ROYAL ARCHERS

Evening Star, Issue 21810, 28 August 1934, Page 4

ROYAL ARCHERS

HIS MAJESTY'S BODYGUARD IN SCOTLAND ANCIENT PRIVILEGES Prominent in the public eye during the King’s visit to Edinburgh was the Royal Company of Archers, His Majesty’s Bodyguard for Scotland. in fact the Archers are almost übiquitous, for, in the Palace and out qf it, wherever the Sovereign goes, on them falls the duty of guarding his -person. In many ways this Royal Company is a remarkable body. In every sense of the term it is a ‘‘ corps d’ellte,” and it is absolutely Scottish. Originally there were no written regulations as to the nationality of the members, but evidently certain Southrons sought admission to its ranks, and to safeguard the nationality of the company a rule was made in 1825 by the then Duke of Montrose that no one should be admitted unless he was a Scotsman born or descended from Scottish parents.

Besides having the right to serve nearest to the person of the King on all State the Archers have other privileges. Their captain-general is, by virtue of his rank, Gold Stick of Scotland, and they have’ the* right to be represented at all State ceremonials by him. The officers take rank with generals in the Army and the privates rank as colonels at Court. Queen Victoria conferred upon them the peculiar privilege of dining once a year at Holyrood Palace if they so desire, a privilege, by the way, they exercise with discreet restraint. • OBSCURE ORIGIN.

Like that of many other Scottish institutions, their origin is somewhat obscure. It has been said that they owe their existence to James 1., and that his successors, and James IV. in particular, took a great personal interest in them. Certain it is that some of the Jameses tried, hard' to get their subjects to give more time to the practice of archery, prohibiting football and golf to attain this object. There is a well-known tradition, to which Queen Victoria alludes in her book ; ‘ Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands,’ that at Flodden the body of James IV. was found surrounded by the bodies of his faithful archer guard. . But whatever _ truth there may be in all this (and it is very likely there was a corps of archers at an early date), the present Royal Company dates only from the seventeenth century. Medals affixed to the Musselburgh Arrow bear dates as far back as 1603, but the first recorded meeting was held In 1676. In March of the following ‘ year it was formally recognised bv the Privy Council and firmlj' established as ‘The King’s Company of Archers ” —John, second Earl and first Marquis of Atholl being elected Captain-General. It was reorganised in 1703,- when a . Royal Charter was granted by Queen Anne, by the terms of which the: Archers were required to perform the service of presenting three barbed arrows to the Sovereign when he goes to Holyrood. UNDER A CLOUD. During the ’ls and ’45 many of the Archers were Jacobites, and consequently the corps was under a cloud for a time. They did not take up arms as a body for Prince Charles Edward, although there is a tradition that they marched out to meet him as he- approached Edinburgh, but dispersed before he entered the city. One of them, however, Hepburn of Keith, was the first to welcome- the Prince to Holyrood, and several, including the Earl of Kilmarnock, suffered afterwards for their loyalty to the Stuarts. Murray of Broughton was a member of the company, but after ho turned King’s evidence was expelled and his name erased from the records. All the Jacobite trouble had passed away and been forgotten when George IV. made his visit to> Scotland in 1823. At that time -the CaptainGeneral, Lord Hopetoun, offered the services of the company-to the King, and the offer was accepted. Until then the Archers had really no right to the position of bodyguard, but subsequently the privilege was formally accorded. The Captam-Geheral presented the reddendo of three arrows to George IV. in terms of the charter, and similar reddendos were presented to Queen Victoria on three occasions, to King Edward once, in 1303, and to the present King on his former visits. During Victoria’s reign the Archers, acted as Her Majesty’s bodyguard on all State occasions in Scotland, and they served in the same capacity for King’ Edward and ■ King George. , STRIKING UNIFORM. Describing their uniform about two hundred years ago, a writer says:— “ The dress, which they innocently believed to be after the ancient Roman model, was of tartan, trimmed: with green silk fringe with a blue bonnet trimmed with green and white ribbons, and the badge of St. Andrew in the front; their bows and swords hung with green and white ribbons, the officers being further distinguished by having the dress laid over with silver lace.” The modern, uniform, if not quite so striking, is yet highly picturesque. The field dress consists of tunic and trousers of dark green and a Balmoral bonnet with a badge and an eagle’s feather., A short sword with a gilt hilt is worn. .The court dress consists of a green coat with velvet facings adorned with gold arms, thistles, and epaulettes, dark green trousers, with gold stripe, a crimson silk sash, and a cocked hat with a green plume. The officers are distinguished by aiguillettes on- the left shoulder and a gold sash, while swords are worn by all.—W.G. in the ‘ Weekly Scotsman.’ . , . .