of the uniforms which are worn by officials, and we have had to mention
similar vestiges when speaking of the Lord Mayor's coachman and of the
Welsh Fusiliers. This is what is known as a wig-bag (see Figures 109 and
113), though in the Lord Chamberlain's descriptions it is now referred
to by the same name as the ornament of somewhat similar origin of the
Welsh Fusiliers, namely, the "flash." It consists of a small bag of
silk, at the bottom corners of which little satin ribbon loops are
fixed, while the whole is covered by an elaborate rosette of satin
ribbon, and is suspended from the back of the coat collar. The bag
represents the old bag in which the bob of the wig was placed, and the
loops no doubt are those through which a ribbon was passed, which went
round the neck of those who wore wigs, and was secured by a jewel on the
breast. This was to provide against the wig being lost, should it fall
from the head of its wearer, for these curious replacements of natural
hair were of considerable value, costing twenty, thirty, sixty or even
more guineas. The rosette of ribbon is the modern representative of the
bow that tied the wig. (See Figure 143.)
We have already traced the connection which Mr. Calthrop has shown
between the cockade and the chaperon, and we might mention again that
this ancient form of head-dress survives in connection with the hood
of the mantle of the Knights of the Garter and of other Orders, for
instance, those of St. Patrick and of the Thistle. (See Figure 144.)
[Illustration: FIG. 143.--The wig-bag or "flash" from a Court suit,
showing the rosette held away and displaying the black silk bag. At
the lower corners of the latter loops are seen, which are probably the
remains of those through which a ribbon was passed, which went round the
neck and fastened on the breast by a brooch.]
In the case of the Knight of the Garter, the hood consists of a flat
piece of crimson velvet about three-quarters of a yard across, slightly
oval in shape, and at a spot a little on one side of the centre is to
be found the remains of the turban of the chaperon. It is a thick ring
covered outside with crimson velvet, and inside with white silk. To
one side of this is fastened a long band of crimson velvet one and
three-quarter times as long as the hood is wide. This represents,
of course, the liripipe of the chaperon. (See page 166 and Figures
122-125.) The edges of the velvet in all cases are ornamented with a
white silk piping. The hood is fixed on the right shoulder, and the band
representing the liripipe is brought across the breast of the wearer.
In addition there are some wide loops and ends of ribbon called the
streamer, and narrow ribbons with which to fasten the structure to the
mantle.
[Illustration: FIG. 144.--The hood from the mantle of a Knight of the
Garter, showing the survival of the chaperon and its liripipe.]
The hoods of the Orders of the Thistle and of St. Patrick are similar
in construction, and in the case of the former the velvet of which they
are made is blue in colour. On the mantles of other Orders only the
streamer remains. On the left shoulder of the Knights of the Bath and
of St. Michael and St. George there is a small vestige of aiguillettes.
This is of silk cord in the former case, and of gold cord in the second.
The under-dress, which is not commonly worn now, is furnished with trunk
hose and silk tights, and from its appearance is known as the silver
dress. Much the same style was carried out in all the Orders that we
have up to the present had occasion to mention. In the more modern
Orders there is, of course, no such ancient under-dress.
If we have Kings and Queens at Court, we also have Kings and Queens and
Knaves among our playing-cards, and the costumes which survive on the
curious pictures which represent them in double, but without their lower
limbs, are worthy of some little attention. As a matter of fact, they
are Tudor dresses, slightly modified perhaps of recent years, but
nevertheless, a common and widespread relic of the fashions which were
in vogue when Henry VIII was going through his matrimonial troubles, and
shaking this country clear from its allegiance to the Pope.
There are two series of ceremonial dresses not immediately connected
with the State which it may be worth while to investigate. They are, in
the first place, the liveries of the City Companies, and in the second
the insignia of Masons. In the first case, on some of the gowns we find
again the chaperon appearing as a hood on the shoulder, and many of
the caps that are worn have survived for some centuries. A few of the
companies still possess their ancient embroidered hearse cloths, which
recall the early semi-religious and provident purposes of the guilds out
of which the great City Companies have developed.
