Cheshire Militia 1759-1816

This page attempts to set out what I can find of the basic organisation, dress and equipment of the Regiment of Royal Cheshire Militia, from its initial embodiment in 1759 to its disembodiment in 1816, with a very brief note at the end on the short lived Supplementary, or Second, Regiment. In the absence of any regimental history, this has had to be pieced together as best as I can, and there are obvious gaps. The coverage here would benefit by more input from archival sources, but at least it’s a beginning.

The discussion assumes a basic background knowledge of British military uniform of this era. For a very brief general note on the system of clothing and equipping the militia, see the parent page here.

The page is ordered chronologically, by periods of embodiment, sub-divided as necessary for officers, other ranks, drummers, artillery, bandsmen and colours. Most published and archival sources cited are listed at the end, alphabetically by author’s surname; other sources are noted in the text as we go. All images extracted from the Board of Ordnance Militia Book at the National Archives are shown under the Open Government Licence, TNA WO 44/609, with major thanks to Ben Townsend for the use of his photos.

Click to enlarge images.

 

First embodiment 1759-62

The regiment was organised in 1759 under Col Lord Malpas, but by 1764 commanded by Col George Harry, Earl of Stamford. Arms were first issued on on 18 September 1759, and it was embodied in 1 November. It was known as the Royal Cheshire Militia as early as 1760, though official recognition of the title came much later.

The uniform of officers is shown in two portraits, the first of Capt Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, by Joshua Reynolds, and the second, at Chester Town Hall, of Major Sir Richard Grosvenor, painted by Benjamin West in 1760. The scarlet coat is lapelled and cuffed in dark blue, and edged and looped in silver lace, the square ended loops and large silver buttons arranged singly. The Cotton portrait shows a loop running diagonally into the point of the “strap” at the top of each lapel. The low scarlet collar is simply edged in the Cotton portrait, but has a small loop and button in the Grosvenor image. The scarlet reverse of the lapel is edged in lace but has no loops. The tops of the cuffs and the rectangular slashes are edged in lace, with four(?) loops, and buttons. Cotton wears a silver aiguillette on his right shoulder.

The buff waistcoat is edged in silver lace, with small silver buttons and loops running to the lower front edge. The cross pocket flaps are edged with lace on the sides and lower edge, with four(?) loops and buttons below. Grosvenor wears buff breeches with shoes and white stockings; the scarlet robe he wears is civic in nature. Lawson draws a version of the Cotton portrait, but there seem to be some small errors of detail in his rendering.

Parkyn notes a portrait of a member of the Cholmondeley family “in the 1760 uniform”, wearing an officer’s grenadier cap with “the crest of England” on the blue part of the cap, above the white horse and flap, but I have not been able to trace this image. (I imagine the crest here to be the lion on a crowned helmet.)

On the birthday of the Prince of Wales on 29 May 1760, the regiment, quartered at Derby, was recorded as parading “in their New Cloaths”, which “made a beautiful Appearance”. This seems quite soon for a first re-clothing.

Bandsmen

The regimental band often assisted at concerts in Derby in 1760. An advert of that July mentions specifically “The Hautboys, and French-Horns, &c. by the gentlemen of the BAND of MUSIC, belonging to the Royal Cheshire Militia.”

Colours

According to Lawson, who presumably had sight of the Ordnance warrant, the regimental colour, which would have been blue, bore the arms of the Earl of Chester, who was then Prince George, Prince of Wales, soon to be George III. I assume these arms would have been the lions of England halved with the three gold wheat sheaves on blue of the original Earls, but I’m open to correction here!

 

Second embodiment 1778-83

The regiment was embodied in 1778 under the command of Col George, Earl Cholmondeley (Viscount Malpas, son of the first Colonel).

A list of 1782 in Paterson’s plans shows it to be at that time of nine companies, with a total strength of 637. Following the resignation of Lord Cholmondeley, during the following period of disembodiment, George, Lord Grey was appointed colonel on 7 October 1789.

During this period the regiment’s militia precedence number, as given by Baldry, was – 1778-79: 41. 1779-80: 45. 1780-81:16. 1781-82: 33. 1782-83: 11.

Officers

Parkyn cites a Militia List of 1778 which gives the uniform still as red faced blue with silver officers’ lace. Plans of Coxheath and Warley Camps for 1778 and 1779 respectively both show blue facings.

