Historical Record of the Fourth, or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards

Many officers and soldiers joined the Prince of Orange, and amongst others, Lord Churchill, Colonel of the third troop of Life Guards; the King gave the Duke of Berwick the command of the third troop of Life Guards; removed the Earl of Arran to the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards; and conferred the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse on the Earl's brother, Charles Earl of Selkirk, from Guidon and Major in the fourth troop of Life Guards, his commission bearing date the 20th of November, 1688.

The desertions which took place alarmed the King and Queen; Her Majesty fled with the infant Prince to France, and was followed by the King. The Prince of Orange assumed the reins of government, and the Earl of Selkirk's regiment was ordered to march to Stamford in Lincolnshire.

On the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on Colonel Charles Godfrey, who had previously held a commission in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse.

1689

The Prince and Princess of Orange having ascended the throne while the regiment was quartered in Lincolnshire, it took part in the solemnity of the proclamation of their Majesty's accession at Stamford, on the 16th of February, 1689, on which occasion three troops, with the trumpets and kettle drums, paraded the town, and, 'after firing several volleys, partook of a substantial repast, with abundance of wine, and drank their Majesties' health amidst reiterated acclamations.'

In the middle of March three troops proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where 1500 Irish Roman Catholics were detained in the custody of a military force. These men had entered the service of King James in Ireland, and had been ordered to England to support the arbitrary proceedings of the Court; at the Revolution they were deprived of their arms and sent prisoners to the Isle of Wight, from whence they were eventually transported to Hamburgh, to be disposed of in the service of the Emperor of Germany.

Thirty men and horses of the regiment were transferred, in April, to the Blues, to complete the establishment of that corps previous to its embarkation for Holland.

During the summer three troops of the Sixth Horse were encamped on Hounslow Heath. King William had reasons to suspect that several old corps were not well affected towards his interests; but His Majesty appears to have placed entire confidence in the attachment of the officers and men of this regiment to his person and government; and in August a strong detachment left the camp at Hounslow, to take part in the duties of the Court and metropolis. The remainder of the three troops of the Sixth Horse, encamped on the heath, proceeded into quarters at Croydon and Mitcham; and in December, the three troops in the Isle of Wight were removed to Salisbury.

1690

The detachment having been relieved from the King's duty in London, the regiment was removed in February, 1690, into quarters at Oxford and Abingdon. In the following month it received orders to embark for Ireland, to serve under King William, against the French and the Irish Roman Catholics under King James. This order was, however, countermanded, and when the King proceeded with three troops of Life Guards to Ireland, this regiment marched into quarters in the villages near London, in order to take part in the duties of the Court. Having been relieved from this duty by the Fourth Horse (now 3rd Dragoon Guards), the regiment marched into quarters at Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, and subsequently to Salisbury and Winchester.

During the winter, the Fifth Regiment of Horse9 was disbanded in Ireland; and the Sixth Horse obtained rank as Fifth Horse from this period.

1691

From Salisbury and Winchester the regiment, now taking rank as Fifth Horse, was withdrawn in May, 1691, and proceeded to Hertford, Dartford, and Romford, and one troop furnished the guard at Windsor for the Queen Dowager, Catherine, consort of the late King Charles II. In June one troop was in attendance on the Princess Anne at Tunbridge; and in the autumn the regiment furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King from Harwich to London, when His Majesty returned from the Netherlands.

The conquest of Ireland having been achieved, the King was enabled to augment his army in the Low Countries; and, soon after His Majesty's arrival in England, Godfrey's Horse were selected to proceed on foreign service. The regiment was, accordingly, embarked in transports on the river Thames on the 27th of November, and sailed on the following day. After its arrival in Flanders it went into quarters at Ghent.

