Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
Jacket body made of scarlet superfine wool cloth faced with dark green superfine, trimmed with silver braid and buttons. There are three rows of silver “ball” buttons down the jacket breast, each bearing the BYC device of the unit (‘BY’ over ‘C’), the center or buttoning row consisting of 19 buttons of 5/8 inch diameter, the two outer rows each with 21 buttons of 7/16 inch diameter. The jacket breast and waist are edged with a green welt trimmed with silver soutache braid terminating in a “crows-foot” knot at each end. The green, pointed cuffs are similarly edged and trimmed with silver soutache braid, in two parallel lines, as is the green standing “cape” or collar (of 3” H). There are “chain” wings on each shoulder, consisting of the scarlet ground, edged with green welting and silver braid, with a chain of linked silver rings affixed to the top, the strap of the wing ending at the collar with a BYC button of 7/16” dia. affixed at that point. The wings have linen tapes on the extremities of the linen-lined undersides, by which means the wings are affixed through worked grommet holes on the shoulder of the jacket. The inside of the jacket has a collar lining and breast and waist innerfacing of white cassimere, while the rest of the body and sleeves are lined with a fine, plainweave linen. There is one functioning slit pocket, set vertically at the junction of innerfacing and body lining on the inside right breast, midway down the breast; its bag of linen. An earlier collection accession number (“1935-61”), is inked on the lining of the right sleeve-cap. The jacket is in very good condition, with very light soiling to the lining and a ½ x ¼ inch hole in the right sleeve near the outseam a few inches below the elbow bend. The Berwickshire Yeomanry Cavalry were raised in 1797 by Lieutenant Colonel George Buchan and disbanded in 1827. This jacket can be dated 1797-c. 1805 by its cut and trimmings. With documentation.
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