Shoulder belt plate

Shoulder belt plate

Military

This an early modern shoulder-belt plate that was found in 2015 by metal detectorists in the deserted township of Alisary. It is very rare because it is engraved "Moidart Volunteers" and little evidence remains of their existence. By 1800 Inverness-Shire had raised 42 companies of infantry soldiers for the Napoleonic Wars whose contract meant they could only serve as part of a home defence force. One of those companies was the Moidart Volunteers. Their commanding officer was noted in 1797 as one Captain Alexander MacDonald who was probably a local landowner. It seems that the Moidart Company were incorporated into a battalion of Inverness-Shire Volunteers. The shoulder belt plate was worn to carry the sword and bayonet in the British Army from 1780s onwards. Two rivets and clip on the reverse attached the plate to the belt. The plate insignia would have been positioned in the chest area.

1790-1810

eulac3d

English

Physical Object

66

16/12/2020

West Highland Museum

find,56.852868,-5.6990115;

West Highlands Museum

TEXT

203

brass

4227