1692

In the spring of the following year, the Fifth Regiment of Horse took the field to serve its first campaign with the army under King William III. in person, who was fighting for the preservation of the Protestant religion and the balance of power in Europe, against the forces of Louis XIV. of France. After several movements, King William attacked the French army, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, at its position near Steenkirk, on the 24th of July, 1692. The Fifth Horse supported the attacking column, and when the infantry deployed, it drew up on the right skirts of a wood, through which the main body of the army had to pass. The leading corps behaved with signal gallantry, but were repulsed, and the main body of the army was too far in the rear to give the required support. An immense body of French cavalry menacing the British infantry, the Fifth Horse were ordered to advance, and they succeeded in checking the enemy's squadrons. Lord Mountjoy10, a young nobleman of great promise, who was serving as a volunteer, was killed by a cannon ball at the head of the regiment. It soon afterwards received orders to retire, and this movement was covered by a squadron of Horse Grenadier Guards. The regiment was subsequently engaged in several movements, and in the autumn it proceeded into winter-quarters.

1693

Shortly after the battle of Steenkirk, the Princess Anne of Denmark's regiment of horse,11 which had lost many men and horses in the action, was disbanded; and on the 7th of March, 1693, its Colonel, Francis Langston, was appointed to the command of the Fifth Horse, vice Colonel Charles Godfrey, who retired.

In the ensuing campaign the regiment was again engaged for several weeks in marches, manœuvring, and occupying positions on the rich plains of the Netherlands, to defeat the designs of the enemy; and on the 19th of July it was engaged in the hard-contested battle of Landen, where it had an opportunity of distinguishing itself. It was formed, during the early part of the action, near the village of Neer-Landen, to support the infantry on the left, and sustained some loss from a heavy cannonade to which it was exposed. At length Marshal Luxembourg, by means of an immense superiority of numbers, carried the village of Neer-Winden, forced the position occupied by his opponents, and his numerous cavalry overpowered the squadrons in the right wing of the confederate army. King William instantly ordered the English horse on the left to oppose the victorious career of the enemy; and Langston's Regiment, galloping to the scene of conflict, charged the French horsemen with signal gallantry. The right squadron of this regiment, led by its Colonel, Francis Langston, broke the French squadron to which it was opposed, and made great slaughter; and the heroic Langston, an officer remarkable for prowess and valour, who had served against the Moors in Africa, and at the battles of the Boyne, Aghrim, and Steenkirk, was seen using his broadsword with terrible execution, but he was eventually surrounded, severely wounded, and taken prisoner. Fresh squadrons of French cavalry, flushed with the prospect of victory, renewed the fight, and, notwithstanding the bravery evinced by the English horse, superiority of numbers prevailed. King William ordered a retreat, which, having to be made across bridges and by narrow defiles, was not executed without much confusion and loss. His Majesty remained on the ground until nearly surrounded by the enemy; but he was rescued by a party of his Life Guards and a troop of Horse.

After retiring from the field, the regiment proceeded to Tirlemont; it was subsequently engaged in several movements, and on the 5th of August it was reviewed by King William, with the remainder of the cavalry, near Wemmel. In November it marched into quarters at Ghent.

1694

Having been joined by a body of recruits and remount horses from England, to replace the losses of the preceding campaign, the regiment marched out of Ghent in May, 1694, to cantonments in the villages between Brussels and Dendermond. The campaign of this year was remarkable for the long and fatiguing marches performed by the troops; but no general engagement occurred. After traversing Flanders and Brabant in various directions, and experiencing much privation from the country having so long been the seat of war, the regiment returned to its former quarters.

1695

The services of the regiment during the campaign of 1695 were limited to covering the siege of Namur, one of the strongest fortresses in Europe, and garrisoned by 15,000 men, commanded by a Marshal of France (Boufflers). When the siege was formed, the regiment was detached to graze the horses between Charleroi and Mons; it was subsequently engaged in manœuvring to protect the besieging forces from the attacks of the French army. In the beginning of August the regiment was encamped at Waterloo, and subsequently in the immediate vicinity of Namur. This fortress was eventually captured, and this event was considered the brightest feature in King William's military history, and one upon which he was often heard to declare his satisfaction.

