyderabad and Scinde during further Indian service.
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