Mounted Field Officers, Review Order 1887

Yeomanry regiments were officered by very prominent persons in the county and invariably commanded by the most aristocratic and wealthy landowners. The senior officers of the Earl of Chester’s Yeomanry were usually dukes or earls. This painting is not dated but the plumes on the busbies are fairly short so indicating that this is in the 1880s. The figure on the left is the heavily bearded Earl of Harrington and the main figure, saluting the parade is the 1st Duke of Westminster who was lieutenant-colonel commandant until 1891 and honorary colonel until his death in 1899. The unknown mounted figure with his back to us shows some interesting aspects of the officers’ uniform.
He has an undress sabretache displaying the large silver Earl of Chester’s badge, attached to his hidden waist-belt by black leather slings. The sabretache had been discontinued for officers of the regiment in 1856 but at some point around 1880 the undress version was revived. His pouch, however, is the dress version with silver laced edge and embroidered Prince of Wales plume. The back of the tunic shows how the silver cord followed the seams forming trefoils at the top and Austrian knots on the skirt. The black fur busbies all have the cap-lines tightly plaited on the left side, and chin-scales with lion-head bosses.

Regimental Details | Cheshire Yeomanry Uniforms