3.5cm (1.2in) x 8.5cm (3.3in) x 10cm (4in)
Gilt copper, with rim rolled around a length of wire, the body engraved with the Royal Arms of Great Britain in use from 1714 to 1800, with crest, supporters and motto.
Worn by British officers as a last vestige of armour and as symbolic of knightly rank, the gorget was retained in the British Army until 1830, latterly being used to signify an officer on duty. The present example predates 1797 when a universal pattern gorget engraved with the crowned GR cypher and laurel leaf sprays was introduced. The gilt material indicates a ‘gold lace’ regiment in accordance with the Royal Warrant of 14 September 1743, for the ‘Regulation of Colours, Cloathing etc’. The Clothing Warrant of 19 December 1768 further directed that the King’s Arms and Regimental number were to be engraved upon officer’s gorgets. According to Captain H. Oakes-Jones in his AHRS article ‘The Evolution of the Gorget [Part IV] ‘Commanding Officers were evidently slack in seeing that all the officers of their regiments had the badges and numbers’, and simply contented themselves with the Royal Arms variant.