1696

After passing the winter in Ghent, the regiment was brigaded with the regiments of Lumley and Schomberg (now 1st and 7th Dragoon Guards), and was reviewed by the King on the 30th of May, 1696, "and made a very noble appearance." It served the campaign of this year under the Prince of Vaudemont in Flanders; and was encamped – first at Marykirk, and subsequently along the canal between Ghent and Bruges, to protect these places, with Nieuport, and the other maritime towns of Flanders, from the attacks of the enemy. A French army was encamped on the opposite side of the canal, and several skirmishes occurred, but no general engagement took place.

On the night of the 20th of September, Colonel Langston crossed the canal with a squadron of this regiment and a party of dragoons, and attacking one of the French outposts, defeated the guard and took thirty prisoners. The Prince of Vaudemont reviewed the regiment a few days after this event, and on the 5th of October it left the camp for winter-quarters in Ghent.

1697

The regiment having been selected to form part of the army of Brabant during the campaign of 1697, it marched out of its winter-quarters in the early part of May, and pitched its tents at St. Quintin Linneck on the 16th of that month, and was formed in brigade with Leveson's, Windham's, and Galway's regiments (2nd and 6th Dragoon Guards, and a regiment of French Protestants.) It took part in several manœuvres, and during the night of the 12th of June it retired with the army through the forest of Soigne, and took post before Brussels, to protect that city from a siege. The regiment was subsequently encamped near Wavre, where it remained until peace was restored by the Treaty of Ryswick12, which was signed in September. It afterwards marched to Ghent, and during the winter embarked for England.

1698

After its return from foreign service the regiment was quartered at Northampton, Banbury, and Wellingborough; and, the House of Commons having voted that only 10,000 regular troops should be kept in pay in England, it was ordered, in February, 1698, to march to Highlake, in Cheshire, and to embark for Ireland.

Having landed at Dublin on the 31st of March, the regiment was placed on the Irish establishment, and the rates of pay of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers were reduced; the troops in Ireland being on a lower rate of pay than those in England.

1699

The establishment of the regiment was fixed by a warrant under the sign-manual, bearing date the 1st of May, 1699, at the following numbers: —

In the same year His Majesty issued an order – 'That whatever regiment, troop, or company shall be on duty in Dublin, there is to be allowed unto each private horseman 3d. per diem, and to each private foot soldier 1d. per diem, over and above what is otherwise established13.' The troopers of this regiment were the first to derive the advantages given by this order, as they were on Dublin duty at the time it was issued.

17011702

The decease of King James having taken place at St. Germains, in September, 1701, the King of France (Louis XIV.) proclaimed the pretended Prince of Wales King of Great Britain by the style and title of James III.: this event, with the elevation of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of Spain in violation of the most solemn engagements, was followed by a sanguinary war with France and Spain, and a British force proceeded to the Netherlands. This regiment was not, however, employed on foreign service during the war; the proclamation of the Pretender, with the death of King William III., which occurred in March, 1702, had revived the hopes of the Papists; and the partisans of the Stuart dynasty were conspiring to effect the elevation of the Pretender to the throne of these kingdoms. Queen Anne, therefore, deemed it expedient to detain in Ireland a few trusty corps of approved devotion to the Protestant interest, and Brigadier-General Langston's Regiment of Horse was selected to remain in that kingdom. This honourable distinction necessarily prevented the regiment sharing in the many glorious victories gained by the forces under the great Duke of Marlborough, where five regiments of British horse (now the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th Dragoon Guards) acquired never-fading laurels.

1703

In 1703 the regiment was again employed on Dublin duty, and on the 24th of July it was reviewed near that city by his grace the Duke of Ormond, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, who expressed his admiration of its appearance and discipline.

1704

For many years subsequent to this period there was little diversity in the services of the regiment: it was usually stationed at or near Dublin, occasionally occupying dispersed cantonments in more remote parts of the kingdom.

170617091710

During the summer of 1706 the regiment was encamped on the Curragh of Kildare. On the 21st of April, 1709, two troops attended the Earl of Wharton, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, at his public entry into Dublin; and on the 7th of May, 1710, two troops escorted his lordship into Dublin, on his return from England.

