Tuesday 24 February 2009

Douglas' Regiment

Been looking to see what information there is on the web about this and other regiments in French service. There is an article by John Childs THE BRITISH BRIGADE IN FRANCE, 1672–1678.
Portrait from here
This image of pikemen is thought to be of the Douglas' Regiment.
'1667 Return to French Service now in a uniform of red coats with white
cuffs and a strength of 1,500 men'.
Dumbarton's Drums
On 30th June, 1667 Samuel Pepys met Lord George Douglas in Rochester and mentions seeing his Regiment; he records that "here in the streets I did hear the Scotch March beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odde."
Many other references to the "Scots March" appear in history, but whether the Regimental March, "Dumbarton's Drums", was one and the same thing cannot he proved with certainty. There is good ground however for such an assumption. The name derives from the time when Lord George Douglas, created Earl of Dumbarton in 1675, was Colonel, and the Regiment was known as "Dumbarton's Regiment". Royal Scots webpage

No comments: