The Marquis of Granby

In Colonial America the armed forces consisted mainly of citizen soldiers. Each community usually had a fifer and a drummer to provide marching music for the local militia.

It is totally impossible to locate, and thereby make available, a published history of the development of fifing and drumming in America. The activity has never been considered that important to serious-minded historians, nor unusual enough to have mention made of it in early publications. 

We do know that the drum came over to the areas of English Settlements with some of the very earliest colonists. Considered a most necessary adjunct to the art of war, the drum was also used for calling the people together for church services and town meetings. Some of the early meetinghouses were known to have been constructed so as to include a platform on which the drummer beat his “calls,” and records of many of these early communities indicate that tax assessments were often adjusted to meet the expense of hiring and maintaining a Town Drummer.

The fife had fallen into disuse in the England of that period and consequently did not accompany the early drum migrants. In the 1740s, the Duke of Cumberland returned from the continent of Europe with musicians long absent from English shores — Fifers. Soon the fife was actively engaged with the military drum, and by the French and Indian War, the North American theater of what was known in Europe as the Seven Years War, we started hearing it in the Colonies. At the time of the Lexington Alarm (1775), many of the Colonial Regiments making their way to Massachusetts included one or two fifers and drummers per most companies. 

In New England, and more particularly the state of Connecticut, the older, more primitive systems remained popular due to the conservative nature of the inhabitants. “Quicksteps,” rather than modern marches, on the fifes vying with full, heavy lines of open rudimental snare drummers and “two-stick” rudimental bass drummers … This regional style came to be known among the participants themselves as Ancient.

The Marquis of Granby Junior Ancient Fyfe & Drum Corps recreates the spirit of many brave and patriotic boys who contributed to their country’s fight for freedom. The Marquis of Granby has roots in the pre-revolutionary colonial militia sponsored by a titled Englishman, John Manners, who was titular head of the militia in the colonies before the American Revolution.

The Marquis of Granby has been an honored tradition in Granby since its inception in 1969. The Marquis (properly pronounced mar-kwis in the English tradition) is a historic recreation of a Revolutionary War unit of this area, and has maintained historic accuracy with few exceptions.

One of the 120 corps registered with The Company of Fifers and Drummers headquartered in Ivoryton, CT, The Marquis of Granby is one of a few whose drum major and flag line follow the Von Steuben manual of arms. Von Steuben was the Prussian officer who taught Washington’s troops at Valley Forge the necessity of following precise drill and maneuvers in order to obtain the discipline necessary to be victorious in battle.  The corps takes pride in authenticity. 

The official name of the present day corps is: The Connecticut 18^th Militia, Captain Joseph Forward’s Company, The Marquis of Granby’s Regiment. The 18^th Militia was located in Simsbury in the area we now know as “The Granbys”, with Joseph Forward as Captain of one of the companies in the militia. Captain Forward is buried in the East Granby Cemetery on School Street.

Each new Marquis member must learn and become proficient in the musket drill before marching or advancing further. The same street discipline of our colonial troops is seen today when one observes the unique marching style of the Marquis with their high stepping and trooping. You will not see a member of the Corps talk, smile, or look around while performing as that would not have been allowed in a well trained military unit in the Revolutionary War. Catch them this weekend at the Memorial Day Parade in Granby!

Thank you to the Marquis of Granby for much of the information in today's story.

Connecticut Fife and Drum Corps