Ind Coys reference. What were Blazons?

[Orvis]

Interesting. I had not seen that reference before, nor have I seen any references relating to early Highland military uniforms (especially in the Independent Companies) that mentions badges.

This is pure conjecture, but badges may have been issued in the context of modern police badges, i.e., to certify that the individual Highlander was indeed a member of an Independent Company, who in those early days were 1) engaged in law enforcement activities and 2) may not yet have been fully uniformed in red coat, Government tartan, etc, for identification purposes. I can imagine that a problem may have existed from unscrupulous Highlanders attempting to pass themselves off as Independent Company members to gain some sort of advantage over prospective victims.

What form did these blazons/badges take? Has anybody seen one? To the best of my knowledge, Highland regiments didn't start putting regimental numbers/titles (except for regimental names and rack marks on muskets, bayonets and swords) on regimental uniform items until the American War of Independence.

[duke_19_62]

According to Wikipedia: "In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag traditionally has considerable latitude in design, while a blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements; thus it can be said that a coat of arms or flag is primarily defined not by a picture but rather by the wording of its blazon (though often flags are in modern usage additionally and more precisely defined using geometrical specifications). Blazon also refers to the specialized language in which a blazon is written, and, as a verb, to the act of writing such a description. This language has its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax, or rules governing word order, which becomes essential for comprehension when blazoning a complex coat of arms.Other objects — such as badges, banners, and seals — may also be described in blazon.
The word blazon (referring to a verbal description) is not to be confused with the verb to emblazon, or the noun emblazonment, both of which relate to the graphic representation of a coat of arms or heraldic device."

[Dileasgubas]

According to the Dictionary of English Entymology (Wedgewood), 1859:

blazon has been described as "the scutcheon or shield wherein arms or figures are painted." The author indicates that the origin of the word could have been derived first from the English word blazen (to proclaim) and then the French blazon (praise, commend) to eventually be transferred to name the shield of the bearer that proclaims titles and deeds that would otherwise have been concealed by the wearer's armour. In other words, the blazon signifies the armourial bearings of an individual, as the device by which he was made known or manifest when completely cased in armour.

The Edinburgh Encyclopedia (1832) indicates that blazon has its origins in a German word blazen, signifying "to blow the horn", and also makes reference to the use of the same term blazon in Spanish. It goes on to say that blazon were normally included on shields, surcoats and ensigns/standards/pennants.

[figheadair]

Interesting. I had not seen that reference before, nor have I seen any references relating to early Highland military uniforms (especially in the Independent Companies) that mentions badges.

This is pure conjecture, but badges may have been issued in the context of modern police badges, i.e., to certify that the individual Highlander was indeed a member of an Independent Company, who in those early days were 1) engaged in law enforcement activities and 2) may not yet have been fully uniformed in red coat, Government tartan, etc, for identification purposes. I can imagine that a problem may have existed from unscrupulous Highlanders attempting to pass themselves off as Independent Company members to gain some sort of advantage over prospective victims.

What form did these blazons/badges take? Has anybody seen one? To the best of my knowledge, Highland regiments didn't start putting regimental numbers/titles (except for regimental names and rack marks on muskets, bayonets and swords) on regimental uniform items until the American War of Independence.

I had assumed that blazons and badges were different but it might be that they were in fact the same thing, it's not entirely clear. Until these references surfaced no-one had ever heard of either in connection with the Ind Coys and so we have to make some educated guesses at this point. As I said, I have assumed that the badges (with their individual number) would have been metal but other than that have no idea of what they were or looked like. The idea that they might have been some sort of official mark like a police badge is an interesting possibility. I will follow this up with the NMS.

So far as uniform is concerned, we know that the men wore plaids and that they were to be 'as near as the same sort and colour' as possible, and they the men were also issued shirts, stocks, shoes and hose. There is no mention of them being issued coats so it's possible they weren't. Even if they were I doubt that they would have been red ones before the various companies were regimented in 1739.

[Orvis]

I had assumed that blazons and badges were different but it might be that they were in fact the same thing, it's not entirely clear. Until these references surfaced no-one had ever heard of either in connection with the Ind Coys and so we have to make some educated guesses at this point. As I said, I have assumed that the badges (with their individual number) would have been metal but other than that have no idea of what they were or looked like. The idea that they might have been some sort of official mark like a police badge is an interesting possibility. I will follow this up with the NMS.

So far as uniform is concerned, we know that the men wore plaids and that they were to be 'as near as the same sort and colour' as possible, and they the men were also issued shirts, stocks, shoes and hose. There is no mention of them being issued coats so it's possible they weren't. Even if they were I doubt that they would have been red ones before the various companies were regimented in 1739.

Peter,

What caught my attention in the reference material was that the badges were numbered and that the Ind Coy captains were apparently accountable for them. In a law enforcement context this makes sense because it made it would have made it harder for them to be counterfeited and used illegally by non-Ind Coy members. Additionally, the captains had to be accountable to higher authority to recover the numbered badges from soldiers who were discharged/died and then reissued to new soldiers. This strongly suggests that higher authority wanted to know who had these badges because of their law enforcement applications. In the U.S. police badges are numbered so the government knows who is legally a policeman and as an outward mark of the policeman's authority. Another reason for numbering police badges is so that people who deal with the police (suspects and others) can use the badge number to get the identity of the policeman from higher authority in case there is a problem (e.g., police misconduct). Pure conjecture again, but numbered Ind Coy badges may have served the same purposes, although I've not seen any documentation to that effect.

I presume this "badge/blazon" system lasted only until the Ind Coys were formed into the Highland Regiment (43rd Foot), if it lasted that long. I've seen nothing to indicate that later Highland Ind Coys (there were 18 of them operating on the Hanoverian side in Scotland during the 1745 Rising) employed such a system.

[Luke MacGillie]

Is there any costs listed for the Blazons?

I was thinking something like a cockade, or this little strip of lace shown on the bonnet of the Independent Company image from the 42 Clothing book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indepe...iment_1742.jpg

[figheadair]

Is there any costs listed for the Blazons?

I was thinking something like a cockade, or this little strip of lace shown on the bonnet of the Independent Company image from the 42 Clothing book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indepe...iment_1742.jpg

No, there are no costs listed. Cockage were referred to as such and I think it unlikely that they would have been referred to as blazons, especially as these seem to have been associated with a body of men rather than individuals.