Royal Scots, Who!

[Stuart]

Does anyone Know who makes the Royal Scots fig's on pg69, middle picture, The Last Argument of Kings. I'm starting my Jacobite project in the summer and have sourced all the other figs I need but can't find these guys. I've gone through the list of companies at the back of the book but no joy, though I may have whizzed past them?!
Any help is much appreciated.

Stuart

[2close2theflame]

i dont have the book to look at but the only jacobites ive seen that i know of are by old glory. http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=215

[Invisible officer]

Same with me. My own 1745 forces are Front Rank. A pitty that my Warlord Highlanders are a little small compared to them. Some would be still suitable for that war.

[Stuart]

Front rank are who I plan to get most of the figs from, I think oldglory, nice as they are, might be a bit small. Might have to do some more trawling of the web, thanks for the info guys.

[CplJohn]

Hi,

The figs in the picture are Front Rank, but are not sold as Royal Ecossais. They are Lowlander firing and Lowlander loading with converted standard bearers. Old Glory do the Royal Ecossais, but I am not a big fan of their figures.

The Regiment wore normal French style uniforms whilst on the continent, but during the Jacobite rebellion they swopped tricornes for Highland bonnets and wore a shortened coat. The Officers and Grenadiers wore a Grenadier mitre ( one still exists in Edinburgh castle museum ) which is unusual, as French regiments generally did not issue Grenadier mitres. There is also at least one source who speculates that the Grenadiers might also have worn kilts both during the rebellion and on the continent. However, Stuart Reid states this was not the case as it would have been so unusual that French authors were bound to comment on it, yet he can find no-one who has mentioned it in writing. It is not clear if they carried bagpipes, but if so the piper would have been in Highland dress. The best Uniform guide is "The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745-46" by Osprey but there is also a nice plate in "Like HUngry Wolves" showing the uniform.

To this end, no-one makes "correct" figures. For my own unit, I used the Front Rank Lowlanders as shown in the picture and then did head swops with grenadiers for the officers. It is worth the effort, as the standards are lovely and the whole unit really sets off the Jacobite army. Maybe someone will make correct figures soon....( hint hint warlord)

cheers

[Stuart]

Thanks for the info cplJohn, that's interesting about the mitre, I shall be moving soon and will only be ten minutes outside Edinburgh so will have to make a point of going to the museum! I did see the lowlanders in Frontrank but couldn't make up my mind if they were the same or not, I thought the leggings looked different, but as you say there's no correct figs for them so that makes it easier to choose. I'm going "book shopping" soon so I'll add the osprey to my list.

Thanks

[Invisible officer]

This mitre cap belonged to a grenadier officer captured on board the L'Esperance, we have no source that the grenadier officers wore them in action in Scotland.
We have some contemporary sources for blue bonnets worn by the Royal Ecossais officers. But are these for march or for battle too?
The source for the short coats is a witness of the trial of Charles Olipant. But this was later, the prisoner may have been forced to cut it short to repair the rest.
The Irish Picquets wore the normal French style coats until Culloden, there is little reason to think that the Ecossais would cut them down without need. There are speculations that a second battalion was raised in Scotland. These may have got short blue Scottish coats and blue bonnets.
If we assume the mitre cap worn in battle (an awfull item, replaced by British Officer's and men on campaign with the tricorne) we should do the same for the tricorne. Blue bonnets on the march or in camp.

I used Front rank's regular French for the Ecossais and the Irish picquets to give them a smart battle look. For the same reason I used the mitre cap wearing ones for my British.

The modern speculation about kilt wearing grenadiers by Lawson is based on no contemporary source.

The "French " in the back

[carvel2]

I detect a different dining table

[Stuart]

Yeah, hadn't noticed the table! Great pics I.O. that's made me decide what I'm gonna do. I like the long coats on your figs and I like the Bonnets suggested by CplJohn (but which ones best......), so I think I'll get Front Rank figs with out hats and try putting the spare Bonnets I have on them!?

[CplJohn]

This mitre cap belonged to a grenadier officer captured on board the L'Esperance, we have no source that the grenadier officers wore them in action in Scotland

Agreed. However, there is no suggestion caps worn by those intercepted by the RN were different from those in the same regiment who were not intercepted? I think it safe to assume this was a standard item of uniform.

The Irish Picquets wore the normal French style coats until Culloden, there is little reason to think that the Ecossais would cut them down without need

Again, agreed. The Royal Ecossais were present at Tournai in 1745 and would have appeared in standard French coats and tricornes. It does seem odd that they would cut them down in preparation for a Scottish winter! I would have no problem with anyone showing their Royal Scots in normal French frock coats. As you rightly say, the Irish did not amend their uniform at all. It was in the interests of all "French" regulars to appear so, to avoid being hanged as rebels if captured, and so they would want to maintain their French dress as far as possible.

We have some contemporary sources for blue bonnets worn by the Royal Ecossais officers. But are these for march or for battle too?

Interesting. If you read Murray Pittocks latest work, he suggests that many of the rebels adopted Highland style dress as part of the "uniformity" of the army. Many wore tartan and highland bonnets even if they were English volunteers or lowlanders. Even Charlie is known to have worn tartan. This was the "uniform" of the "Highland army". It is possible that bonnets were adopted by the Scots to show uniformity with the rebels, although this begs the question why didn't the Irish? Equally, the bonnet could always have been worn in camp by this Scottish regiment and it was simply adopted on campaign to preserve the expensive tricorne? I think a mix would look great and be agrued either way.