1713

Lieutenant-General Francis Langston having retired from the service, the Colonelcy of the regiment was conferred, through the interest of James Duke of Ormond, on Brigadier-General George Jocelyn, from the Second Troop (now Second Regiment) of Life Guards, by commission dated the 20th of October, 1713.

17141715

After the accession of King George I. in 1714, the Duke of Ormond being removed from the command of the army, Brigadier-General Jocelyn sold his commission and quitted the service; and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse by Major-General Sherrington Davenport, from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the First Troop (now First Regiment) of Life Guards, his commission bearing date the 9th of February, 1715.

About this period the distinguishing colour, or facing, of the regiment was changed from white to light blue.

1716

When the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, in favour of the Pretender, broke out in Scotland, the Fifth Horse were directed to hold themselves in readiness to proceed to England on the shortest notice; but the rebellion was suppressed by the forces under the Duke of Argyle, without the aid of this corps being required.

1718

Tranquillity having been restored, the establishment of the regiment was reduced to 24 private men per troop.

17191732

The decease of Major-General Davenport occurred on the 2nd of July, 1719; and on the 6th of that month King George I. conferred the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse on Major-General Owen Wynne, from a Regiment of Dragoons, now 9th Lancers: this officer commanded the regiment upwards of thirteen years, and was removed, in August, 1732, to the Royal Irish (late Fifth) Regiment of Dragoons.

In September, 1732, King George II. appointed Lieutenant-General Thomas Pearce to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse, from the 5th Regiment of Foot.

1739

Lieutenant-General Pearce commanded the regiment seven years, and, dying in the summer of 1739, was succeeded in the Colonelcy by Major-General James Lord Tyrawley, from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, his commission bearing date the 26th of August, 1739.

On the 27th of the following month the regiment formed part of a splendid cavalcade which attended his grace the Duke of Devonshire on his arrival at Dublin as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, from the water-side to the castle.

1740

The decease of Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, having been followed by a contest between his daughter, the Archduchess Maria-Theresa and the Elector of Bavaria, respecting the sovereignty of Bohemia and Hungaria, King George II. resolved to support the house of Austria; – the strength of the army was augmented, and 10 men and horses were added in 1740 to each troop of the Fifth Regiment of Horse.

During the summer of this year (1740) the populace of Dublin broke out into open riot, committing many acts of violence and outrage, in consequence of a scarcity of corn, and Tyrawley's Horse were ordered out and directed to patrole the streets night and day.

174117421743

In April of the following year a further augmentation of nine men per troop was made to the establishment; and in 1742 a British army was sent to Flanders to support the pretensions of the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, as Queen of Hungaria, against the power of France and the Elector of Bavaria; but this regiment was detained in Ireland. In the beginning of 1743 the regiment furnished a draft of ten men and horses per troop to join the regiments of horse on foreign service.

Lieutenant-General Lord Tyrawley, after commanding the regiment nearly four years, was removed to the Colonelcy of the Second Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, and the command of the Fifth Horse was conferred on Colonel John Brown from the Ninth Dragoons, his commission bearing date the 1st of April, 1743.

1744

In the beginning of the following year another draft of men and horses was sent on foreign service.

1745

In April, 1745, the regiment was reviewed at Maryborough by Major-General de Grangues; and after the rebellion headed by Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, broke out in Scotland, this regiment was ordered to Dublin, and the army in Ireland was placed in dispersed cantonments near the coast to resist any descent which might be attempted upon the island.

1746

After the suppression of the rebellion in Scotland, three of the four regiments of Horse in England were reduced to the quality of Dragoons (25th December, 1746), and styled Dragoon Guards, and this regiment obtained the designation of the First Irish Horse. The regiments of horse on the Irish establishment (now the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Dragoon Guards) were frequently designated by the colour of their facings; the First being frequently called the Blue Horse; the Second the Green Horse; the Third, the Carabiniers; and the Fourth the Black Horse.

1748

A treaty of peace was concluded with France and Bavaria at Aix-la-Chapelle in the winter of 1748-9; and, while the negociations were in progress, the establishment of the First Irish Horse (with that of all other regiments of horse and dragoons in Ireland) was reduced to twenty-one private men per troop.