A portrait of Col Lord Cholmondeley by Pompeo Batoni at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, shows a scarlet coat with a dark blue collar and lapels. The spacing of the silver buttons on the lapels appears a bit ambiguous, but is probably now intended to show pairs; the lace of the loops is now narrower and the ends appear rounded or pointed. The outside edges of the collar and lapels are narrowly edged in white. The epaulettes have blue straps with two rows of three silver laces, crossed and bifurcated at the ends, with silver fringe. The waistcoat, now white, may have its silver buttons spaced singly. The hat shows a full black cockade, but no silver lacing. The overall effect is relatively modest.

Other ranks

The Osborn Militia book of 1780 (Carman, 1958) confirms the facings as blue, the buttons set in pairs with white lace loops, square ended. Lawson quotes an inspection report of 1778 that notes: “hats cocked in a particular way, the loops being fastened to a button on the top of the crown”.

White undress jackets were worn, as noted in this unusual report of 1778, copied in several newspapers:

On the Cheshire men turning out on account of the alarm at Coxheath last Saturday night, one of the grenadiers … put on his accoutrements without having any cloaths on; the officer at first imagined he had his white jacket on (which the regiment wear) but on close inspection found he was naked, and accordingly reprimanded him for not having any pocket to put spare cartridges in.

 

Third embodiment 1793-1802

At embodiment in 1793 the regiment was still commanded by Col Lord Grey, given the army rank of colonel on 14 March 1794 for the length of the period of embodiment. With the numbering of the new Supplementary regiment as the Second in August 1798, the “old” regiment was for a while titled as the First. It was disembodied in April 1802. The country’s precedence number for this period was 16.

Officers

Parkyn cites the Military Library of 1800 as giving the uniform still as red faced blue, with silver officers’ lace. Given the men’s patterns (see below), it is highly probable that officers’ buttons were still arranged in pairs. A Victorian retrospective painting in the Cheshire Military Museum (unsigned, but possibly by Richard Simkin), shows an officer of 1801 in an unlaced coat.

Dawnay mentions two coats held by the National Army Museum, but does not give full descriptions; both are of a grenadier officer, and of the same approximate period. One has long skirts, with grenades for skirt ornaments on the turnbacks. It has two epaulettes with silver lace straps edged with purl, with purl crescents and a fringe of 17 medium bullions, three inches in length; at the vase of each strap is a gold embroidered grenade, the flames worked on red silk.

Grenadier officer’s wing

The second is a shorter tailed coatee or jacket of the 1796 type (see other ranks, below) with wings; the straps are of the same lace as the epaulettes of the long coat, backed with scarlet. The wings (shown here) are scarlet, laced all round with silver, with a fringe of fine bullions, one and a quarter inches long. At the base is a grenade as on the epaulettes of the other coat.

Buttons would presumably have been related to those of other ranks (see below).

Other ranks

A design book of clothiers J N & B Pearse at the Canadian War Museum notes and illustrates the private’s and sergeant’s coats dated August 1796, so issued for 1796-97. Identical in cut, both are in the “new regulation fashion” style introduced that year, lapelled, shorter skirted, and closing at the front. The private’s is of red cloth, the sergeant’s of scarlet; both have blue collars, lapels and cuffs, with ten buttons and “double headed” (square ended) loops set in pairs on each lapel, with two pairs on each cuff and each pointed cross pocket flap, and two buttons at the rear waist, one on each side seam, with two pairs of loops between. The square ended shoulder straps are presumably blue. The cuffs open at the back on the wrist, fastening with a small button. The turnback ornaments appear to be a button on a double ended loop.

Usefully, the private’s lace is noted as “White with Blue Worm in ye Middle”; below the entry for the sergeant’s coat a note is added that “4th Regt Privt Lace” was sent for the sergeant’s Skirt Lace, which was “approved of by L[or]d g[rey]”. The lace of the Fourth was likewise white with a dark blue central line, identical to the private’s pattern noted for the Cheshire. (The pattern of lace was later changed – see under the next embodiment, below.)

The private’s jacket is “Feathered allround” with plain white braid; this is shown on the collar and shoulder straps, but presumably the lapels and tops of the cuffs would also have been edged in white. The private’s “skirt lace” – along the turnback edges – is noted as “Privt Lace”, presumably the same looping lace. The body is lined in Padua, the sleeves in linen, with two inside pockets.

