confirmation of the 60th Royal American Regiment

[keflin2612]

Could some kind sole with a bigger brain box than me just confirm that this is a 2nd Battalion, The 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot button please and if it is would you mind having a stab at the date, I'm guessing around 1780

Cheers Kev.

[4966Ian]

Hi Kevin,

Don't know about the 'bigger brain box' bit, i am just reading from a couple of books, so I would say definitely not.

In Parkyn's book, he is vague about the date of this button.

Parkyn's book (It doesn't give a date) states: "In the case of the 2nd and 4th battalions the design was of "2" or "4" below 'LX', within a crowned garter inscribed 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'. Whether all battalions wore buttons of this design with their battalion number specified is not certain."


That section is in between a paragraph on the early pewter buttons, which had the number '60' in either a rope border or wreath. Officer's Bone backed buttons of 1780-1790 and 1800.

** The Section on your button **

And a paragraph on the buttons of 1824-1830.

So I would assume your button according to Parkyn's layout would come in the date range of 1780's-1820's.

Don Troiani's book on Military Buttons of the American Revolution, show a similar pattern button, though his examples are Officer's pattern buttons (of the type you showed). Examples of Officer buttons have been found in the US and he puts the date of these being found as post revolution c1787-1803 (This is beacuse the 2nd Battn 60th Regt arrived in Montreal from Barbados in 1787 and left for the West Indies in 1803). The Officer's pattern buttons which were silvered copper repousse over bone back, have been found in 24.5mm and 17mm sizes.

So not conclusive, but might help narrow the field down.

Cheers

Ian

[keflin2612]

Ian, thanks very much for that, I have done a little bit more research since posting this thread, when I purchased the button it came with a little scrap of paper dated 'November 1970' on it, it claims it was excavated from Fort George Grenada and gives a date of 1781-1787.
On the back of the button it is shown as being manufactured by S.Firmin, Strand and according to BUTTON MAKERS AND THEIR BACKMARKS, dates it from 1771 to 1783.
I have also found this http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/4457427766/ I think their date is far to early but what's strange about their button is, it appears to be showing it as the 1st Battalion, so that certainly seems to answer the question set by Parkyn when he say's "and I quote" Whether all battalions wore buttons of this design, with their battalion number specified is not certain.

The Button is 16mm

Kev.