There seems no doubt, too, but that the apron of the Masons is actually
derived from that worn by the craftsmen when at work, and in some
countries it is still of the same circular form as those which were used
by the English masons of the eighteenth century. Other parts of the
clothing of Masons are no doubt derived from the old guild liveries, and
in the fact that some high officials wear gauntlets we have a reminder
of the knights' armour, and possibly a survival from the time when high
officials were knights.
XXV
SURVIVALS IN MILITARY UNIFORMS
ARMOUR--PRICKERS FOR FLINT-LOCKS--FORAGE CORDS--REMINISCENCES OF
GALLANTRY--REGIMENTAL BADGES--COURTSHIP COLOURS
The cuirass of the Household troops which they wear on important
occasions, as well as the metal helmets of various regiments, are
survivals from the time when armour was of use, and if we examine the
shoulders of certain soldiers, we shall find that there are vestiges of
chain mail, though now this only takes the place of epaulettes. (See
Figure 145.) To see chain mail in its perfection we must go back to the
time of Edward I, and if we look, for instance, at the brass of Sir
John D'Aubernoun (who died in the year 1277) or of Sir Richard de
Trumpington, A.D. 1289 (see Figure 146), which are the earliest
remaining in this country, we shall find that the chain mail now
represented by a little patch on the shoulder then covered the head and
neck, arms and hands, body, feet and legs.
[Illustration: FIG. 145.--Relic of chain mail on the shoulder of an
Imperial Yeoman.]
As time went on, plate armour was mixed with the mail, until at last, in
the time of Henry IV, we get the complete plate period in which there
was a breastplate and a corresponding back plate, which had already
appeared in the period of transition of chain mail to plate armour. From
thence onward the development of armour progressed until it gradually
disappeared. In Stuart times, jack boots and spur leathers took the
place of the armour on the legs, and a buff coat that on the body, with
the exception of a gorget. This came to be in the early part of the
nineteenth century, merely a small badge of the officer on duty, and in
a still more diminished form is to be seen in some foreign armies.
[Illustration: FIG. 146.--Chain mail illustrated by the brass of Sir
Richard de Trumpington, A.D. 1289.]
In the earlier part of the book it was made evident that military
uniforms afford a fine field for research, though apart from the remains
of armour, however, they are comparatively modern. It was not, indeed,
until the reign of Charles II that we meet with uniforms regularly
adopted by the Army; and the red coat which has given its name to
the soldier, though many regiments are dressed in other colours, was
previous to that time merely a best coat. We see it now on fox-hunters
and golfers, though a long coat of this colour is still worn by the
King's footmen and coachmen. A writer in the _Spectator_, No. 129, says,
when speaking of Cornwall: "Here we fancied ourselves in Charles II's
reign, people having made little variation in their dress since that
time. The smartest of the country squires appear still in the Monmouth
cock; when they go a-wooing (whether they have any post in the militia
or not) they put on a red coat."
There had previous to the Restoration been some attempt to introduce
uniform dress for soldiers quite apart from the sovereign's special
guards, who, after the fashion of retainers, wore his livery. For
instance, the Duke of Norfolk, in the reign of Henry VIII, issued
instructions that every soldier should wear a blue coat guarded with
red, the right hose to be red, the left blue, and a red stripe three
fingers broad down the outside of each leg. The archers are described as
wearing white gaberdines, at one time in this reign, while in 1576 those
belonging to Ireland had a cassock of blue cloth with two small white
guards. Red coats as well as others of blue or white were worn by the
English troops in Turenne's army in 1657, and examples of the last two
colours are by no means extinct in the army to-day. Red, blue, grey,
and green, it may be added, were all worn during the Civil War on both
sides.
It must not be forgotten, however, that gay uniforms are now only used
at home in times of peace, for we have learnt a lesson from the lower
animals, many of which are protectively coloured, and the service
uniform to-day is one calculated to render its wearer as inconspicuous
as possible. Before the time of firearms which could be used with
precision, and when hand-to-hand combats played a great part in war, it
was necessary for two adversaries to be able to see one another, but
now each tries to hide himself.
[Illustration: FIG. 147.--A reversion in military equipment.
One of Cromwell's Ironsides (1679), from a print.
