List of British cavalry regiments of the early modern period

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The present list of British cavalry regiments of the early modern period can only arbitrarily end with the Napoleonic Wars. There was no turning point as the Brandenburg-Prussian army experienced due to its surrender in 1806. The British Army has remained unprecedented to this day. The overview ends here with the Peace of Amiens in 1804. Since the 17th century, a large number of temporarily existing regiments have been set up, mostly on the occasion of campaigns. They are not yet part of this overview.

Explanation of the system

Until well into the 18th century, the British regiments were named after their heads of regiments. In 1747 a royal decree stipulated numbering according to the principle of anciency (referred to as “Army list 1751”). This list established the order according to age and, in deviation from this, according to rank. The numbering was only used for the regimental designations in the last decades in the 18th century. It was still valid until the 20th century. The numbering was changed many times, as whole regiments were disbanded. The numbering for the early modern period was therefore set to 1760 here. Regiments that were disbanded between 1747 and 1760 are given the addition "old". Regiments that were disbanded before 1747 are not given a number. In addition to the numbering, the year of foundation is added to the regiments below. This is intended to facilitate comparability. This numbering consistently follows the Ticino line-ups. If several regiments were founded in one year, Ticino added a second number (e.g. "1759/9" = ninth regiment that was set up in 1759). This is followed by the names of the regiment chiefs or the name (possibly name of the commander).

Meaning of the characters used: "*" = foundation, "†" = dissolution, "<" = origin, ">" = whereabouts.

Regiments according to master list numbering as of 1760

The following list shows the guards and regiments at the end of the reign of King George II .

Guard

* 1659 as royalist troops with the units: “King's Troop”, “Duke of York's Troop”, “Lord General's Troop” - 1661 renaming to “His Majestie's own Troope of Guards”, “The Queen's Troope of Guards”, “His Grace the Duke of Albemarle his Troope of Guards (1670 “Queen's Troope”) - 1788 “Life Guards”> 1804

In 1678 a grenadier company was added to each of the guard companies (“Horse Grenadier Guards”). In 1680 the mounted grenadiers were disbanded. In 1683 two companies were set up again, but dissolved again in 1788.

→ Life Guards (from 1788)

Royal Equestrian Guard

The “Royal Horse Guards” (the “Heavies” or the “Blues”), known as the “Heavies” or the “Blues”), represented a special position between the Garden and the normal cavalry regiments. Until then, the “Blues” had no number.

* Established in 1661 as a guard on horseback (“Royal Horse Guards”) → 1804

Cavalry regiments

In 1760 only 4 cavalry regiments were designated as “Regiment of Horse”. From 8 cavalry regiments previously (including the Royal Horse Guards) 4 regiments were incorporated into the Dragoon Garden and numbered accordingly. There remained:

* Established in 1685 as Arran on horseback - 1746 1st Irish Horse - 1788 Dragoon Regiment DG IV → 1804 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guard
* Established in 1685 as Shrewsbury on horseback - 1746 2nd Irish Horse - 1788 Dragon Guard Regiment DG V → 1804 5th "Princess Charlotte of Wales" Dragon Guard
* Established in 1685 as "Queen Dowagers" (queen widow cuirassiers) - also known as "The Carabiniers" / "Irish Horse" from 1695 - 1746 3rd Irish Horse - 1788 Dragon Guard Regiment DG VI → 1804
* Established in 1688 as Cavendish on horseback - 1746 4th Irish Horse - 1788 Dragons Guard Regiment DG VII (Princess Royal) → 1804

Dragon Guard regiments

In 1746 three regiments were renamed from "Regiment on Horseback" to "Dragoon Gards" in order to cut their pay in half. The additional designation “Gards” was used to maintain ranks.

* Established in 1685 as Queen on Horseback - 1746 1st King's Regiment of Dragoon Guards> 1804
* Erected in 1685 as Peterborough on horseback - 1746 2nd Queen's Regiment of Dragoon Guards> 1804
* Established in 1685 as Plymouth on horseback - 1746 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards → 1804

Dragoon regiments

Dragoon regiments were formed as early as 1685 under James II . At times over 14 regiments, they were steadily dismantled in the 18th century and converted into so-called light dragoon regiments. In 1799 there were only 5 regiments left.

