Army Lists

Military Head Dress 1750 - 1810

1750 - 1810 | 1811 - 1830 | 1831 - 1852 | 1855 - 1869 | 1870 - 1904

19th Regiment of Foot		15th (The King's) Light Dragoons
Grenadier's cap 1750   This cap was worn by Grenadiers of Line Regiments during the first half of the 18th century. The front and back bands were cloth, of the colour of the regimental facings (after about 1749). The decoration was white, the front bearing either the Crown and Royal Cypher or the regimental badge. The scarlet front flap bore the white horse of Hanover with the motto "Nec aspera terrent", and surmounting the cap was a tuft of the colour of the facings mixed with white.		Officer's full dress helmet 1768   The 15th Light Dragoons wore a helmet of this pattern, the front turned-up peak bearing the regimental device.It was of black steel, with mountings of white metal and enamel and a short horse-hair plume. The "turban" worn by this regiment was scarlet, the ends with their silver tassels, hanging behind. On either side of the Royal crest is a Regimental Guidon and a Bourbon flag. The scroll at the base bears the words "The King's Regiment". The words "At Emsdorf" appear below the flags.

Grenadier's Cap		Infantryman's Cocked Hat
1768-99   The mitre shaped cloth cap of the early part of the eighteenth century was followed by a bearskin cap with a black enamelled front-plate bearing the Royal crest with helmet and mantling, beneath a scroll with the words "Nec aspera terrent". The device was gilt for officers, the white metal for other ranks. Officer's had gold cords and tassels, rank and file white. At the back was a scarlet cloth patch and below this a small gilt grenade with the number of the regiment on it.		1773   The Infantryman of the British Army, during almost the whole of the eighteenth century, wore a black felt hat with a wide brim, which was at first looped up at the left side only. Eventually it was looped up on three sides, thus forming the well-known three-cornered hat. The brim was bound with white or yellow braid, officers wearing silver or gold lace. On the left side was a black silk bow or rosette, with a regimental button in the centre.

Royal Horse Guards		Highland Regiments
Trooper's cocked hat 1785-1810   At this period the Royal Horse Guards wore a plain black cocked hat of large dimensions, the edges being bound with gold lace. On the right side was a strap of gilt metal scales terminating at the top in the Hanoverian cockade of black leather. At times, according to the whim of the colonel, this hat wa worn cross-wise, the ends being over the shoulders. At another period the hat was worn with the front side bulging over the wearer'd forehead and tilted over the left eyebrow.		Full dress bonnet 1790   When the Highland Regiments were raised, during the latter half of the eighteenth century, the head-dress was a "pork-pie" shaped cap of thick blue cloth with a diced border at the bottom. This dicing is said to represent the "check fesse" in the Stuart Arms. To make this cap (or "hummle" bonnet as it was called) more imposing for ceremonial parades, ostrich feathers or pieces of black bearskin were attached on the left side, drooping over the crown and right side.

Royal Horse Artillery		Infantry Private's Shako
Officer's full dress helmet 1793-1820   This head-dress was worn by Light Dragoon Regiments as well as by the R.H.A., the former Regiments giving it up in 1812. The head piece was of black leather of enamelled metal with a metal bound peak, and a crest of black bearskin. The plume was a red and white hackle feather with a regimental badge on the left side. The "turban" was of leopard skin or of silk, the latter being as a rule black, but sometimes of the colour of the facings. Across the front peak was a metal band bearing the regimental title.		1800-1806   The first shako worn by the British Infantry was of plain black felt, cylindrical in shape, with black leather peak. The large plate in front was of brass, stamped with the Royal Cypher within the garter, and bearing a crown above, a lion beneath, and a trophy of arms and flags at each side. Above this plate was a black leather cockade or rosette with regimental button in the centre, behind which was the socket carrying the plume.

7th (Queen's Own) Hussars		Highland Regiments
Officer's full dress shako 1807   The full dress shako worn by Officers of this Regiment is shown in the accompanying picture. It was a tall shako, the upper part being covered with light blue cloth and the lower with black. The bands round the shako were of silver cord, and the lines of plaited gold cord terminated in flounders and tassels. In front was the badge, made of gold and crimson lace, and surmounting the sako was a red and white plume which fitted into a socket.		Feather bonnet 1810   At this time and for a few years afterwards, a black leather peak was worn with the Highland bonnet, which was gradually increasing in height as more feathers were added. The feather hackle for Battalion Companies was red and white, for the Grenadier Company plain white, and for the Light Company dark green. At the base of the hackle was a black silk cockade or rosette with the regimental button in the centre.