Sergeant-Major c1823

The coatee was worn by the heavy cavalry from 1820. The tails were longer than in the previous 3 decades but there was a return to the long loops of lace on the chest, yellow for the men and gold for officers. This sergeant-major has black and gold loops which may mean that the men had yellow and black. The black collar could be black cloth, or velvet, and is decorated with gold strips.
In 1824 the heavy cavalry were ordered to wear brass shoulder scales. This warrant officer has black and gold cloth epaulettes with some sort of gold crescent at the point of the shoulder. There is a suggestion of fringed epaulettes but not very convincing. Paintings of a sergeant-major of the Scots Greys at this period show a similar coatee but no fringed epaulettes. This photo has been cropped so that we cannot see his rank chevrons. The original painting shows four stripes of gold lace with black cloth edges, and a crown over the top. This would indicate that he was the Regimental Sergeant-Major

Regiment | Uniforms