On the sergeant’s coat, the lace is of white silk, and the edges are feathered with white Braid. The description states “no Skirting Lace”, but, as mentioned above, the private’s looping lace was subsequently approved for sergeants’ turnbacks. The whole coat is lined with white Padua, with inside pockets.

Grenadier and light company sergeants are noted as having “common scarlet wings”, so the same would apply, in red, for privates.

Dating known patterns of button is a bit of a shot in the dark, at least for me, but a pattern that may belong to this period is convex, known in pewter, with the raised deign of “ROYAL CHESHIRE / MILITIA” in Roman capitals above and below the Prince of Wales’ feathers with the motto “ICH / DIEN” on a scroll (Ripley & Darmanin 19). Other patterns, possibly later, are mentioned below.

Artillery

Two field pieces were attached to the regiment, probably in 1794, and were mentioned as still in use in a newspaper report of 1800.

Drummers

drummer

In 1797, some of the existing drummers and fifers having reached “a pitch of Insolence”, ten boys aged between six and thirteen were taken on, and did duty with the regiment as paid supernumerary drummers; their appearance on the roll led to a very public dispute between Major Stanley, the Colonel and the Lord Lieutenant, ending in Stanley’s resignation.

The Pearse book shows a drummer’s “coat” of the short skirted style of the privates, and also describes a drummer’s jacket, though both are now of the same basic cut. The red coat has a blue collar, lapels, cuffs and shoulder straps, with ten buttons and “double headed” square ended loops in pairs on each lapel and two pairs on each pointed cross pocket flap. Two widths of lace are used: “binding” lace (presumably here a “narrow” drummer’s lace) is used to edge the collar, lapels, indented cuff, pocket flap “frames” and turnbacks, and is presumably also used for the loops on the lapels, flaps, rear waist and turnback ornaments, though this is not explicitly stated. The laces edging the pocket “frame” and turnback extend into part lozenges around each rear button and at the top of the rear centre vent.

Broad drummer’s lace is used on the seams (back, side, arm hole, front and back of sleeve), on the “breast” (two vertical lines from the shoulder and arm pit to the front and centre of each flap), and for the six darts on each sleeve. Both the shoulder strap and wing, regarded as separate entities, are fringed with blue, white and scarlet worsted fringe, which runs round the entire wing; the wing itself is divided by a zig zag line, possibly into a red and a blue half, though this is not stated.

The drummer’s “jacket” is exactly the same, except for two elements: oblique (“slanting”) pocket flaps – a distinguishing sign of a “jacket” – which I suppose might obviate the second “breast” line and the rear turnback on each skirt, though this is not made clear – and sleeve darts of binding lace, rather than broad. This jacket might, I suppose, be for light company drummers, or might be a second dress across the companies. (For drummer’s laces of a later period, which might or might not have been in use at this time, see below under the next embodiment.)

Colours

On July 30 1795, at their camp at Brighton, the Prince of Wales “begged the Royal Cheshire militia would accept a pair of colours from him, as Earl of Chester.” One assumes that the offer was not refused.

 

Fourth embodiment 1803-16

The regiment was embodied in 1803 under Col Roger Barnston, commissioned on 12 August 1803, who was soon succeeded by Col Thomas Parker, commissioned on 3 December 1804.  Though the intention seems to have been that the regiment should be disembodied in February 1815, this was not done, and it continued to serve continuously in Ireland until its return to Chester for disembodiment on 24 February 1816. The country’s precedence number for this period was 6.

Officers

Hamilton Smith

The Cheshire entry in Charles Hamilton Smith militia chart of 1815 confirms that the facings and silver metal or lace remained unchanged through this period, though it shows the buttons spaced singly. This might be an alteration, but it might also be an error.

In some respects, later items can suggest the essentials of this period retrospectively. A later officer’s coat is in the archive of tailors Gieves & Hawkes, and an image of it may still survive somewhere in the depths of their Instagram posts. It is dated to circa 1830, but to my mind might be a bit earlier. Metal is still silver, the buttons are set in pairs, with twist button holes, including a button and hole at each side of the collar, and there is narrow white edging throughout. All these elements may well have been carried through from this embodied period.

