The decision to produce this volume Bedfordshire Muster Lists in the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society series originated in my interest in military history, an interest which spread to local records when I joined the staff of the Bedfordshire County Record Office in 1983. In April 1987 the Record Office received a circular letter from Mr. J. Gibson who was compiling guides to militia lists and musters, published as Tudor and Stuart Muster Rolls (J. Gibson and A Dell) and Militia Lists and Musters, 1757-1876 (J. Gibson and M. Medlycott) by the Federation of Family History Societies. Carrying out the surveys for these guides helped identify lists for possible publication. The guides were also useful in identifying the sixteenth-century lists at the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane. Crown copyright material in the Public Record Office is reproduced by permission of the Controller of HMSO.

It is a pleasure to record my grateful thanks for the help I have received from so many people, without whom publication of this volume would not have been possible. I should like to thank the editorial committee of the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society: Patricia Bell, James Collett-White, Christopher Pickford, and Gordon Vowles. Patricia Bell transcribed the sixteenth-century lists at the Public Record Office and checked my transcripts of many of the later lists.

I am grateful to the staff of the Reference Section of Bedford Central Library, the National Army Museum, London, and at the Royal Armouries, H.M. Tower of London. I would like to particularly thank the latter for their advice on arms and armour and for permission to use the illustrations of weapons, plates 1-3 and 6, which are credited to the Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries. The remaining illustrations are held by Bedfordshire County Record Office.

My special thanks go to my brother Martin Lutt, Pauline Newbery, Mary Woodridge and Patricia Bell who wordprocessed the text. The proof reading was carried out by Patricia Bell, Anne Buck and Richard Wildman, and the names index was prepared jointly by Don Cox and Patricia Bell.