The 76th Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment to form the 2nd battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1881.
History
thumb|upright|[[Sir Thomas Musgrave, 7th Baronet|Sir Thomas Musgrave, the founder of the regiment]]
Formation
The regiment was raised by Sir Thomas Musgrave, 7th Baronet for service in India as the 76th Regiment of Foot in October 1787. In accordance with the Declaratory Act 1788 the cost of raising the regiment was recharged to East India Company on the basis that the act required that expenses "should be defrayed out of the revenues" arising there. In 1787 Lieutenant Colonel George Harris joined the regiment.
The Royal Warrant for their raising was issued on 12 October 1787 and read:
GEORGE R.<br>
Whereas We have thought fit to order a Regt of Foot to be<br>
forthwith raised under your Command, which is to consist of ten<br>
Companies, with 3 Sergts, 4 Corpls, 2 Drumrs & 71 private Men<br>
in each, with two Fifers to the Grenadier Compy and one<br>
Compy, of 8 Sergts, 8 Corpls, 4 Drumrs & 30 private Men with<br>
the usuals Comd. Officers, these are to authorise you by Beat of<br>
Drum or otherwise to raise so many Men in any Country or part<br>
of our Kingdom of Great Britain as shall be wanted to complete<br>
the said Regt, to the above mentioned numbers. And all above<br>
Given the 12th October. 1787 in the 27th Year of Our Reign.<br>
By H.M.'s Command (Sd.) Geo. Yonge
India
The regiment embarked for India in 1788 for service in the Third Anglo-Mysore War and saw action at the Siege of Bangalore in February 1791 and the Siege of Seringapatam in February 1792. The regiment also saw service in the Second Anglo-Maratha War and fought at the Siege of Aligarh in September 1803. The regiment laid siege to Aligarh Fort, a fort commanded by a French mercenary in Maratha service Pierre Cuillier-Perron, and captured it. The regiment returned to England and became the 76th (Hindoostan) Regiment of Foot in October 1806. and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813. It then embarked for North America for service in the War of 1812 and saw action at the Battle of Plattsburgh in September 1814.
The Victorian era
thumb|right|Depiction of the Rebecca Riots, Illustrated London News 1843
The regiment did not return from North America until 1827. The regiment was posted to the Garrison of the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, part of British North America, from 20 May 1840, until 9 November 1841, and on to Canada in 1841 before returning home in 1842. After that the regiment went to Corfu in 1848 and on to Malta in 1850 before sailing for Saint John, New Brunswick in March 1853. It was garrisoned at Fredericton in New Brunswick It embarked for India in September 1863 and was stationed in Fort St. George, Madras
As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 76th was linked with the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment, and assigned to district no. 9 at Wellesley Barracks in Halifax. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment to form the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.