A button that might perhaps date from this period is silvered, convex, with the incised design of an eight rayed star bearing a garter inscribed in Roman capitals “ROYAL • CHESHIRE •”, enclosing the Prince of Wales’ feather and motto (Ripley & Damanin 20). Another pattern (Ripley & Darmanin 21) may be from the end of this period or later, though it has been described as Georgian; silvered and convex, its raised design now has a crown over the simplified garter, while the motto is omitted on the feathers.

Other ranks

The Hamilton Smith chart, as noted above, shows the buttons spaced singly, which needs confirmation. (A much later print by Richard Simkin at the Cheshire Military Museum of the 1815 uniform shows this arrangement, but it seems likely to me that Simkin would have borrowed from Hamilton Smith.) The loops are now shown as pointed, which is confirmed by later evidence. The lace, previously with a central blue stripe, is now shown with a central red stripe and a blue stripe at the outer edge, though Lawson’s version of Hamilton Smith shows the stripes placed more centrally. This colouring appears to have been altered again later more than once; this is unusual, as other militia regimental laces stayed largely unchanged.

Again, it may be possible to extrapolate basic details for this period from later evidence, despite other changes. By about 1820, judging by the book of militia notes and lace samples in the National Archives, used by the Board of Ordnance, the loops were pointed and arranged in pairs (see also under drummers, below). The lace is now given as “White with a Small Red Edge 2 threads”, this altered later to one red line at each edge. It seems a fair surmise that during this thirteen year embodied period the loops were pointed and in pairs, and that the lace was in one or both of the two patterns noted above, but changed to the patterns with red lines only at some point from 1816.

sergeant’s lace (TNA WO 44/609)

In circa 1820 the sergeants are noted as wearing scarlet with blue facings and white worsted lace (apparently 3/8 inch but later altered to ½ inch) looped as the privates; a sample of white sergeant’s braid shows a herringbone weave. At this time the sergeant major’s scarlet coat was similarly looped with silver plated buttons and silver bias lace, with silver fringe on the lace shoulder straps – all features which could have been used in the previous period.

photo Kevin Lazio Pearce

An other ranks’ version of the first officer’s button noted immediately above may belong to this period, in pewter, flat, the design in relief. A convex, pewter version of the last officer’s pattern noted above is also recorded.

Blue pantaloons may have been worn for second dress or undress, judging by a deserter advertisement of November 1804.

A Royal warrant of 20 November 1805 reminded colonels of militia regiments that, as in regiments of the line, “Bear Skin Caps should be considered as a part of the dress of the Grenadiers”, and required them to supply and replace such caps as necessary. An application by agents Greenwood & Cox, who represented this regiment, for an additional allowance to cover the cost of grenadier caps was refused by the Secretary at War, who declared it a charge against the existing clothing allowance. This strongly suggests that some militia grenadier companies had not been provided with such caps for some time. From 1806 the warrant changed that.

A “Cheshire Ladies’ Subscription” was announced in December 1803, with the aim of supplying 1500 flannel waistcoats to the regiment.

Drummers

Notes and drawings in the 1820 Militia book provide details of the drummer’s coat of a later period, some of which may have been carried over from the jacket of this embodiment. Comparison with the drummer’s coats of the previous embodiment (above) shows a similar, but reduced, scheme of lacing. The cuff remains plain, though now rounded in form, since the darts have been eliminated. The loops are still in pairs, but now pointed – five pairs on each front, two pairs on each oblique, pointed pocket flap; the collar and cuffs are plain, but there are two buttons at the rear waist.

Narrow drummer’s lace is used to edge the collar, front, turnbacks, wings and rear vent, and also for the lace loops, and for the six “strips” on each wing, which have replaced the previous zig zag pattern. The wings are edged with a fringe of mixed blue and red worsted and white cotton.

Broad lace is used for the seams (back, side, arm hole, front and back of sleeve), on the top edge of the cuffs and for “one Strip Leading from the Pocket frame to the Back Seame of Shoulder”, as shown in the accompanying sketch – this being the remaining “breast” or “body” line.

The book of 1820 includes samples of broad and narrow drummer’s lace for that period, of the same patterns, as it happens, as those of the North Devon Militia; it is not possible to say when these patterns were adopted by Cheshire, but they were certainly in use by the North Devon by 1808. (A sample of the red, white and blue fringe was also once attached but has been lost or removed; however, the description matches exactly that of the North Devon, which is shown here.) The broad lace has two narrow outer stripes of red dashes, two threads wide. Inside these are two medium red stripes and two narrow white stripes (woven, not the base colour), and then a broad central stripe of dark blue. The narrow lace is not exactly one half of the broad pattern, as drummer’s narrow laces often are, but two outer lines of single red dashes with a broad dark blue central stripe.

