The Nineteenth and Their Times. J. Biddulph
And We being graciously pleased to approve thereof and also of the several Particulars by you proposed in your said Letter Our Will and Pleasure is and we do hereby direct authorize and require that you give the necessary orders and Directions for placing the said Regiment on the Military Establishment of that our Kingdom from the seventh day of December last past inclusive for the several allowances of Pay in the said Establishment specified as aforesaid to be paid at such times and in such manner as other Regiments in that Kingdom are paid the Pay of each Commissioned and Staff Officers and the subsistence of the Non Commissioned Officers to commence from the date of their respective Commissions Warrants and Appointments and the subsistence of the private Men approved by the Officer who shall be appointed to review them from the days of their being severally attested inclusive as also for issuing out of our Revenues at Large in that Kingdom to the said Charles Earl of Drogheda or his Agent the sum of seventeen hundred and seventy pounds five shillings clear of all Fees and Deductions for four hundred and seventy four Cloaks at the rate of one pound twelve shillings and sixpence for each Cloak as also for issuing out of our said Revenues at large in that our Kingdom to the said Charles Earl of Drogheda or his Agent the sum Six Thousand Seven hundred and Fifty pounds clear of all Fees and Deductions for Four hundred and Fifty horses at the rate of Fifteen pounds for each Horse and likewise for issuing out of our said Revenues at large there to the Master and Principal Officers of the Ordnance the sum of Seven hundred and Sixty Six pounds clear of all Fees and Deductions for defraying the expense of four hundred and thirty two Firelocks and Bayonets at the rate of one pound fifteen shillings for each Firelock and Bayonet for the use of the said Regiment and for so doing this shall be as well to you as to our Lieutenant Deputy or other Chief Governor or Governors of that our Kingdom as to all other our Officers and Ministers who shall or may be concerned herein a Sufficient Warrant and so we bid you very heartily farewell. Given at our Court of St. James the 12th day of February 1760 in the 33rd Year of our reign.
By His Majesty’s Command,
Holles Newcastle.
H. B. Legge.
James Oswald.
Entered at the Signet office
the 25th February 1760
Geo. Brown, Dy.
To Our Right Trusty and Right Entirely Beloved Cousin and Councillor John Duke of Bedford Lieutenant General and General Governor of our Kingdom of Ireland and to Our Lieutenant Deputy or other Chief Governor or Governors of that Our Kingdom for the time being.
On the 24th March, the Muster Master General was again addressed, and instructed that, in consequence of an application from the Earl of Drogheda, “the orders relating to the Magistrates attesting the men raised to be Protestants and to making returns of the several places where the recruits were enlisted may be dispensed with, proper certificates that the men are Protestants having been obtained from the Clergymen of the Parishes where such men were severally enlisted, and all other requisites in the Earl of Rothes’ said instructions having been complied with.”
On 25th October 1760, George II. died; in February 1763, the Peace of Paris was concluded, and the Seven Years’ War came to an end. During the whole of this time, the Regiment, which was generally known as “Drogheda’s Horse,” remained in Ireland; but little or nothing can be learned concerning it. Considerable reductions of establishment were made directly peace was assured. The 17th (Aberdour’s Horse), which had never been able to complete its strength, ceased to exist, and the 18th Light Dragoons became the 17th. The 19th in the same way became the 18th, under which number it gained much distinction in the West Indies, Holland, the Peninsula, and Waterloo, being finally disbanded in 1821. Lord Drogheda, who had raised the regiment, continued to be its Colonel Commandant till its disbandment, nearly sixty two years afterwards, an unbroken term of service with one regiment probably unparalleled.
It is impossible at this date to ascertain what was the uniform of the regiment, before its number was changed. It certainly wore the red light dragoon coat of the period, and the facings were probably white, with red and white lace, similar to what it wore after its number was changed, until blue was substituted for red in all the Light Dragoon regiments.
PART II
THE NINETEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS
1779–1783
War in America—Declaration of War by France—Increase of the Army—Orders for raising the 19th Light Dragoons—Uniform—Peace proclaimed—Reduction of Military Establishments—Regiment disbanded.
“The year of which we treat, presented