A Cavalryman sketched at Aldershot in 1901.
Copied, by permission, from the _Daily Mail_.]
Some years ago a sketch, which was made from a cavalry man at Aldershot,
was given in the _Daily Mail_; side by side was shown another taken
from a print representing one of Cromwell's Ironsides, and the likeness
between the two is almost exact. (See Figure 147.)
Ornamental epaulettes may also be looked upon as the last remnant of
armour, though the modern kind probably came from a shoulder-knot of
Charles II's time, as they were originally intended to protect the
shoulders from sword-thrusts. At the present day, though they are
worn in the English Navy and are common on the Continent, they have
practically disappeared from the Army.
The officers of the Yeomen of the Guard, whose uniform is that which was
worn in the Peninsular War, still wear epaulettes, as do the
Gentlemen-at-Arms and the Lords-Lieutenant of Counties. As we have said,
there is a fine field for the study of survivals in uniforms proper, and
from time to time many of these have attracted the notice of popular
writers.[35 & 36]
Additional interest is given to this subject by the fact that besides
the variations which have gradually evolved, there are special features
which have suddenly appeared often in connection with some important
battle, which we might liken to the curious sports and freaks which
sometimes occur in the natural history world.
When, in 1881, the old regimental facings were abolished, many
distinctions vanished, still there are more curious details left than
we shall be able to describe. We have already seen how the busby was
derived from the Hungarian cap, and quite a number of other features
have been introduced from foreign countries. The square cap of the
Lancer is the national head-dress of the Poles, who call it a shapka,
and the uniform itself came from Poland. The sling jacket or dolman of
the Hussars (see Figure 82), which is now extinct in our army, was also
an introduction, but still on the pouch-belt of Light Cavalry officers
are the prickers fastened with silver chains, which were used with old
flint-lock muzzle-loaders. (See Figure 148.)
[Illustration: FIG. 148.--The prickers on the shoulder-belt of a Hussar,
which survive from the time of flint-lock muskets.]
Some of these interesting but useless instruments are furnished
with plain round knobs, but others made as if they were arrows with
feathered shafts. Mr. Caton Woodville gives the following explanation of
the aiguillettes worn by aides-de-camp. He says that "they date from the
days when the war-horses, or chargers, were of solid build and slow of
movement, and when only the adjutants were mounted on fleet steeds. Then
the head-dress was a heavy three-cornered hat perched on a wig that was
itself often not too securely fastened to its wearer's head. He needed,
therefore, a cord with metal tags passing round the brim and under the
loops which upheld its three sides. It was fastened to the officer's
shoulder, as the weight of the felt hat, with its bars of steel as a
protection against sword cuts, was considerable, and it was enough
to choke a man if it should happen to dangle from his throat, so the
aiguillettes have become the distinguished mark of the assistant to the
general commanding in the field or garrison."
It should, however, be mentioned also that these ornaments are worn in
the Household Cavalry by non-commissioned officers, and are a relic
there of the days when these soldiers were gentlemen of the Royal Life
Guards, who had the right to a commission in a line regiment after a
certain number of years' service. Other soldiers carry them, as do also
the footmen of the nobility. Horse soldiers have also an ornamental cord
to their head-dresses, and it seems likely that the aiguillettes had
another origin, and that prickers or some other instruments were at one
time attached to them.
In the Lancers there is a very long cap-line, which has been mixed up,
we are told by Mr. P. W. Reynolds, with a very interesting survival.
This is the remains of a cord used for binding up grass and other forage
into bundles, worn for convenience round the body, and over one shoulder
by cavalry men, when it was not in use. It is known to the French as a
"fourragère." In the Lancers the cap-line passes round the cap and
is brought under the right shoulder-strap. So far it is the original
cap-line; then it passes twice round the body, under the left arm, and
under the right shoulder-strap, and ends, in a festoon and a couple of
acorns, which remind one of aiguillettes, on the left breast. The part
that goes round the body is the old forage cord.
