Officer’s Dress Jacket, c1835

This pattern was the basis for the jacket worn by officers of the light dragoon Troops of the Cheshire Yeomanry until c1856. This page from the notebooks of P W Reynolds in the V&A Museum shows a pattern that agrees with the photos of existing jackets except that the cuff design of lace and braid is more ornate. This could indicate higher rank, or it could be that it shows an earlier version of the jacket. The illustration does not include the date of the jacket so 1835 is an estimate. The decoration on the back of the jacket follows the seams and consists of a silver cord traced with thin looped braid, ending in whirls. These whirling shapes are also on the later jackets and were unique to the Cheshire Yeomanry. The collar and cuff lace and braid patterns are also distinctive to the regiment and remained basically similar until 1856. The short tails have red turn-backs and false pockets with three silver buttons. In the middle of the back, just below the girdle, is a silver bullion fringed ‘waterfall’. The girdle, lined with morocco leather, was of gold lace and crimson silk, separate from the jacket. The crimson silk stripes were actually much narrower than this.

Regimental Details | Cheshire Yeomanry Uniforms