The Drum Major’s coat of circa 1820 is the same as that of the sergeant major (see above).

Bandsmen

A well known painting of bass drummer James White is held by the National Army Museum (NAM 1965-10-2-1), and is viewable on their site. (It is also listed on the ArtUK site, but no image is currently posted.) The painting is dated to circa 1805 by the Museum, though the apparent use of the title “1st” on the drum suggests that the instrument, at least, must date from 1798-1800, during the previous embodiment.

White is dressed in the fashionable style of an exotic percussionist, and some of the complex details are not easy to decipher. His jacket and pantaloons are white, highly ornamented in red or scarlet cord, which edges the front and forms at least 13 loops, with three rows of small white or silver buttons visible. The red pointed cuffs are developed in cord into complex knots, and the lower edges and wrist openings are edged in black fur; it also seems that shoulder straps of some sort may terminate in black fur tufts or rolls. Over this is worn a red or scarlet sleeveless shell, edged and ornamented with white lace or cord, with white or silver buttons at each front edge and a large white cord and tassel hanging from each top front corner. The shell is edged in black fur, in the manner of a pelisse. The pantaloons, worn with black half gaiters with white buttons, are ornamented with red cord on the front and side seams and with complex knots. A white waist belt is worn with a gilt or brass buckle or plate.

White wears a tall red cap, the lower edge bound in black, with a white cockade and tall black feather plume. This has a long red bag, edged with a wavy line of gold cord and a red and gold fringe, while other complex decoration appears to include a gold monogram of some sort. The cap lines may be red and gold mixed, and end in two large red and white tassels.

The front of the drum is painted a yellowish buff, edged above and below with two broad lines that appear black, but which Lawson, in his description of the painting, interprets as dark blue, which would seem more appropriate. The hoops are in the same buff, with diagonal red and blue or black stripes. The front is painted with a gold or yellow crown with red and white details over a red shield inscribed in yellow or gold “1st[?] / ROYAL / Cheshire / MILITIA”.

Lawson comments that “for some unknown reason” White wears “a white false beard which is noticeable as being different from the dark moustache”, but I think this may be a bit too imaginative.

Colours

A pair of new colours was presented on 13 July 1812, which were in service until 1856. A plaque in Chester Cathedral records their placement there, though the colours themselves have not survived (Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register WMR-9901). Photographs of them taken in 1903 are in the National Archives, but I have not seen these.

 

Cheshire Supplementary Militia / Second Royal Cheshire Militia

The regiment was organised under Col John Crewe, commissioned 16 January 1797 and given the brevet rank of colonel in the army on 29 December 1798 for the period of his regiment’s embodiment. The regiment appears to have been embodied by April 1798, and was numbered as the Second that August. It was disbanded in 1800.

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W Y Baldry, “Order of Precedence of Militia Regiments”, JSAHR Vol 15, No 57, Spring 1936.

W Y Carman, “Militia Uniforms, 1780”, JSAHR Vol 36, No 147, September 1958.

Chester Courant, 29 November 1803, 20 November 1804.

Major N P Dawnay, The Distinction of Rank of Regimental Officers 1684 to 1855, SAHR Special Publication No 7, 1960.

Derby Mercury, 30 May, 25 July 1760.

Cecil C P Lawson, A History of the Uniforms of the British Army, Vol II, London, 1941; Vol III, London, 1961; Vol V, London, 1967.

Manchester Mercury, 11 August 1778.

The National Archives, Board of Ordnance Militia Book, WO 44/609.

H G Parkyn, “English Militia Regiments, 1757-1935: their Badges and Buttons”, JSAHR Vol 15, No 60, Winter 1936.

Capt Daniel Paterson, “Plan of Hengrave and Fornham Camps …” in “Maps of encampments in England and Great Britain, 1778-82, c 1784-91”, Royal Collection RCIN 734032.

Howard Ripley & Denis Darmanin, English Infantry Militia Buttons 1757-1881, Military Historical Society, 2010.

The Correspondence of John Thomas Stanley, Esq. with the Earl of Stamford …, Chester, 1798.