The sergeants' sashes, it is said, were originally intended to make
slings so that the wounded could be carried out of action with the help
of pikes, and the drum-major's baton is the survival of a cane which the
drill-sergeant sometimes used on the backs of the recruits. The "flash"
of the Welsh Fusiliers, as we have seen, is a survival from the times
when wigs were worn. Here and there we find old head-dresses once nearly
universal, such as the shako which is now confined to the Highland Light
Infantry and the Scottish Rifles. Other regiments, such as those of the
Rifle Brigade, which have been at times used as cavalry, retain certain
features of the horse soldier's uniform. For instance, the Rifle Brigade
has a head-dress which resembles the Hussars' busby, and instead of a
sash the officers wear a cross-belt.
The officers of the Somersetshire Light Infantry, which on one occasion
was turned into cavalry at a moment's notice, wear a mess jacket of the
cavalry pattern; they have also a black worm in their lace, like
the East Yorkshire and North Lancashire regiments, which is usually
explained as being mourning for Sir John Moore in the first case, and
for General Wolfe in the two others. Before turning to peculiarities
which were granted for special services, we may mention the black tunics
and black plumes of the farriers belonging to the Life Guards, who carry
a great axe with which to kill horses that are wounded in battle, and
the state trumpeters also of the Household Cavalry, who wear a highly
ornamental uniform which has persisted for nearly two centuries.
There still remain relics of the time when commanding officers had a
great deal to say in connection with the uniforms of their regiments.
When the Cameron Highlanders were first raised in 1794, Colonel Cameron
did not adopt the Cameron tartan, because he did not think it would go
well with a scarlet tunic, and he introduced one which had been designed
by his mother, called the "Cameron Erracht," which has been worn
ever since. The White Horse of Hanover appears as a badge on several
regiments, and it is recorded that George I, objecting to the private
crests of the commanding officers, replaced them in many cases with the
Hanoverian device. Even now, in spite of the minute regulations of the
War Office, which are continually being altered, the uniforms are not
always made absolutely as they are prescribed. Little details may be
added, and colonels still seem to exercise some influence in the matter.
The red puggaree of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry is not
obtained from the regimental tailor who supplies the uniform.
The white jackets of the Guards and Highland corps which are worn in
undress are still called "waistcoats," and, according to Mr. Walter
Wood, are a relic of the white waistcoat which was worn under the
tunic by the British soldiers down to the time of William IV. It must,
however, be remembered that a waistcoat was originally an outer garment,
as indicated on page 148.
An exceedingly curious privilege is that which has been accorded to the
non-commissioned officers and men of the Royal Marines, who for many
years have been allowed when in mourning, to cover one button of their
tunics with crape. The Eighth Hussars wear their sword-belts over their
shoulders, and the tradition is that at the battle of Saragossa they
behaved so gallantly that they totally destroyed a corps of Spanish
cavalry and took possession of their adversaries' belts.
Perhaps the most curious mark of distinction is the extra drummer of
the Third Hussars, who enjoys special pay and is permitted to wear a
sergeant's uniform. This privilege was granted by George III when it
was brought to his notice that the regiment possessed some silver
kettledrums which they had captured. The request for this honour was
made in 1778 by General Fitzroy, and his wife presented a silver collar
for the use of the additional drummer which is still worn to-day. It is
handsomely engraved with military devices, and fits closely round the
throat. In full dress the Eleventh Hussars wear an ivory-hilted sword
made on the model of one picked up at Bhurtpore. The Fifteenth Hussars
wear the Austrian Imperial lace on account of their gallantry at
Villiers-en-Couche, which prevented the Emperor of Austria from falling
a prisoner to the French.
The Scots Greys were given Grenadier caps, which are not worn by other
cavalry regiments, for their bravery at Ramillies. The Northumberland
Fusiliers have red and white hackle feathers--that is to say, that
the upper part of their plume is red, and the lower part white. It is
recorded that at Wilhelmstahl, and also when in St. Lucia, this regiment
was victorious after great struggles, and took from the caps of the
French Grenadiers who were slain, enough white feathers to fit up
the whole regiment with plumes, the use of which afterwards received
official sanction. When, however, an order was made in 1829 that white
plumes should be generally worn, the Fusiliers complained that they
would lose the distinction which they enjoyed, and by a compromise they
were allowed to have a plume which was half red and half white. The
Northumberland Fusiliers share with one or two other regiments, that
distinguished themselves at the battle of Minden, the privilege of
wearing roses in their caps on St. George's Day.
