Guidons of the Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) c.1690-1715

Percy Sumner, in his article (with J. O. Dalrymple) UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT OF THE ROYAL SCOTS GREYS PART I—1678 TO 1751 in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 15, No. 59 (Autumn, 1936), pp. 151-170, quotes from the letters of Colonel Lord John Hay of January 1705 describing the regimental standards as "embroidered upon blue damask" with blue staves. Sumner then goes on to say that, of course, the standards of dragoons were guidons. He speculates that they probably bore the white saltire of St Andrew before the Union with England in 1707 and that the mention of embroidery suggests a badge placed on them, "most likely the Thistle and Crown, with the motto "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" in the centre". This is my reconstruction of the guidons based on that description.

I am not entirely convinced by the mention of the white saltire so I have done two versions, one with and one without. These can be regarded perhaps as the pre and post 1707 versions, if you so wish, or use the version without the saltire for the whole period!

And a detailed account of the regiment can be found here: http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php/Scots_Dragoons

Four Generic English Queen Anne Cipher Dragoon Guidons for 1702-1714

Written records tell us (e.g. the Great Wardrobe Accounts (" Boughton Papers ") preserved in the Round Tower, Windsor Castle) that English dragoon and cavalry guidons and standards of the period 1689-1715 often carried the monarch's cipher with a crown above on a coloured damask sheet, with various fringes. I therefore offer these four generic dragoon guidons with Queen Anne's cipher for the period 1702-1714, which will be useful for the all too many English dragoon regiments of the WSS for which we do not know their guidons. 

Three Damask Troop Guidons of the Royal Regiment of Dragoons 1685

At the coronation of James II in 1685 the 8 troop guidons of the Royal Regiment of Dragoons (later the 1st Dragoon Guards) were recorded. I have depicted the guidons of the Lieutenant Colonel, with the golden escarbuncle, a badge of Henry II; of the 1st troop captain, two silver ostrich feathers in saltire; and of the 6th troop captain, a phoenix in flames, a badge of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Kronoskaf site has a detailed history of the regiment here: http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=1st_Royal_Dragoons

Three Generic Damask Cavalry Standards With Queen Anne's Cipher For The Period 1702-1714

The three damask cavalry standards with Queen Anne's cipher, useful for the period of her reign 1702-1714:

I shall do further variants with the William III cipher and that of William and Mary...

Three More Generic Plain Damask English Cavalry Standards for the 1690s-1715

Here are three further coloured plain damask cavalry standards that will be useful for the period 1690s to 1715.

1685 Standards of Peterborough and Plymouth's Horse Regiments (which will also be useful as "generic" standards for other regiments)

As we know so little, these plain damask standards will also be useful as generic standards for other British cavalry regiments of the period up to 1715. I shall be doing more standards of this type in other colours plus some with the ciphers of William and Mary and Queen Anne, some of which are recorded authentic standards. (And Peterborrow is a contemporary spelling; no standardisation at that period!)

The Earl of Peterborough's Horse was first raised by James II in 1685 as part of his moves against Monmouth's Rebellion. It remained loyal to James until he ran away. It fought under William III in Ireland in 1689-1690 and was at the battles of the Boyne 1690 and Aughrim 1691 plus various sieges. It fought in the Nine Year's War from 1694 to 1697.

During the War of the Spanish Succession it served entirely in Spain and was at the battle of Almansa in 1707 and the battles of Almenar and Sarragossa in 1710 plus numerous sieges before being captured at Brihuega in 1710. It was exchanged in 1711 and returned to England. It later became the Second or Queen’s Regiment of Dragoon Guards.

The Earl of Plymouth's Horse was also first raised by James II in 1685 as part of his moves against Monmouth's Rebellion but was too late to participate in its suppression. Like Peterborough's Regiment it remained loyal to James until he ran away. It campaigned in Scotland 1689 against a Jacobite rebellion. It also took part in the Nine Year's War where in 1692 took part in the unsuccessful attempt to relieve Namur and in the Battle of Steenkerque; in 1693 in the Battle of Landen; in 1694 in the siege of Huy; and in 1695 the siege of Namur. At the end of 1697, it returned to England.

In the War of the Spanish Succession it served entirely in Flanders, being at the battles of the Schellenberg and Blenheim in 1704, Ramillies in 1706, at Oudenarde in 1708 and Malpaquet in 1709 plus many sieges. Later the Third or Prince of Wales’ Regiment of Dragoon Guards.

