optional field | 06 Dec 2014 9:16 a.m. PST |
I found this while searching for an image of a bell-top shako
on this site link (incidentally if you have £600.00 GBP+ to spend on a new shako the wares here do look wonderful). However, a Google search turned up nothing on the unit nor was I able to find a place known as Inch anywhere in Ireland. It seems odd to list it as "Inch" if it were an indication of size (1 inch, 1 3/4 inch, &tc. seem much more reasonable), so I presume "Inch" it is a location. All of which causes me to be all the more curious. Does anyone know of this unit?
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zippyfusenet | 06 Dec 2014 9:20 a.m. PST |
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bc1745 | 06 Dec 2014 9:26 a.m. PST |
Inch is I think in Kerry IIRC…… |
clibinarium | 06 Dec 2014 9:51 a.m. PST |
There's an Inch in Clare, and Inch Island in Donegal. |
enfant perdus | 06 Dec 2014 11:04 a.m. PST |
The only thing I have is that they were from County Down, and were part of the Ulster Volunteers of 1782. |
clibinarium | 06 Dec 2014 11:30 a.m. PST |
Well there's a parish in Down called Inch, number 38 on this map; link |
colkitto | 06 Dec 2014 11:51 a.m. PST |
Inch is quite a common word in Scotland and Ireland, meaning "island" – like "Innis". |
korsun0 | 06 Dec 2014 8:52 p.m. PST |
"The Volunteers, after the Convention in the Rotunda, Dublin, 10 Nov., 1783, and the rejection of its demands by Grattan's Parliament, disappear for a time. In 1792 there was a great revival. Belfast raised some new corps; Seaforde provided 541 men and two pieces of artillery; Downpatrick raised two new corps — the first, the Inch Infantry, under Maxwell of Finnebrogue, with Thomas Nevin and Thomas Mc Clinchey lieutenants. This corps had scarlet uniform with blue facings. The second corps was commanded by Captain William Hawthorne, and had yellow facings." from; link edit: Not sure if this is what was mentioned above already, there are a few other bits of info there and some links. cheers Jon |
Jemima Fawr | 07 Dec 2014 6:33 p.m. PST |
Wot Jon said. It looks more like a cross-belt plate to me than a shako plate. |
Jemima Fawr | 07 Dec 2014 6:40 p.m. PST |
In 1797 the Inch Volunteer Infantry had the following officers: Captain Masterson Robertson 1st Lieutenant David McPherson 2nd Lieutenant John Ettles Note that these were Volunteers, not Militia (Militia were conscripted by ballot, whereas Volunteers were, as the name suggests, volunteers). However, the Volunteers became 'Local Militia' in 1808. |
optional field | 08 Dec 2014 7:57 a.m. PST |
All, Thanks for the information. My Google searches turned up nothing, so if I may ask how did find those links? Jemima Fawr, You are spot on, it is a belt plate not a shako plate & it is identified as such on the site. Sorry for the lack of clarity on that in my first post. I only found it while looking for an image of a shako, but I ought to have made that more clear in my initial post. |
korsun0 | 09 Dec 2014 3:46 a.m. PST |
I used "inch infantry" as a search term, Cheers Jon |
Jemima Fawr | 09 Dec 2014 6:14 a.m. PST |
I've got a copy of the List of Officers for Yeomanry, Fencibles, Volunteers and Militia for 1797. I picked it up when I was researching the Fishguard Invasion of 1797. Note that the number of officers commissioned to lead the unit would suggest that it was just a single company at most during the 1790s. |
enfant perdus | 11 Dec 2014 8:21 a.m. PST |
It looks more like a cross-belt plate to me than a shako plate. It's definitely a cross belt plate. True Story: I knew a collector who passed on a cross belt plate from the same period, but to a Scottish Fencibles unit. He thought the engraving (which was about the same quality as seen above) didn't reflect the "high levels of 18thC craftsmanship." . They all look this way. Especially when you're a unit of Volunteers, Yeomanry, Militia, etc. Nobody is paying for die-struck CBPs for Squire Dumpkins and the lads to defend Biggleswade from the Jacobins. |