Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
Professional services
UnclaimedA British Army Reserve unit whose lineage combines the Inns of Court Regiment and the City of London Yeomanry.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Inns of Court and City Yeomanry is a British Army Reserve formation created in 1961 by amalgamating two London volunteer traditions: the Inns of Court Regiment, known as “The Devil's Own,” and the City of London Yeomanry, known as the “Rough Riders.” Although the present unit dates from the post-war amalgamation, its heritage reaches back much further. The Inns of Court tradition is associated with a 1584 pledge by members of the legal profession to defend Queen Elizabeth I during the threat posed by the Spanish Armada. The City of London Yeomanry descended from volunteer mounted formations raised in the late nineteenth century and saw active service during the Second Boer War. The Inns of Court Regiment developed during the nineteenth century from a volunteer rifle corps. Its distinctive nickname, “The Devil's Own,” is traditionally linked to an 1803 inspection in Hyde Park during the Napoleonic Wars, when George III is reputed to have commented on the unusual concentration of lawyers in a military formation. The City of London Yeomanry was formed from volunteers associated with the 20th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. Its “Rough Riders” nickname reflected the wider popular image of volunteer mounted troops at the end of the nineteenth century. After its formation, the combined regiment initially served in an armoured-car role, consistent with the employment of many Yeomanry units in the period. Defence reforms in 1967 reduced it to an infantry company within the London Yeomanry and Territorials. When that organisation was disbanded in 1968, a small cadre was retained in the Royal Armoured Corps so that the regiment's name, headquarters and historical identity would continue. Personnel from the former company helped form 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron in 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment. The unit also maintained a Home Service Force presence between 1986 and 1993 through 348 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signals Squadron. That formation had a local defence and key-point protection role and was organised broadly on infantry-company lines. A residual defence platoon continued for approximately another year, with the final parade taking place in 1994. Reserve reorganisation subsequently altered the unit's administrative relationships. In 2009, 68 Signal Squadron merged with 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron to create 68 (Inns of Court and City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron. Following further changes associated with the 2014 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Essex element was reorganised under 36 Signal Squadron, while 68 Squadron returned to the title 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron and concentrated its footprint in north London. Today the lineage is maintained principally through 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron and the Band of the Royal Yeomanry (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry). The signal squadron is a close-support reserve unit within 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment of the Royal Corps of Signals. It operates from Lincoln's Inn in Holborn and from premises at Whipps Cross in Leytonstone. The band is based in Hackney and is one of the Army Reserve's bands; it is described as the only band in the Royal Armoured Corps. The regiment's museum at Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, preserves records, photographs and military artefacts connected with the combined regiment and its predecessor formations.
History
The modern Inns of Court and City Yeomanry was established in 1961 through the amalgamation of the Inns of Court Regiment and the City of London Yeomanry. Its historical identity is therefore composite rather than the product of a single founding event. The Inns of Court lineage is traced to legal professionals who pledged in 1584 to defend Elizabeth I during the Spanish Armada crisis. The tradition of lawyers serving in organised defence formations reappeared during later national emergencies. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Inns of Court volunteers were inspected in Hyde Park. Regimental tradition holds that George III referred to the legally trained volunteers as “The Devil's Own,” a nickname that became an enduring part of the unit's identity. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Inns of Court Regiment had developed from a volunteer rifle formation. The City of London Yeomanry represented a separate mounted-volunteer tradition. It was raised from volunteers of the 20th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, in the late 1890s and served in the Second Boer War. Its “Rough Riders” title echoed the contemporary reputation of irregular volunteer cavalry and remained part of the unit's historical character. Following the 1961 amalgamation, the combined regiment served as an armoured-car regiment. The Territorial Army reorganisation of 1967 reduced it to an infantry company within the London Yeomanry and Territorials. That organisation was dissolved in 1968, but a cadre of three officers and five other ranks was retained in the Royal Armoured Corps. This preserved the regiment's name in the Army List, together with its headquarters and mess at Lincoln's Inn. The surviving personnel and traditions were subsequently connected with 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron in 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment. A separate Home Service Force formation, 348 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signals Squadron, operated from 1986 to 1993 with a local defence role. It continued briefly as a semi-official defence platoon before holding its final parade in 1994. Reserve communications restructuring in 2009 brought 68 Squadron together with 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron. The resulting formation was named 68 (Inns of Court and City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron. Further restructuring following the 2014 Strategic Defence and Security Review transferred the Essex-linked element to 36 Signal Squadron. The 68 Squadron title was restored, with the unit's footprint focused in north London. The current lineage is represented by 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron and the Band of the Royal Yeomanry (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry). The squadron is a close-support unit in 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment, part of the Royal Corps of Signals and the British Army Reserve. Its headquarters occupies a Georgian townhouse at Lincoln's Inn, while another operating location is at Whipps Cross in Leytonstone. The associated band is based in Hackney. Regimental historical materials are held at the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry museum at 10 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn. The organisation has also received civic freedoms, including the freedom of Waltham Forest in 1998.