For much more detailed accounts of both regiments see the following Kronoskaf WSS pages:

Earl of Peterborough's Horse http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Harvey%27s_Horse

Earl of Plymouth's Horse http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Wood%27s_Horse

Two Further Troop Standards of the English Royal Regiment of Horse 1685

For text see the previous post; here are two further troop standards of the Royal Regiment of Horse, later Royal Horse Guards Blue:

Troop Standard of English Royal Regiment of Horse 1685

First raised 1650 as a Cromwellian regiment of horse. Transferred to royal service on the restoration of Charles II in 1660; became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment in 1661, later called the Oxford Blues in contrast to the red coated Life Guards. In 1685 it was part of James II's army that defeated Monmouth's Rebellion. In 1688 it was part of William III's army and it fought in Ireland at the Boyne after fighting in Flanders at the battle of Walcourt. It did not serve abroad until the War of the Austrian Succession where it fought at Dettingen in 1743 and Fontenoy in 1745, suffering heavy casualties. It was renamed The Royal Horse Guards Blue in 1750. In the Seven Years War it fought at Minden, 1759, Warburg 1760 and Villinghausen 1761.

This was one of the troop standards in 1685:

At least eight other troop standards are known for this regiment in 1685 and I shall be posting some of the others later.

We have a major problem with depicting British cavalry standards between the 1690s and the 1740s in that we know very little about them. That being so, wargamers who wish to field British cavalry units in the War of the Spanish Succession can choose to have no standards (which would be heresy) or use earlier standards. Given the longevity of high quality cavalry standards in many nations at this period, it seems to me that the latter course makes perfect sense. It would probably be best, though, to avoid standards carrying the ciphers of disgraced monarchs like James II in the 1690s and early 1700s!

The uniform in 1685 included a blue coat lined red with gold buttons and buff breeches.

Colours of North and Grey's British Regiment of Foot in the War of the Spanish Succession

First raised 1685 by John Granville, Earl of Bath. In the War of the Spanish Succession the proprietor was from 15th January 1703 until 1715: William, Lord North and Grey

The flags here depicted are shown in a manuscript drawing of 1726 in the Bodleian Library which mostly depicts the flags of Grove's Regiment, the successor to North and Grey's, later the 10th Foot. The MS seems to show the then current flags of Grove's Regiment mixed with those of the previous North and Grey's. The interpretation of the illustration in S M Milne's Standards and Colours of the Army 1661-1881 is that these flags with the sun in splendour on a red field are the flags of North and Grey's Regiment as carried in the War of the Spanish Succession.


Uniform in the War of the Spanish Succession is debatable; the left hand figure is as shown by Kronoskaf WSS and Baccus's guide to WSS uniforms; the right hand figure is based on the description in C S Grant's guides to the Armies and Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars.

Kronoskaf's WSS site has a very long and detailed account of the formation and history of the regiment here: http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Sir_Beville_Granville%27s_Foot based largely on Cannon's account of the history of the 10th Regiment of Foot dated 1847 which can be downloaded as a PDF from archive.org here: https://archive.org/details/cihm_48345

 

(I have depicted the colours of the Earl of Bath's Regiment in 1685 on one of my two sheets of British flags, which I can email on application; send a message via my Contact Form on the blog if you wish me to send them to you.)

Colours (or flags) of British Royal Scots or 1st Foot 1685 to probably 1707 (plus uniform WSS)

I recently did these as a favour so thought I'd also post them on the blog in case anyone else needs or wants them.

Kronoskaf's WSS site has a humongously large account of the regiment which saves me a vast amount of effort so I refer anyone needing a detailed account to that site here: http://kronoskaf.com/wss/index.php?title=Royal_Foot

 

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

And here are the flags with Simon Miller's splendid troops in a photograph he recently sent me (he still has to finish the bases):

A Happy New Year to everyone - and a final Danish infantry flag in appropriately festive colours...

And here's a final Danish infantry flag, which I am posting only minutes before the end of 2024. Hopefully there'll be many more flags to come in 2025 and I wish a Happy New Year to all who visit the blog and use my flags.

I shall write the text and do the uniform to go with the flag soon in the New Year. No time now before the deadline!

And by request I have produced a speculative version of the Colonel's flag:

Flags and Uniform of French Irish Regiment Galmoy 1702?-1715; and good wishes for Xmas and the New Year!

First raised 1698 by Pierce Butler, 3rd Viscount Galmoy, who had fought with the Jacobites in Ireland, from the remains of regiments Charlemont and the Queen of England's foot dragoons. One battalion strong.

Service:

[Good account with much detail on the regiment's service here: http://indigo.ie/~wildgees/galmoy/gal_art1.htm with interesting reference to casualties who ended up in Les Invalides.]