* Established in 1661 as a Tangier on horseback - 1683 King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons - 1751 1st Royal Dragoons> 1804
* Established in 1681 as the Royal Regiment of Scotch - 1707 Royal North British Dragoons - 1751 2nd or Royal North British Dragoons> 1804 Scots Grays
* Erected in 1685 as a Queen or Queen Consort-Dragoons - 1715 King's Own Dragoons - 1751 3rd King's Own Dragoons> 1804
* 1685 Princess Anne of Denmark Dragoons - 1702 Essex Dragoons - 1710 Temple - 1712 Evans - 1735 Rich - 1751 4th Dragoons> 1804
* 1661 established as Royal Irish Dragoons (Inninskilling Forces) also "Wynne's Dragoons" - 1751 5th Royal Irish Dragoons - † 1799 (mutiny, number remained unoccupied until 1858)
* Established in 1689 as Inniskilling Dragoons (Inninskilling Forces) - 1751 6th Inniskilling Forces> 1804
> from Robert Cunningham Dragoons (1690/1) * rebuilt in 1715 as Princess of Wales Own Dragoons - 1751 7th Queen's Light Dragoons> 1804
> from Henry Cunningham Dragoons (1693/1) * rebuilt in 1715 as Peppers Dragoons - 1751 8th Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1715 as Wynne Dragoons - 1751 9th Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1715 as Gore Dragoons - 1751 10th Prince of Wales Own Light Dragoons> 1804
* Established in 1715 as Honeywood Dragoons - 1751 11th Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1715 as Bowles Dragoons - 1751 12th Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1715 as Munden Dragoons - 1751 13th Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1715 as Dormer Dragoons - 1751 14th Dragoons> 1804

Light regiments of dragoons

Especially in the Seven Years' War , light troops and a. needed for the small war. Britain renounced the formation of hussar associations , but introduced the so-called light dragoons. The numbering continued that of the Dragoons.

* Erected in 1759 as Elliot 15th Light Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1759 as Bourgoyne 16th Light Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1759 as Aberdour or Edinburgh 17th Light Dragoons - † 1763
* Erected in 1759 as 18th Light Dragoons - 1763 17th Light Dragoons - 1766 3rd Light Dragoons - 1769 17th Light Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1759 as Drogheda 19th Light Dragoons - 1763 18th Light Dragoons - 1766 4th Light Dragoons - 1769 18th Light Dragoons> 1804
* Erected in 1760 as Inniskilling 20th Light Dragoons (Campbell) - † 1763
* Erected in 1760 as Royal Forresters 21st Light Dragoons - † 1763

See also

literature

  • John William Fortescue: A History of the British Army . Volumes I – IV, 1899–1915. London.
  • Liliane and Fred Funcken: Historical Uniforms. 18th century: French, British and Prussian cavalry and artillery. Infantry, cavalry and artillery from other European countries . Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-570-01865-2 (French: L'Uniforme et les Armes des soldiers de la guerre en dentelle II . Translated by Hedwig Sander).
  • Georg Tessin : The regiments of the European states in the Ancien Régime des XVI. to XVIII. Century . tape 1 : The master lists . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1986, ISBN 3-7648-1763-1 , p. 360-423 (3 volumes, 1986-1995).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg Tessin : The regiments of the European states in the Ancien Régime des XVI. to XVIII. Century . tape 1 : The master lists . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1986, ISBN 3-7648-1763-1 , p. 365 (3 volumes, 1986-1995).
  2. ^ Georg Tessin: The regiments of the European states in the Ancien Régime des XVI. to XVIII. Century . tape 1 : The master lists . Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1986, ISBN 3-7648-1763-1 (3 volumes, 1986–1995).
  3. ↑ Liliane and Fred Funcken: Historical uniforms . 18th century: French, British and Prussian cavalry and artillery. Infantry, cavalry and artillery from other European countries. Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-570-01865-2 , p. 43 (French: L'Uniforme et les Armes des soldats de la guerre en dentelle II . Translated by Hedwig Sander).