"Paris Archers?" Topic

Apparently there was a unit in Paris in the 18th century referred to as archers. My understanding is that they were some kind of civil guard or police force.

Can anybody shed any light on this unit, what they looked like, how they were equipped? I very much doubt they were actually archers at this time?

Thanks,
John

Apparently there was a unit in Paris in the 18th century referred to as archers. My understanding is that they were some kind of civil guard or police force.

Can anybody shed any light on this unit, what they looked like, how they were equipped? I very much doubt they were actually archers at this time?

Thanks,
John

link

Don't scroll down too far on that link or you'll find some Not Safe for Work images.

Jim

actually until 1760 "archers" was the basic official term to name the soldiers – so fully military – belonging to the Maréchaussée, the territorial military police who became the Gendarmerie in 1791

also still in use among the bourgeoises militias companies of the towns, there were also crossbowmen

and to the militiamen of the compagnies du Guet in several towns and soldiers of such similar security guard in Paris
disbanded in 1733, then restablished counted 100 foot archers, 39 mounted archers, 12 officers

ColCampbell – don't worry, it's art…

Thanks very much. This is really helpful.

So at some point, the waistcoat changed from red to white, or was that an officer/NCO vs rank and file thing?

Regards,
John

there is a big lost-in-translation to not say an auwful translation with the previous link where is shown Benigni'plate

Sergent adjoint et Archer de la Police montée de l'Ile de France, vers 1750
(Deputy Sergeant and Archer of the Mounted Police Force of l'Ile de France, c.1750 (wc on paper)

seems directly translated from a rough english interpretation to french than anything else,

there is no "sergent-adjoint" nor "police montée" in the French royal Army, these archers are only the archers-cavalrymen of the Maréchaussée, the so-called "sergent-adjoint" is a sub-brigadier (as in today Gendarmerie any basic cavalryman of the Maréchaussée/Gendarmerie is equivalent to a NCO's rank something like in the Imperial Guard under Napoléon)
the bandoleer in yellow buffalo with white edges is highly typical of the Maréchaussée/Gendarmerie
nothing to do with Archers de la Compagnie de Guet de Paris,

pictures of the Guet de Paris at the end of the 18th century

reduced to 69 archers after 1771 the company took the blue and red uniform of the Guard of Paris after 1783
link