The british military dress in the 18th century were characterized by a variety of colorful distinguishing features. The two dominant colors were red for the cavalry and infantry, and blue for the artillery and the navy. Legwear and footwear underwent only minor changes. Until the end of the century, these consisted of simple shoes or leather boots and knee-length breeches. Headgear underwent more changes. While the tricorn was worn throughout the century, the bicorn became increasingly popular among officers in the 1790s. In addition, the grenadiers' mitre was replaced by a fur cap, and the Tarleton became the preferred headgear for the light infantry. Development Infantry The standardised uniform appeared with the, ever-increasing use of firearms in the late 17th century in order the find means to distinguish friend from enemy. By then the jerkin the principal garment up till then was gradually replaced by the justaucorps. Unlike the jerkin, which featured only a few colour variations, the cloth coat had a lining in a different colour, which was visible at the turned-up cuffs, the hem and the lapels, and eventually became the basis for the tunic or uniform jacket, that featured facings of another color. A further feature for distinguish them were colored stitching around the buttonholes, and the colored tape binding sometimes put around them. Since there were no rank insignia officers could only recognized by the better quality of their dress.
Under Queen Anne, standardized dress regulations for the British infantry were established beginning in 1708, which were largely based on those of the previous era. Soldiers received a fixed annual allotment consisting of a tunic, vest, trousers, shoes, and a hat, with noncommissioned officers and drummers given higher-quality clothing. Over the course of this period, the troops’ appearance changed. Hats were cut open on three sides, while the grenadiers’ caps evolved into a distinctive, pointed miter shape. While officers continued to wear long, flowing wigs, the hair of ordinary soldiers was cut shorter and tied at the nape of the neck. The uniform tunic was worn open at the chest to reveal the vest; unused buttons at the bottom were completely omitted. In addition to their weapons, white gaiters became mandatory equipment starting in 1710.
Inspired by the Duke of Marlborough, stricter uniform regulations were enacted beginning in 1710, which also mandated uniform red attire for officers as well as the mandatory wearing of a sash and a sponton. A decree issued in 1727 permanently established the uniforms and insignia colors of the regiments, so that any change from that point on required express royal approval. By 1715, Hanoverian symbols found their way into the British Army, including the black cockade on the hat and the white horse on the grenadier caps. The latter now uniformly took on the characteristic miter shape, while the heraldic insignia of the regimental proprietors under George II were gradually replaced by royal ciphers.
By the late 1720s, the front panels of the coats had gradually evolved into fixed lapels that were permanently buttoned down to the waist, with the edges and buttonholes trimmed with lace. To facilitate movement while marching, the corners of the coat tails were turned up and fastened with a button starting in 1737. To further standardize the British Army, a central dress manual was published in 1742 under the Duke of Cumberland. For the first time, it illustrated the uniforms and specific insignia of all regiments and definitively abolished the use of private coats of arms by regiment owners, replacing them with royal symbols such as the king’s monogram or the white horse.
During the reign of George II, soldiers’ uniform coats were characterized by an enormous amount of fabric. This excess fabric was gathered into side pleats below the hip button, so that in many cases the coats looked more like overcoats. Contemporary paintings by Morier illustrate that the lower front edge of the uniform tunic had a rounded cut when the soldiers wore the lapels buttoned over one another. When the lapels were turned back, however, the lower edge had a distinctly straighter cut. Officers often threaded their swords through a specific opening in the pleats, which was specially stiffened to give the fabric more body and volume. For enlisted soldiers, there is evidence of a buttoned fabric trim within these pleats.
The epaulettes were originally made of red fabric, had a rounded shape, and were worn exclusively on the left shoulder. Some regiments anticipated later regulations by already using epaulets trimmed with braid. The number of bows on the tail flaps varied between four and seven; they were either square or pointed in shape. Grenadiers also wore distinctive wing-shaped epaulets. On the back, the coats featured lacing, a very large pleat, and tail flaps with so-called Dubby ornaments, which were often fastened with hooks and eyes.
The royal decree of December 1768 introduced strict dress regulations for the infantry. The regiments of the Foot Guards were exempt from this decree; they did not change their uniforms until later, between 1768 and 1774. The fabric for the rank-and-file soldiers was dyed madder red, while a finer scarlet was used for noncommissioned officers. The respective regimental color was featured on the collar, lapels, and cuffs. The skirts lost most of their fullness in the pleats. They were permanently turned back and secured as white lapels with heart-, diamond-, or square-shaped ornaments. An exception was made for regiments with buff or buff-toned lapels, where the facings, vests, and lining were also in the same tone. Ordinary soldiers used brass lapel ornaments, grenadiers wore grenade emblems, and regiments with corresponding traditional affiliations used thistles.
