Private 1792


This is the companion to the painting of an officer of the 42nd by Edward Dayes. While the officer has only one white belt across his chest, the private has two. The belt on his right shoulder supports his broadsword and the one on his left shoulder is for the ammunition pouch on his right hip. He has a beltplate on the intersection of the belts. His red coat has blue collar, lapels and cuffs with regimental lace forming bastion shaped button loops. These are partly concealed by his sword belt. The shoulder straps are indistinct but he is in a battalion company, otherwise he would have the shoulder wings of the grenadier and light companies. His cap is similar to the officer's and has a profusion of black ostrich feathers. The history of the regiment by A Forbes tells us that in the 1770s the men had to pay for their own feathers as well as a decent pair of stockings because the issued hose were of inferior quality. The same book also says that in 1769 the men were issued with white goatskin sporans to replace the badger skins. Presumably the animal skin shown here on the front of his kilt is the goat skin still in use.


Regimental Details | Uniforms


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by Stephen Luscombe