1701 Army of Italy: combat of Carpi; battle of Chiari (heavy casualties)
1702 Defence of Cremona (a heroic defence); Santa Vittoria; battle of Luzzara
1703 Army of the Rhine: siege of Alt Breisach; siege and surrender of Landau; battle of Speyerbach
1704 Italy; storm of Genivolta
1705 Battle of Cassano (heavy losses); Castiglione
1706 Calcinato; siege and battle of Turin
1707 Army of the Rhine; defence of the Lines of Stollhofen
1708 Spain; actions at Tortosa,Valentia and Alecante
1709 Army of Dauphiné, Flanders; battle of Malplaquet
1710 Army of Flanders
1712 Sieges and capture of Douai, Le Quesnoy and Bouchain
1713 Army of Roussillon
1714 Siege and capture of Barcelona

Disbanded 30th January 1715; men transferred to Irish regiment Dillon

And this was the uniform in the War of the Spanish Succession:

Flags and possible uniform of French Irish Regiment Bourke or Burke 1699-1715

This was an Irish regiment created out of the two Jacobite regiments Queen's Guards and Klincarthy in February 1698 by Henry Luttrell, according to Susane. Given the 18th June 1699 to Walter Count Bourke (or Burke) (or Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond Count Bourke according to Kronoskaf WSS). A single battalion strong.

Service:

1702: Army of Italy; combat of Chiari
1702: Defence of Cremona; battle of Luzzara
1703: Combats of Santa Vittoria and San-Benedetto
1704: Sieges of Verceil, Ivrée and Vérue
1705: Battle of Cassano
1706: Siege and battle of Turin
1707: Army of Spain; siege of Lerida
1708: Siege of Tortosa
1710-1712: Army of the Alps
1712: Army of Roussillon
1714: Siege of Barcelona

(Very curiously Kronoskaf's account has the regiment at Oudenarde 1708 and Malplaquet 1709 and later campaigns in Flanders, which does not agree with Susane's account nor that in Hall's volume on the infantry of Louis XIV. Kronoskaf's OOBs for Oudenarde and Malplaquet do not include the regiment.)

1715: Transferred to the service of Spain as the “Regimiento del Principe de Astúrias” (aka “Wachop Infantry”). 1718 renamed Irlanda, then disbanded in 1818.

The uniform in French service is not certain but may have been red with blue facings (as it was later in Spanish service), something like this:

Speculative Leibfahne of Austro-Hungarian regiments raised 1741-2 (but based on the surviving Leibfahne in the HGM)

I was reminded today by a request on the Seven Years War Wargaming Facebook page that I had not yet posted the long-promised speculative Leibfahne to go with my speculative version of the Ordinairfahne of Hungarian regiments raised 1741-2 (see below for a copy of the flag and text I posted on the 26th of March last year). So I hastily finished the almost complete flag and sent it to the requestee (R M Davies of the splendid Jemima Fawr Blog: http://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/ ). Here it is for anyone else who would like it, with a Madonna based on that of the surviving Leibfahne from the early 1740s in the HGM:

 

[This is my speculative version of the Ordinairfahne of Hungarian regiments raised 1741-2. All we know is that the base colour was red. No other design details are known but it is highly likely that the flags followed what we think of as the classic Austrian  flag design of the reign of Maria Theresa.

S. Summerfield in his Austrian Infantry of the Seven Years War (2nd Edition) lists the following six Hungarian regiments as having been raised in 1741: IR2 Erzherzog Karl; IR31 Haller; IR32 Forgách; IR33 Nicolaus Esterházy; IR37 Josef Esterházy; and IR52 Bethlen. So any (or all) of these could carry this red flag in the WAS.

I must also finish and post the 1741 version of the Leibfahne; I have not yet been able to complete the Madonna figure on the flag to my satisfaction...]

Flags and uniform of Prussian Garrison Regiment VI

First raised 1741 as the Brieg Garrison Regiment. Expanded from 2 battalions to 4 in June 1756.

1741-1746 garrisoned only Brieg but from 1747-1756 garrisoned the fortresses of Cosel and Brieg and also Namslau.

In 1758 the 4th battalion accompanied the royal army on its campaign in Northern Moravia and was at the siege of Olmütz. In 1759 it was again with the royal army. In 1760 it was employed in Prinz Heinrich's Corps along with six other garrison regiments, replacing five line regiments too weakened by their losses. In 1761 the 4th battalion was assigned to Goltz's Corps which was supposed to advance against Posen but in June it was given to Zieten's Corps. In 1761 the battalion was with the army in Silesia.

The grenadiers formed a grenadier battalion with the grenadiers of Garrison Regiment no.8 in the Seven Years War and suffered heavy losses at Hochkirch and Kunersdorf.