We might spend a considerable time in dealing with the badges of
various regiments, for often the history of the latter is bound up with
them. They figure on the collar and other parts of the uniform, and
occasionally, as badges might be expected to do, they appear on the
buttons. We have touched upon this subject in connection with George I.
The Scots Greys have as a badge an eagle with outstretched wings. It
commemorates the capture of a French eagle at Waterloo by Sergeant
Ewart, who was given a commission for his bravery.
The Gloucestershire Regiment has a badge in front and another on the
back of the helmets, because on one occasion, in Egypt, when it was
attacked in the rear as well as in front by large bodies of French
cavalry, and there was no time to form a square, the commanding officer
gave the order, "Rear rank, right about face, fire!" The result was
that the enemy was beaten off. In connection with this achievement the
second badge was given.
An interesting tale is told with regard to the formation of the Guards
by Charles II after the Restoration. There were three regiments present,
and they were commanded to take up arms as the First, Second, and Third
Guards, but while the first and third obeyed the order, General Monk's
regiment stood still. The King, who was surprised at the apparent
insubordination, asked Monk for the reason. Whereupon he said that his
regiment declined to be considered second to any other. As a result,
Charles is said to have answered, "Very well, they shall be my
Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, and second to none." From this comes
their motto, "Nulli secundus." It may be mentioned, also, that this
regiment has a distinction which is absolutely unique in the Army, as it
bears on the King's colour a small Union Jack, which commemorates the
fact that Monk was an Admiral of the Fleet as well as a General.
It is only about a hundred years since the pretensions of the English
sovereigns to the throne of France ceased to be evident, for it was not
until the end of George III's reign that the French fleur-de-lys were
removed from the Royal Arms and disappeared from our coins. There is
still, however, a survival of the lilies of France on the braid of the
drummers in the Guards. White lace with red crowns is what is almost
universally worn by drummers in the Army, but the crown is replaced in
the case mentioned by the fleur-de-lys. Whilst speaking of the Guards,
one may recall that not very long ago a uniform was used by the
solicitor with which these soldiers were, and in the case of the
Coldstream Guards are still, provided. The solicitor, like the medical
officer, wore the cocked hat that is now dying out in the Army, though
generals and aides-de-camp still adopt this most curious outcome of the
Cavalier's beaver. Here and there, as in the case of the surgeon and
veterinary surgeon of the Life Guards, and the medical officers of some
Volunteer regiments, we still see the cocked hat. It flourishes also in
Court dress, it adorns the Lords-Lieutenant and their deputies, besides
maintaining its position among the officers of the Navy.
Fur, the material of which the first clothes of our ancestors were made,
is still seen to a considerable extent in the Army, and is chiefly used
for the construction of busbies. So important was the trade in furs
for military purposes at one time, that bear-skins were classified as
follows: "Officers," or first grade; "Grenadiers," or second grade; and
"unfit for the Army," or third grade. Like all features of dress which
are exaggerated, the big busbies of the Guards have on more than one
occasion afforded material for the caricaturist. Leech depicted the
soldiers of the Brigade of Guards warming their hands and feet in their
busbies, which they used as muffs; and an amusing series of sketches
for the amusement of the young people was published not long ago, in
which the soldier disappeared almost entirely into his busby and became
a sort of Humpty-Dumpty.
Tall hats of the type of our modern silk hats were not unknown in the
Army. Perhaps it may come as a shock to some that Lord Howard of
Effingham is shown in a portrait as wearing a top hat, in shape very
similar to the modern form, but ornamented with a plume of ostrich
feathers. There is, we believe, however, still one top hat which is
served out by the War Office at the present day, and this is worn by the
Chapel Keeper at Wellington Barracks.
Of buttons we have already spoken times out of number, and it may be
interesting to mention here that the various regiments of the Brigade of
Guards may be told by the arrangement of buttons on the tunic. They are
arranged at even distances apart in the Grenadiers, in twos on the
Coldstreams, and in threes on the Scots Guards, and in fours on the
Irish Guards, which were created of recent years.