Description:
Mid-late 19th-century British officer's uniform consisting of a coat (with proper left-shoulder epaulet) and pantaloons/trousers. The epaulet may signify a lieutenant's rank. On a note that accompanied the uniform is stamped with "Jane A. Bigelow/ 42 Phillips Place, Northampton, Mass." and in handwriting: "Original owner of this uniform unknown. It has been handed down unlabeled in the family of Major General John Ashley of the Revolution. He was a Captain in the service of the Crown in 1769. the year of his marriage. His [father?] was Colonel, but no record of the uniform came to the present owner./ Jane A. Bigelow." In a letter from Henry N. Flynt dated September 9, 1960, he quotes from a a diary written by Jane Ashley Bigelow which says that the uniform was found in the attic of her grandaughter, and was unlabeled as to who wore it. Possibly came from a British officer captured by Major General John Ashley. Purchased from Mrs. Dwight Hughes, March 19, 1954, who was a descendant of Jane Ashley Bigelow, the great great grandaughter of Major General John Ashley.
The uniform consists of a red wool coat with blue facings at the cuffs and short standing collar. Brass buttons down the center front of the jacket and on the cuffs are stamped/molded molded with a crown and anchor and the words "ROYAL MARINES/ LIGHT INFANTRY." The rounded, spherical shape suggests a date within the second half of the 19th century. Inside, the coat is lined and padded at the chest. An interior red leather waistband is attached to the lining. The fall-front pantaloons are cream-colored wool with metal braid at the front. All but one of the original buttons has been replaced with unstamped pewter shank buttons. One brass? button at the back (proper left side) is stamped/molded with an eagle and anchor. Up until the 1850s, coats of Royal Marines' uniforms were double breasted, with tails. The pantaloons may date to the first half of the 19th century.
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