- 2014
Post-review restructuring
[1]Following defence restructuring, the Essex-linked element moved under 36 Signal Squadron and 68 Squadron resumed the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry title.
- 2009
Merger with Essex Yeomanry signals unit
[1]68 Squadron merged with 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron to form a combined Inns of Court, City and Essex Yeomanry squadron.
- 1998
Freedom of Waltham Forest
[1]The regiment received the freedom of Waltham Forest.
- 1994
Final Home Service Force parade
[1]The residual defence platoon associated with the Home Service Force held its final parade.
- 1986
Home Service Force squadron formed
[1]348 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signals Squadron was established within the Home Service Force for local key-point defence duties.
- 1968
Cadre retention and signals transition
[1]Although the London Yeomanry and Territorials was disbanded, a small cadre was retained and personnel helped establish 68 Signal Squadron in 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment.
- 1967
Territorial Army reorganisation
[1]The regiment was reduced from an armoured-car role to an infantry company within the London Yeomanry and Territorials.
- 1961
Amalgamation
[1]The Inns of Court Regiment and the City of London Yeomanry were amalgamated to form the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry.
- 1890
City of London Yeomanry lineage
[1]The City of London Yeomanry was raised from volunteers associated with the 20th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, establishing the lineage later combined with the Inns of Court Regiment.
- 1803
The Devil's Own tradition
[1]Regimental tradition associates the nickname “The Devil's Own” with a George III inspection of Inns of Court volunteers during the Napoleonic Wars.
Products and positioning
A London-based Army Reserve lineage and signals organisation combining legal, civic and Yeomanry traditions with contemporary communications and reserve military duties.
Army Reserve signals unit · 1968
68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron
The principal contemporary military formation carrying the regiment's name. It is a close-support squadron within 71 (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, and forms part of the British Army Reserve. Its locations include Lincoln's Inn in Holborn and Whipps Cross in Leytonstone.
Army Reserve band
Band of the Royal Yeomanry (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry)
The associated reserve band preserves and presents the regiment's ceremonial identity. Based in Hackney, it is one of the Army Reserve's bands and is identified as the only band in the Royal Armoured Corps.
Brand decisions
2009
Merger with 70 Essex Yeomanry Signal SquadronM&ABackground
The Royal Signals Reserve underwent organisational restructuring.
Action taken
68 Squadron was combined with 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron.
Aftermath
The resulting unit operated under the combined Inns of Court, City and Essex Yeomanry name until subsequent restructuring restored the separate 68 Squadron title.
1961
Amalgamation of predecessor regimentsM&ABackground
Post-war British reserve forces were reorganised, bringing together the Inns of Court Regiment and the City of London Yeomanry.
Action taken
The two formations were amalgamated to create the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry.
Aftermath
The combined unit retained the legal and civic heritage of both predecessors and later continued through reserve signals and band formations.
Sources2 sources
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