Description:Sir John Leveson’s 1589 Summary of Kentish Defences also provides an insight into the involvement of ‘unarmed’ men in defending against foreign invasion.
Indeed, it wasn’t just the armed forces that were required in the event of an invasion. The summary also makes reference to the need for ‘Victuallers’ and ‘Surgeons’.
‘Victuallers’ were in charge of providing food for the armed forces. Leveson states that one ‘victualler’ was assigned to each band of soldiers. He continues ‘more over…eche victualler, nowe dwelling within 8 myles of the Sea coaste be enioyned to have always in a readinesse a certaine proportion of wheate’.
One surgeon was also assigned to each band of soldiers ‘to have in readynesse meete medicine for the healing of fyrie woundes.’