Original Item: Only One Available. This is truly rare, as very few survived the 200 years since being introduced. This fine example is an infantry officer’s helmet of considerable beauty.
The 21st Royal Scot’s Fusiliers regiment was first raised in 1678 as the Earl of Mar’s Regiment of Foot. In 1695 they became a Fusilier Regiment and in 1712 after valiant service with the Duke of Marlborough in the Wars of the Spanish succession they received the “Royal” title.
The regiment fought against the Scottish Rebels at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and were subsequently renamed the Royal North British Fusiliers, and in 1751 the ranking of the 21st Regiment of Foot was added. It was not until 1877 that the Regiment was permitted the former Scottish title; The Royal Scots Fusiliers. Clearly the Scottish Rebellions of 1715 and 1745 took a lot of getting over by the English.
This Shako is just superb, slight bell top with gold braid surround, impressive thistle helmet plate under a Georgian crown with a cockade to top displaying “XXI” the Regimental number of seniority.
Complete with brass chin scales, heavy leather peak and gilt roping, this helmet is museum quality. Only recently coming to light in an English auction from a country house in 2012 where it has resided for goodness knows how many years, it has luckily landed on our possession.