Soldiers enrolled in a militia force for home defense, especially in Britain and Ireland during the 18th-19th centuries.
From 'fencible' (capable of defending). British and Irish military term for locally-based militia troops, formally established in the 1790s as a backup to the regular army. The term eventually became obsolete as professional militias developed.
British fencibles were like the National Guard of their era—ordinary citizens who drilled on weekends to be ready if France invaded, though most never saw actual combat beyond local skirmishes.
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