Introduction
British Army Uniforms: A 1758 Ledger from Major Clephane's Company
British Army uniforms of the mid-18th century were more than a matter of military discipline—they were cultural statements, logistical concerns, and living evidence of how soldiers adapted to warfare across continents. New archival material from the personal papers of Major James Clephane, second-in-command to Colonel Fraser of the 78th Regiment of Foot, offers extraordinary insight into what Highland soldiers' uniforms were actually issued during the early stages of the Seven Years’ War.
Dated May 1758, Clephane’s accounting ledger tracked expenses, issued accoutrements, and monthly pay for each soldier in his company. The listed items strongly suggest that these accoutrements as part of their uniforms were of the initial kit issued to the men of the 78th Highlanders. The details not only help historians visualize how the Highland regiments appeared in North America but also point to the layered interaction of personal, regional, and regimental identity in British Army uniforms of the time.
The Cultural Weight of Highland Uniforms
Uniforms for Highland regiments carried layered meaning beyond practical use. The distinctive red coat, paired with a tartan kilt and bonnet, marked a clear visual separation between Highland soldiers and their English or Lowland counterparts. For many of these men, particularly those drawn from the counties of Inverness-shire and Ross-shire, wearing the uniforms was both a sign of allegiance to the Crown and a declaration of regional identity—an identity that had only recently been under suppression following the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746.
The inclusion of the philibeg (small kilt), cockade, and bonnet in standard issue was a deliberate departure from earlier attempts to anglicize military dress across the Highlands. Lord Loudoun, and later Simon Fraser, recognized that recruiting from Gaelic-speaking regions depended not only on economic incentives but also on honoring cultural tradition. Scholars such as René Chartrand and Michael Brander have noted that these regiments were among the first to integrate distinctively Highland dress as part of official British Army kit, signaling a shift in military policy toward symbolic inclusion of former Jacobite regions within imperial service.
Clothing and Accoutrements of the 78th Regiment
The following items are documented in Major Clephane’s 1758 expense ledger, now held at the National Archives of Scotland. Each represents part of the initial government-issued kit, as recorded for private soldiers in his company:
- 1 Pair of Shoes
– Issued every six months at a cost of 3 shillings 4 pence. - 1 Napsack
– Essential for personal belongings. - 1 Haversack
– Multiple men were issued two: one in Inverness before departure, another in Cork, Ireland. - 1 Cocade (Cockade)
– A symbol of allegiance, worn on the bonnet. - 1 Pair Garters & 1 Set of Buckles
– Worn to secure the hose. - 1 Kilt & Small Belt (or Pistole Belt)
– Core identity item of Highland uniforms. - 2 Checked Shirts
– Issued directly by Clephane; this pattern was common in Highland dress. - Turn Key Screw, Brush & Wire
– Used to clean and maintain firelocks. - Proportional Charge for Cook’s Frock
– Shared cost among soldiers for kitchen wear. - Leather Frock
– Only charged to one soldier, possibly the company blacksmith.
Eyewitness Evidence: Betty Clephane’s Letter
Betty Clephane, the major’s sister and wife to the chief of Clan Rose, provides a rare civilian perspective. In a 1757 letter to her brother John, she describes the regiment’s condition during recruitment:
“We are already in such order, that we have our men received everyday with a stick on his shoulder and a good sack on his back, and a philibeg about his loup.”
— Betty Clephane, NAS, GD125-22-2, pp. 5–7
Her words affirm both the visual character of the uniforms—highlighting the philibeg (a term for kilt)—and the active role that Highland women played in organizing and equipping the regiment.
The Role of Women in Regimental Formation
Betty Clephane’s 1757 letter also invites reflection on the under-acknowledged role of women in Highland recruitment. While often excluded from formal military records, women such as Betty played essential roles in outfitting soldiers, preparing materials, and organizing support networks around local recruitment centers like Kilravock. Their domestic labor—sewing uniforms, laundering, provisioning—contributed directly to the formation and visual presentation of the regiment.
In many cases, wives and sisters of officers helped manage the day-to-day logistics of kitting out new soldiers. As the regiment prepared to embark for North America, it was not uncommon for women to remain involved through correspondence, remittances, and emotional reinforcement, contributing to what historian Sylvia Frey has described as the "home front" in imperial military expansion.
Official Military Orders, 1762
By 1762, dress regulations for Highland regiments had become more formalized. An order book from Captain John Nairne’s company lists exacting expectations for the upkeep of arms and uniform:
“Every soldier to be provided with a Brush weir, worm stopper, Turn key screw & rag for his arms... four good shirts & stocks, one night cap, an Ivory & horn comb for the hair... Bonnet proper so as to reach his brues before... his plaid never to be worn but kelted, the fillibeg or little kelt to be always worn in summer or harvest except when upon duty.”
— Captain John Nairne, Order Books, LAC, R5991-0-3-E
Such passages provide remarkable insight into the evolving expectations of soldierly appearance and discipline, further defining the visual identity of British Army uniforms in wartime.
Editorial Notice: Procurement in Glasgow
Procurement notices from British newspapers confirm the logistics behind outfitting entire regiments. One such entry appeared in The Public Advertiser in February 1757:
“An Order was received from London, to provide 2400 pairs of shoes and also Shoulder-Belts for the two Highland Regiments now raising.”
— The Public Advertiser, Thursday, 3 February 1757, Glasgow
This confirms that regimental outfitting was coordinated from the highest levels and distributed en masse even before transatlantic deployment.
Final Thoughts
Understanding British Army uniforms through firsthand records transforms our view of 18th-century warfare from distant abstraction to lived experience. The documentation of what soldiers wore, what they carried, and how they presented themselves reveals the structure, pride, and personalization that defined service in Highland regiments like the 78th Foot.
Major Clephane’s 1758 ledger, Betty Clephane’s candid letter, and formal order book entries together give shape to a soldier’s world—not just of tactics and duty, but of appearance, identity, and regulation. These layers of dress and discipline help historians trace the visible and invisible threads of a regiment’s journey across continents.
The administrative procedures referenced here are part of a larger body documentation. Many such records are preserved by The National Archives, UK.
Works Consulted
- Betty Clephane. Letter to 'Dear Brother', 1757. National Archives of Scotland, GD125-22-2, pp. 5–7.
- Brander, Michael. Scottish and Border Battles and Ballads. London: Seeley Service, 1975.
- Chartrand, René. The 78th Fraser’s Highlanders: The Raising, Recruitment, and Service of a Highland Regiment in the French and Indian War, 1757–1763. Ottawa: Service historique, 1984.
- Clephane, James. Military Accounts at Halifax, 1758. National Archives of Scotland, GD125-34-5.
- Frey, Sylvia R. The British Soldier in America: A Social History of Military Life in the Revolutionary Period. University of Texas Press, 1981.
- Harper, James. The Fraser Highlanders. Montreal: Montreal Highland Games Committee, 1966.
- Nairne, John. Order Books, 1762. Library and Archives Canada, R5991-0-3-E, MG23-GIII 23.
- The Public Advertiser. “Glasgow, Jan. 24.” 3 February 1757.
- Reid, Stuart. Redcoat Officer: 1740–1815. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002.