And this was the uniform in 1756:

Flag Dutch Infantry Regiment Aylva captured Seneffe 1674 and depicted in the Triomphes Louis XIV

This is my version of the Dutch Aylva Infantry Regiment flag captured at Seneffe 1674 by the French and depicted in the Triomphes Louis XIV. I was asked to produce the Colonel's flag for the sake of completeness but note that it is totally speculative and it is probably best avoided by authenticity freaks!

For regimental details please see my other captured flags of the Aylva regiment posted on Saturday 12th October.

Flag and uniform of Dutch Infantry Regiment Ingen-Nielant/Gent/Essen/Plettenberg late 17th to early 18th century

First raised 1622 for the Count van Nassau-Dietz. One battalion strong. Province of Geldern

This is my version of the flag of Regiment Ingen-Nielant/Gent/Essen/Plettenberg. Boxel's manual of 1672 merely notes that the flag had blue and white flames, which is all we know, and Bruno Mugnai in his Helion book on the Dutch army 1660-1687 recreates it with a central motif of a bunch of arrows, a common Dutch emblem. For the overall design I used the pattern of flames as shown on the Aylva flag captured at Seneffe 1674 by the French, and on which I am also working. I have chosen an alternative emblem of the armoured arm with a sword for my version. I have been asked for a plausible Colonel's flag so came up with the flag below. Hall shows an example of a Dutch flag claimed to be of this regiment and captured by the French in 1746 at Namur (it is depicted in the Triomphes Louis XV), and suggests it may represent a suitable Colonel's flag. But to my mind Dutch flags changed quite significantly from the WSS to mid-18th century so I am not at all convinced this would be suitable for the WSS or earlier.

This is the page from Boxel's 1672 manual listing flag colours:

Colonels: 1622-1642 Willem Count van Nassau-Dietz; 1642-1661 Eustachius Puchler; 1661-1668 Daniel de Gennis Felin; 1668-1676 Johan Ingen Nielant; 1676-1682 Joachim van Gent, Baron van Meynderswijk; 1682-1699 Philips van Essen van Vanenburg; 1699-1717 Maurits Hendrik van Plettenberg, Herr van Leenhuysen (1702 Brigadier and 1709 General-major)

Service history:

1702: Posted to Sluis
1702-1703: Winter quarters in Flanders
1703: Battle of Stekene
1703-1704: Winter quarters in Flanders
1705: March-April Garrison of Hulst
1710: Siege of Douai

And this was probably the uniform in the late 17th century and also much of the WSS:

Flags and uniform of Prussian Garrison Regiment VII

First raised 1741 as the Stettin Garrison Regiment. 6 battalions strong before the Seven Years War. Garrisoned: 1st Battalion Glogau; 2nd Breslau; 3rd and 4th Berlin. In early 1757 the two Berlin battalions were doubled. The 5th was formed in Dresden and 6th in Berlin. The 3rd and 5th battalions were used to occupy Saxon forts on the Elbe.

On October 16th 1757, when Hadik's Corps raided Berlin, six companies of the regiment were part of the force defending; their commander Major von Tesmar was killed and the defenders routed. The 2nd battalion was allowed to retire when Breslau fell to the Austrians in November. In 1758 the 3rd and 5th battalions were with the Prussian army of Saxony and the 6th was sent to help garrison Küstrin, then besieged by the Russians. In 1759 the 3rd and 5th battalions were still with the army of Saxony and when Dresden surrendered on September 4th they were included in the haul of prisoners. On September 8th they were allowed to retire to Wittenberg. In 1760 they defended Leipzig. The two Berlin battalions were captured by the Russians on October 9th that year. And finally after the battle of Burkersdorf the 1st battalion was called from Glogau to help with the siege of Schweidnitz in 1762.

The grenadiers were with those of Fusilier Regiment 47 forming Wangenheim Grenadiers, who fought at Prague and Kolin in 1757, the siege of Olmütz and the battle of Domstadtl in 1758, and the incursion into Poland to destroy Russian magazines in 1759. In 1761 they took part in the defence of Colberg and then in 1762 in the siege and recapture of Schweidnitz.

And this was the uniform in 1756:

Flags and uniform of Prussian Garrison Regiment VIII

As a Completist I have been frustrated for some time that I have not yet posted all the flags of the Prussian garrison regiments on the blog. As long ago as 2014 I posted the flags of Prussian garrison regiments 1, 2, 3, 5 and 9. I know they have seen some service with a number of wargame armies; I have the pictures to prove it! When I mentioned the remainder of the flags on two occasions since there was little enthusiasm for them so I did nothing (apart from working on them behind the scenes). However, as I am still embroiled in writing up the long, long texts for the French infantry regiments of Warburg, I thought I'd please myself and keep things ticking over with occasional postings of garrison regiment flags, starting today with no.8. Some of the garrison regiments saw very serious active service; this was not one of them!

