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Ben Townsend, Fashioning Regulation, Regulating Fashion: The Uniforms and Dress of the British Army 1800-1815 (Helion Press) Volume I (2019) 420 pages, 21 colour plates; Volume II (2020) 420 pages, 16 colour plates Wellington’s dandies by Donald E. Graves
n 1975, the British historian Hew I Strachan published a book titled British Military Uniforms, 1768-96: The Dress of the British Army from Official Sources. This was an attempt to assemble all the official orders on the dress of the army between the clothing warrants of 1768 and 1796, as extracted from official records and illustrated by contemporary art. Wellington Strachan’s work quickly became a standard reference and, although he apparently “intended to produce similar volumes to continue the story,” he only published this one. There were many who regretted the lack of a follow-up volume. Among them was Ben Townsend, a British writer and historical consultant to radio, television and film who decided to take up the demanding task of continuing Strachan’s work. The result is Fashioning Regulation, Regulating Fashion, which examines the dress of the British army from 1800 to 1815. This is a very difficult book to review because there is so much in it. Townsend’s object was to incorporate the considerable amount of new material available on the internet into a study that would detail what the soldiers were required to wear, when and how, and then contrast that with specific images and other information that is dateable and well provenanced to show
what soldiers actually wore, and how and were modified and how they evolved. Changes might be driven by regimental why it was adapted, with an emphasis on peccadillos, civilian fashion or even military fashion as much as utility. fads from the continent, particularly the In this he succeeds admirably. Townsend affectations of hussar and rifle/light first outlines how uniform regulations are infantry regiments. created and then discusses the Boards of Townsend describes these military General Officers – the main bureaucratic “fashions” or fads in detail with excerpts from period memoirs and disliked seeing his officers correspondence. Let me stress that carrying umbrellas in battle the author not only provides the official regulations, he includes rare and interesting memoirs that instrument that devised them. Over the contain details of uniforms, and he course of the two volumes he examines includes the notes of previous researchers the regulations from 1799 to 1816. in the field. Thus, there are either complete This in itself would warrant the entrance monographs or lengthy excerpts from such price but it is only the beginning. Using writers as Alexander Cavalie Mercer, Rees a variety of sources – images, memoirs Howell Gronow, David Roberts, John and, above all, regimental orders – he then Luard and one anonymous but informative demonstrates how uniform regulations cavalry officer. Townsend has also scoured
non-military memoirs and letters for any mention of the details of a uniform and, finally, has amassed an impressive collection of images. The two volumes contain 37 colour plates and 91 black and white illustrations, almost all from the period. The work of artists such as Atkinson, Beechey, Dighton, Hamilton Smith, Loftie, Pyne and Rowlandson is on display as well as drawings of patterns and photographs of actual items of clothing. Among the most interesting images are those of French artists who painted the British occupation army in Paris in 1815. They captured (and caricatured) the high point of British military faddism: the dress of the officers of the Peninsular army. Townsend calls them “Wellington’s Dandies.” Wellington never concerned himself with what his officers wore (although he disliked seeing them carry umbrellas in battle) and the result was that an amazing variety of dress flourished. The Peninsular officers disdained the regulation headgear for a round hat or a cocked hat severely cut down to the width
was “the Appendage of Bells.” of a hand but adorned with the biggest The one criticism I have of this book feather available. Forage caps were in all shapes and colours, some resembling a concerns the lay-out: it is sometimes hard pork pie hat, some a wedge cap, and some a to distinguish the author’s text from the scholar’s mortarboard – all often trimmed lengthy quoted material. However, I do with velvet and festooned with tassels. not think many will read this book coverto-cover, as it is intended to be a trimmed with velvet and comprehensive reference. Townsend’s work fulfills that role festooned with tassels splendidly, and I think Fashioning Regulation, Regulating Fashion will become the standard reference on Vests were brocade, usually embroidered its subject. It belongs on or near the desk and closed with gold or silver buttons. of anyone with a professional interest in Overalls, strapped with leather along the the British army of the Napoleonic period. inseams or cuffs, fastened on the outseams Highly recommended. with large buttons and held under the instep with chains, were also popular. Donald Graves is a frequent contributor to A favoured outer garment was a surtout the F&D and the author of many works in (“overall”), a bulky garment resembling military history on the Second World War and a dressing gown, tailored from heavy especially the War of 1812. His new history material, decorated with braid and of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment (the available in a variety of colours. The infantry of the Niagara Peninsula) will be ensemble was often completed by a Spanish “seegar” in the officer’s mouth. published this year. The appearance of Wellington’s officers was so amazing, one quipped, that the only thing their outlandish dress lacked
was “the Appendage of Bells.” of a hand but adorned with the biggest The one criticism I have of this book feather available. Forage caps were in all shapes and colours, some resembling a concerns the lay-out: it is sometimes hard pork pie hat, some a wedge cap, and some a to distinguish the author’s text from the scholar’s mortarboard – all often trimmed lengthy quoted material. However, I do with velvet and festooned with tassels. not think many will read this book coverto-cover, as it is intended to be a trimmed with velvet and comprehensive reference. Townsend’s work fulfills that role festooned with tassels splendidly, and I think Fashioning Regulation, Regulating Fashion will become the standard reference on Vests were brocade, usually embroidered its subject. It belongs on or near the desk and closed with gold or silver buttons. of anyone with a professional interest in Overalls, strapped with leather along the the British army of the Napoleonic period. inseams or cuffs, fastened on the outseams Highly recommended. with large buttons and held under the instep with chains, were also popular. Donald Graves is a frequent contributor to A favoured outer garment was a surtout the F&D and the author of many works in (“overall”), a bulky garment resembling military history on the Second World War and a dressing gown, tailored from heavy especially the War of 1812. His new history material, decorated with braid and of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment (the available in a variety of colours. The infantry of the Niagara Peninsula) will be ensemble was often completed by a Spanish “seegar” in the officer’s mouth. published this year. The appearance of Wellington’s officers was so amazing, one quipped, that the only thing their outlandish dress lacked
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