United Kingdom

Carte-de-Visite, studio Nettervile Briggs, Leamington

Leicestershire Yeomanry Cavalry (the Prince Albert's Own)

The photographs displaying Yeomanry Cavalrymen are usually pretty straightforward to identify, being taken by studios in the city were the troops are located.

It's not the case however with this one ; Leamington is a small place of Warwickshire, better known as Leamington Spa and for the "Royal Pump Room and Bath" opened there in 1814, and extensively refurbished in 1862. Nettervill Briggs plied his trade there between 1864 and 1877. The backplate for this photo states he was awarded "seven medals for Artistic Portraiture", which by the way I thoroughly believe -and approve- on the basis of that most splendid specimen.

This uniform is certainly not one of the Warwickshire Yeomnary.

It displays many specificities : a chest braiding quite similar to the Royal Horse Artillery, though it differs in the colour of the braiding (here white or silver) and the five rows of buttons it sports. The busby does not have a boss, and the busby bag has no braid or button. The booted overalls are adorned with some dark stripes, contrasting with the white/silver ones that would typically go with white/silver chest braiding.

These lead us to attribute the uniform to the Leicestershire Yeomanry (incidentally a county neighbouring Warwickshire) ; the busby bag is thus scarlet, and the pume white over a scarlet base. The overalls are dark blue with two scarlet stripes.

The Leicestershire Yeomanry was raised at a meeting at the Three Crowns Inn, Leicester, on 10th April 1794. They will be awarded the title "Prince Albert's Own" in 1844, following escort duty for the Royal Couple on their way to Belvoir Castle.