Complete Description
RARE FLAG OF THE 3rd REGIMENT OF THE IRISH BRIGADE, LATE 18th – EARLY 19th CENTURY (BEFORE 1801)
Made of yellow silk, composed of three panels, with the British “Union Flag” in the upper left corner, formed from several pieces of silk sewn together.
The center decorated with a brown silk medallion embroidered with the Celtic harp in gold and silver-gilt thread and bullion, within a naturalistic wreath of roses and thistles tied with a ribbon embroidered in blue, light blue, and white thread.
Above the medallion is a British crown in silk, embroidered with silver thread, purple tinsel, and a painted ermine belt, together with a banner embroidered and painted with the inscription: “3d REGt OF IRISH BRIGADE”.
The reverse of the flag has the same decoration, except that the center of the medallion is embroidered in silver-gilt thread and bullion with the cypher “GR III” of King George III, on a mauve silk ground.
With pole sleeve on the left-hand side.
Dimensions: 176 x 193 cm (70 x 76 in.)
Colors remarkably well preserved; breaks in the silk (notably on the Union Jack, on the right-hand side over 40 cm, and on the central motif); some old restorations; one of the royal crowns taken from another flag.
A full expert report on the flag’s textiles will be provided to the buyer.
Provenance:
- Walsh de Serrant family
- Thence by descent
History:
The 3rd Regiment was commanded by Henry Dillon. Raised on 1 October 1794, it was sent to Jamaica in March 1796, where it served until the autumn of that same year, when it was transferred to Haiti. It took part in several actions, notably the assault on Fort Guérin on 16–17 April 1797. Recalled to the United Kingdom, it was disbanded in 1798.
It should be noted, however, that two regiments of the Irish Brigade were commanded by members of the Walsh de Serrant family (the 2nd and the 5th). The presence of this flag in the family’s collection is likely explained by the various transfers of depleted units at the end of their existence. As was often the case, the colonel would retain the regimental colors upon dissolution.
The family also preserved a 19th-century watercolor depicting Count Antoine Joseph Walsh de Serrant (1744–1817) with an ensign presenting this very flag (illustrated in the catalogue).