When worn as a dress, the jacket was fastened at the chest with hooks, leaving the upper part open so that the batiste ruffles of the shirt could be pulled out like a cock’s comb, while the lower part was cut diagonally to reveal the vest. The lapels of the enlisted men’s coats could be buttoned in either direction, often depending on which way the wind was blowing; as the waistline shifted downward over time, this helped to retain body heat. The front of the coat was cut diagonally to expose the chest and featured a three-inch-wide lapel extending to the waist, which matched the color of the trim and was lined with madder-red fabric. It was fastened with ten buttons, which were originally evenly spaced; later, however, some regiments introduced buttons and laces in pairs. The rank-and-file soldiers wore square, bastion- or flowerpot-shaped loops to decorate the front of the coat and reinforce the buttonholes.
Following the adoption of two epaulettes by the Foot Guards, most line regiments followed suit. The epaulettes were sewn onto the shoulder seam of the tunic, tapered toward the center, came to a point at the other end, and were fastened near the collar with a small regimental button. In 1784, epaulettes in the regimental color with a surrounding regimental braid were officially introduced, although many units had already adopted this practice long before that date. During the American War of Independence, this trend became standard practice and eventually the norm by 1793. The cuffs, in the regiment’s color, featured four buttons and four braided loops. Originally, they could be unbuttoned and rolled down in cold weather, with the loops then lying on the inside; however, before the end of the century, these were replaced by permanently attached cuffs.
Although worn during 1770s by 1786 the undress was officially introduced to enable generals and staff officers in the field to wear practical, plain dress. By 1798, a general’s undress or plain uniform coat was scarlet and featured long skirts that were hooked at the back and lined with white Kerseymere fabric. It had a scarlet stand-up collar as well as narrow blue cuffs and lapels; the lapels were three inches wide and designed so that they could be buttoned across the body down to the waist. The uniform buttons were spaced evenly along the lapels, sleeves, and coat tails, while there were no pocket flaps. There were four buttons on each sleeve and skirt, ten buttons on the lapels (including the front of the collar), and two buttons on the back between the hip buttons. The pockets were incorporated into the pleats or on the inside. Embroidery on the buttonholes was omitted; only the epaulets remained embroidered.
The undress uniform for a lieutenant general and a major general was similar to that of a general, with the exception that the buttons were arranged in rows of three and two, respectively. The dress uniform for the Adjutant General, the Quartermaster General, and the Barackmaster General were similar to that of a lieutenant general, but were trimmed with silver lace instead of gold. Their deputies were also issued an undress uniform with silver lace, similar to that of a major general. The undress uniforms of the aides-de-camp were cut similarly but featured no embroidery except for the epaulets. The same unembroidered, silver version was also mandatory for the deputy aides-de-camp and quartermasters, as well as for the brigade majors.
Highland Regiments When in 1739 the first highland regiment (later Black Watch) was raised their coats and waistcoats were due to the voluminous folds of the belted plaid rather short. The jacket and waistcoat were red with buff cuffs; by 1758 the cuffs became blue. The different regiments then raised and disbanded over the course of the century distinguished themselves in the same way as the other regiments. For example the 78th or Frasier´s Highlanders had buff facings while the 76th Regiment of (Highland) foot featured green cuffs and facings. Light Infantry Introduced in North America during the Seven Years' War to meet the demands of the local terrain, the light infantry uniform was functional and adapted to the surrounding environment with its color. The soldiers wore clothing made of a coarse, black woolen fabric, trimmed with blue piping on the lapels. To ensure maximum freedom of movement in dense underbrush, the uniform consisted of a sleeveless tunic and a vest. With the exception of epaulettes in the style of grenadiers and drummers, all other decorations were removed. The breeches were made of linen and paired with thigh-high black gaiters that were buttoned at the calves.
With the official introduction of the Light Infantry in 1770, soldiers were issued the traditional red tunic, which was now worn as a one-piece, shorter jacket with a two-piece collar in the regiment’s color and a crimson lining. The tunic had coat lapels turned back and front coat skirts with the usual loops along the upper edge, which still featured pleats at the waist. A red vest was worn underneath. Military embellishments also returned; uniforms were adorned with white braids, loops, and lacing, and officers wore epaulet-like shoulder tabs. Toward the end of the 1770s, the collar became significantly wider at the nape and tapered toward the back, while vertical pockets with four bows on each side were added to the tunic. The hunting horn became established as the insignia of the light infantry, which wore it as an emblem on their uniforms.
Artillery