Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, 1821-1861, was a patron of archery, horse racing, curling, bowls and golf, and organised the last medieval tournament held in the British Isles in 1839 at Irvine. He believed that "free mingling of classes" in physical recreation would "raise the self-respect of the humble" and "fortify them against intemperance and vicious courses". Though he later served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1852 and 1858, the portrait was painted of him, before 1850, as Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire.
(We are indebted to the late Col G P Wood MC DL, of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, for the following supplementary notes, prepared in 1999, using records of the Stirlingshire Militia, his own experience as a Deputy Lieutenant, and his life-long interest in military history; and also to his daughter, Fiona Lee, for passing them to Irvine Burns Club.)
The Earl’s uniform
The uniform of a Lord Lieutenant’s uniform was (and still is) the same as a Major General’s uniform. However, although the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and other military campaigns were happening when the Earl’s portrait was painted, he wears no medals. This confirms he had no military connections. It was fashionable at the time to wear military uniform at social occasions, as can be seen in the painting downstairs in the Club; it depicts an Edinburgh drawing room full of guests listening to Burns, and Lord Glencairn is shown wearing uniform.
The Earl wears a scarlet coatee, which had long tails at the back, similar to a modern tailcoat. Military fashion follows civilian fashion. As a style, the Victorian coatee with its high collar comes between the Georgian cutaway coat and the later longer length jackets. The buttons are embossed with the Royal crest. The cocked hat has white swan feathers, and is still worn by Guards Major Generals today on ceremonial duties in London. At each end of the hat are crimson and gold bullion tassels. A Scottish Lord Lieutenant has a thistle on his epaulets, and a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland would probably have had a harp on his epaulets, although we cannot see this on the portrait. He wears a decorative gold waist sash with tassel, and also a sword belt with buckle. The sword is “the 1831 pattern scimitar” or Mameluke sword, a copy of an Arab scimitar, with a white ivory handle. This is still carried today by Generals wearing full dress uniform.
The rôle of the Lord Lieutenant and the Militia
Each County had (and still has to this day) one Lord Lieutenant, who was (and is) the monarch’s representative. At the time of this portrait, the monarch was Queen Victoria. When Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Earl was therefore the most senior person in Ireland after the Queen. His main rôle would be to take over local administration if the government broke down, and he would be, as now, assisted in his duties by several Deputy Lieutenants (DLs). DLs, and presumably Ldx Lt become ‘inactive’ at the age of 75.
Each Lord Lieutenant was also responsible for raising his county’s Militia by Ballot. Only a certain number of men were required to be attested into the Militia for five years, so the names of the men that were eligible would be drawn. Those men who wished to avoid the commitment, and who could afford to do so, found and paid a substitute to stand in for them if they were balloted. Militia Clubs developed, and if a member’s name was drawn, the club funds paid for a substitute. As an example, the Stirlingshire Militia was only called out for training four times between 1820 and 1831. But they were mobilised at the time of the Crimean War to replace regular garrison regiments.
Militia Acts were passed and dropped as required, the last one being passed in 1852. This Act introduced voluntary enlistment into the Militia, although the Ballot could still be used in the event of an emergency and there continued to be a laid-down quota from each County. At the time of this Act, the Irish Militia were amalgamated with those of Great Britain, and the Militia were renumbered.
The various Volunteer regiments date from 1859, with the rise of military patriotism in Britain, but they have no connection with the Militia.
The civilian Home Office controlled the Militias until the Cardwell army reforms of 1870, when they passed to the War Office. Thereafter, the Ldx Lt ceased to be responsible for the Militia. The Militia came into the Regiments in 1881, and the Militia Battalions of regular regiments served, for example, in the South African War 1899-1902, and served as reinforcing units for the British Expeditionary Force in WW1. The Militia then vanished in 1918.
Connections
The 13th Earl is descended from the Earl that raised the Montgomery’s Highlanders (the 77th Regiment) in Stirling in 1757 to fight in the American Wars and the West Indies. The Regiment was recruited from the defeated Jacobite clans, and when it disbanded in Canada in 1763, they were offered a return passage home, or land for themselves in Canada. In the course of a long speech in Parliament in 1766, William Pitt the Elder praised the men of the then new Highland regiments. Paraphrased, he said:
“I sought for merit wherever it was to be found … and found it in the mountains of the North. I drew into your service a hardy and intrepid race of men … they fought with valour and conquered for you in every part of the world.”
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