1751

On the 1st of July, 1751, a warrant was issued under the sign-manual, regulating the uniform, colours, and standards of the regiments of the line, from which the following particulars are extracted respecting the First Irish Horse.

Hats – Ornamented with silver lace, and a black cockade.

Coats – Scarlet, faced and lappelled with pale blue, button-holes worked with white, white metal buttons set on two and two, and a long slash pocket in each skirt.

Waistcoats and Breeches – Pale blue.

Cloaks – Red, lined with pale blue, and the buttons set on two and two, on white frogs, or loops.

Horse Furniture – Pale blue, with a border of broad white mohair lace, having a scarlet stripe down the centre, and I H embroidered on a red ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles, on each holster-cap and on each corner of the housing.

Standards – The King's, or First Standard, to be of crimson damask, embroidered and fringed with gold and silver; in the centre the rose and thistle conjoined and crown over them, and the motto Dieu et mon Droit underneath; the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and I H in silver character on a pale blue ground in a compartment in the second and third corners. The second and third Standard to be of pale blue damask; in the centre the rank of the regiment in silver Roman characters, on a crimson ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles; the white horse on a red ground in the first and fourth compartments, and the rose and thistle conjoined upon a red ground in the second and third compartments.

Officers – Distinguished by silver lace, coats bound with silver embroidery, the button-holes worked with silver, and a crimson silk sash worn over the left shoulder.

Quartermasters – To wear a crimson sash round the waist.

Corporals – To have narrow silver lace on the lappels, cuffs, pockets, and shoulder-strops.

Kettle-Drummers and Trumpeters – Clothed in pale blue, faced and turned up with red, with long hanging sleeves fastened at the waist; red waistcoats and breeches; and the lace to be white with a red stripe.

17531754

In May, 1753, the regiment was reviewed by Major-General Blyth at Carlow, and immediately afterwards marched to Dublin; in 1754 it was reviewed by the Earl of Rothes at Philipstown.

1756

During the summer of 1756 detachments from the regiments of horse and dragoons in Ireland, with the whole of the Second and Third Regiments of Horse, were encamped at Kilkenny, with the view of establishing a uniform system of drill and manœuvre in the cavalry.

1759

Another war having commenced with France, some preparations were made in 1759 to resist a menaced descent in Ireland by 28,000 French under the Duke of Aguillion, and the First Irish Horse were directed to hold themselves in readiness to march on the shortest notice.

In the early part of December of this year the regiment was employed in suppressing riots in Dublin, occasioned by a supposition that an union with England was in contemplation. The rioters broke into the House of Lords, and committed other outrages, but were eventually suppressed.

17601762

The regiment furnished a draft of twelve men and horses, in February, 1760, to complete the Third and Fourth Horse to forty-nine men per troop, previous to their embarkation for Germany; and another draft of twenty-two men was ordered in the spring of 1762. During the latter year the regiment was directed to recruit in Ireland, the cavalry corps having, previously to this period, usually procured recruits from England. In a few years afterwards the ranks of the First Irish Horse were composed almost exclusively of Irishmen.

Lieut. – General Brown died in the summer of this year, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Colonel James Johnston, from the Lieut-Colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards, by commission dated the 3rd of August, 1762.

1763

At this period commotions and tumults prevailed in various parts of Ireland to a most alarming extent; and in the beginning of 1763 the troops were employed in assisting the high sheriffs and magistrates in dispersing and securing bands of rioters known by the name of levellers. The head-quarters of the First Horse were at Carlow, and detachments were furnished to assist the civil power. In May, 1763, the regiment proceded to Dublin; in July it was ordered to march to the county of Monaghan to form escorts for the judges in their circuits; and subsequently Lieutenant-Colonel Roberts (commanding the regiment at Monaghan) was directed to furnish such detachments as Charles Coote, Esq., justice of the peace, should require to suppress riots, the county of Cavan being in a very disturbed state.