Prussian Garrison Regiment No.8 First raised 1741. Garrison of Glatz, Neisse, Habelschwerdt, Bolkenhain and Freiburg from 1753-1756. 2 battalions strong.

Captured at Glatz when the place surrendered to the Austrians in July 1760. Not raised again until March 1763 when the Austrians evacuated Glatz. Four battalions strong from 1764-1788; three were stationed in Glatz and one in Reichenbach.

And this was the uniform in 1756:

Flag and uniform of Danish Schack Infantry Regiment late 17th to early 18th century

As the Warburg 1760 French infantry flag texts are long and taking a lot of time to complete I am posting another Danish infantry flag of the late 17th and early 18th century to keep things ticking over on the blog.

Schack's Infantry Regiment: Formed 1677 as Billes Independent Company. Increased to one battalion in 1683 and a regiment in 1688. Garrison in Copenhagen (Christianshavn and the Citadel) and Kronborg 1701-1709. 13 companies strong.

Commanders: H. Schack 1688: J. B. Schwertzell or Schwärtzell 1701: Prins Karl von Hessen-Philipsthal 1704: D. E. Zepelin 1710

Served in the Scanian Campaign; battle of Gadebusch and siege of Tönning. 1714 incorporated in the Sjaellandske Regiment.

The flag was an old one turned in by the regiment in 1714.

And this was probably the uniform before 1712:

Two Further Standards of the Danish 1st and 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiments

For the moment these are my last Danish cavalry standards, two further standards of the Danish 1st and 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiments according to Höglund and Sapherson, as credited on the sheet. Regimental details are noted in previous postings with standards of these regiments.

Possible standard of the Danish Livgarden til Hest late 17th to early 18th Century (see disclaimer below!)

Disclaimer: We do not know the standard for the regiment in the early years of the century or at the end of the 17th century; a later standard of 1720 does exist. Sapherson describes an existing unattributed standard which has the Great State Shield (exactly as the Foot Guards has - see my previous post with that flag) with a wildman on each side, with a small crowned F4 cipher in each top corner. He speculates that this might be of the Livgarden til Hest (or even the Livregiment). This is the standard I have recreated here. Use or not as you wish! I felt it was too interesting a standard not to create and offer it...

 

Livgarden til Hest

Raised 1661.

Served in the Scanian Campaign 1709-1710. Campaigned in Mecklenburg and Pomerania 1711-1716.

And this was probably the uniform in 1711:

Probable standards of the Danish Jyske Cavalry in the early 18th Century (after Sapherson)

Sapherson, in his volume on the Danish Army 1699-1715, describes and depicts two standards which are remarkably similar to the one shown in Höglund (see my last post), even down to the date 1706 and the motto on one of them. The detail is different, though, with gold work and fringes, and a red lined crown, which makes them look rather livelier than the Höglund standard. He suggests they are also Jyske regiment standards, which seems likely.

Standards of the Danish 1st Jyske Cavalry Regiment early 18th Century

First raised 1670  and then separated into 1st and 2nd Jyske Cuirassiers in 1675.

Served in the Great Northern War; in Scanian Campaigns 1709 and 1710. Fought in the battle of Gadebusch on 20th December 1712. It did not fight in the War of the Spanish Succession. This was the only Danish cavalry regiment to wear the full cuirass.

This is the standard depicted by Höglund in his The Great Northern War 1700-1721 Volume II with the date 1706 on it:

And this was probably the uniform in the early part of the 18th century (to 1711):

 

And this depicts them in full cuirass and helmet:

 

Standards of the Danish Livregimentet til Hest late 17th to early 18th Century

I can't seem to let go of the Danish cavalry standards yet so here are my versions of the standards and uniiform of the Livregimentet til Hest.

First raised 1672 as the Holstenske Rytterregiment but renamed Livregimentet til Hest 1673.

In the pay of the Dutch Republic 1701-1713. In North Germany in the Great Northern War 1715-1716.

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Holland 1701-1713.

I have recreated the Colonel's standard from verbal descriptions as I know of no image of the standard; the sheet was white with much gold embroidery, apparently. The other two standards are company standards. These were probably carried from 1699 to at least the end of the WSS.

 

Service in the WSS:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With Marlborough's Army; 13th August battle of Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: Distinguished service at the battle of Ramillies; sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1708: 11th July battle of Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 11th September battle of Malplaquet
1714: Returned to Denmark

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS: