Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/396

Rh 374 originally formed by the commissioners for enforcing the exercise of archery appointed by James I. of Scotland, who picked out the most expert bowmen in the various counties, and constituted them into a body of guards to defend the king s person, in which distinguished station they displayed great devotion and bravery at the battle of Flodden, the body of the king being afterwards found surrounded by those of his attached archers guard. This, however, is mere tradition, no authentic record of their existence being found until the above-mentioned year 1676, when the minutes of the Royal Company begin by stating, that owing to &quot; the noble and usefull recreation of archery being for many years much neglected, several noblemen and gentlemen did associate themselves in a company for encouragement thereof and did apply to the privy council for their approbation, and after several meetings, did adjust and concert several articles and regulations of the said company, and .did further apply to the privy council for their approbation, which was granted.&quot; The minutes of the company have been kept with great regularity from that time down to the present, with the exception of a period of about twenty years at the end of the 17th century, during which time there are no records. It is not supposed that the company was extinct at that time from what can be gathered from the succeed ing minutes. It is probable, however, that during the Revolution the Royal Company was principally composed of upholders of the house of Stuart, and that on this account their existence was for a time suspended. This may be true, as we find that the company was subsequently a strong Jacobite body ; but whether it is the case or not, it is certain that the records recommence in 1703 by informing us of the election of a captain-general to succeed John, second earl of Argyle, who held that office from the formation of the company in 1676, and who had just died. The new captain-general was Sir George Mackenzie, Viscount Tarbat, afterwards created earl of Cromarty. Owing to his exertions while principal secretary of state for Scotland in 1703, he procured for the company a new charter from Queen Anne, renewing all their former rights and privileges, and conferring others, all which were to be held of the Crown for the reddendo of a pair of barbed arrows. This reddendo was paid to George IV. at Holy- rood, when he visited Scotland in 1822, and to the present sovereign, Queen Victoria, on a similar occasion in 1842. The history of the Royal Company since 1703 has been one of great prosperity. Large parades were frequently held, and were attended by mimbers of archers dressed in the uniform of the body, which, in the last century, consisted of a green tartan coat and white knee-breeches. On such occasions the whole population of Edinburgh and the surrounding districts turned out to view the procession, as the company, with music and colours, marched down the Canongate to Leith Links, there to shoot for a prize. Many distinguished men marched in their ranks, and, both at their competitions and at the mess table, the utmost hilarity and good fellowship prevailed. Several of the leading insurgents in 1745 were members, but the com pany was not at that time suspended in any way, and a few years later no subjects more loyal or more attached to the constitution could be found in Great Britain. In 1 777 the Royal Company erected a large and handsome hall in the vicinity of their shooting-ground in the Meadows, Edinburgh. They meet there periodically for the transac tion of business and to dine. The hall is decorated with several very fine portraits of eminent members of the body, in various iiniforms, according to the rank which they held in the company and the time in which they lived. Among them are some masterpieces of Raeburn, Watson, Gordon, Grant, P.R.A., Macnee, &c. In 1822, when king George IV. visited Scotland, it was thought appropriate that the Royal Company should act as his Majesty s body guard during his stay. Consist ing as the company did, and still does, of representatives of almost all the noble families of Scotland, together with a large proportion of landed gentry, professional men, and others, it was considered that no fitter body could be chosen, especially as there was a tradition, as we have seen, that the Royal Company had at a former period acted in a similar capacity. On the landing of the king he was received by a detachment of the body, who surrounded his carriage inside the cavalry escort and marched up with it to Holyrood. They occupied the same position in subse quent state processions ; while at the levee and drawing- room held by his Majesty they lined the staircase and presence chamber, performing the duties usually assigned to the band of gentlemen-at-arms. When Queen Victoria visited the Scottish capital in 1842, the Royal Company again did duty, and the last time they were called out in their capacity of royal body guard was in 1860, on the occasion of the great volunteer review in the Queen s Park, Edinburgh. King George IV., besides authorising the company to take, in addition to their former name, that of &quot; The King s Body Guard for Scotland,&quot; presented to the captain-general a gold stick, thus constituting the company part of the royal household. In virtue of this stick the captain-general of the Royal Company takes his place at a coronation or similar pageant immediately behind the gold stick of England, who, with the exception of the officers on guard for the day, is next the sovereign s own person. The lieutenants-general of the company have silver sticks ; and the council, which is the executive body of the company, possess seven ebony ones. George IV., in addition to the grant of a gold stick, appointed a full dress uniform to be worn by members of the company at court, when not on duty as guards, in which latter case the ordinary field dress is used. The court dress was scarlet and gold, but was changed in 1831 to a green coat with green velvet facings richly embroidered with gold thistles and arrows, gold epaulettes, crimson silk sash, gold-laced trousers, and cocked hat with green plume. The officers wear a gold sash in place of a crimson one, and an aiguillette on the left shoulder. All ranks wear swords. The shooting uniform has been frequently changed. We are not told what colour the coat was at the formation of the company, but there was a distinctive dress introduced about that time. In 1715 a green tartan was adopted (now the 42d tartan), which continued, with several modifications and alterations, to be the uniform down to 1829, when it was changed to green cloth. The present field dress consists of a dark green tunic with black braid facings, with a narrow stripe of crimson velvet in the centre ; shoulder wings and gaunt- leted cuffs similarly trimmed ; dark green trousers with black and crimson stripe ; a bow- case worn as a sash, of the same colour as the coat, with a centre ornament of two arrows crossed saltierwise in a garter tie, surmounted by a crown ; a black leather waist-belt, with richly chased gold clasp ; a short sword, gilt hilted, made after the fashion of a Roman gladius ; Balmoral bonnet, with thistle orna ment and eagle s feather. The mess uniform consists of a dark green dress coat with velvet collar and gilt but tons, with a crown on them, white waistcoat, and black trousers. The Royal Company possess two sets of colours. The first banner was got in 1714, and bears a representation of the common seal of the company, viz., a yew tree proper, supported dexter and sinister by an archer with a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. The second was pro cured in 1732, and bears on one side a lion rampant gules,