Sergeant and Private 1792

The men in these paintings by Edward Dayes are battalion company troops, distinguished by their cocked hats. By this time the tricorn hat had completed its transformation into a bicorn, worn slightly at an angle and down on the right side. The white lines are stiffeners to keep the hat in shape. From 1790 hats in the Guards were to be without lace round the brim and a feather plume added. The sergeants had plain white, and the privates had white with a black tip. The officers had no feather.
The Private's coat had white lace, the pointed loops were grouped in threes for the Scots Guards and the buttons were pewter. The sergeant had gold lace and brass buttons. They both had white waistcoats with buttons to match their coats and the sergeant had a crimson sash round his waist. The halberd he holds was discontinued in 1792 and replaced by a spontoon which was a spear with a short cross-bar near the spike.
The sergeant's shoulder belt has a belt-plate that is better quality than the private's. It is brass with the regimental badge. His belt carries a sword. The Private has two belts, one for the ammunition pouch, which carries 56 rounds, and one for the bayonet. The other straps are for his knapsack which has a waterproof cover with the regimental badge painted on.

Uniforms | Regimental Details