Scottish Guards (France)

In 1450, King James II sent a company of 24 noble Scots under the command of Patrick de Spens, son of his custodian.

Each bodyguard had four men-at-arms under his command, (a squire, an archer, a cranequinier and a servant), one of them acquired the name of premier homme d'armes du royaume de France.

While their leaders were at home the Dauphin assigned the Scottish contingent throughout his armies and garrisons and picked a number, roughly one hundred of the best warriors, to be his personal body guard.

The Scotsmen fought with distinction throughout France with a notable win at the Battle of Baugé in 1421, where the Duke of Clarence was said to have been felled by Buchan's Mace.

[5] As an example some works recording Scots in action have simply applied the Garde Écossaise name, although referring to the Regiment de Douglas.

On this and other occasions the Scottish Company carried claymores with steel basket guards instead of the swords of the other French heavy cavalry.

[6] The Scottish Company provided a special detachment of 24 Gardes de la Manche (literally 'Guards of the Sleeve') who stood in close attendance to the king during court ceremonies.

The Gardes de la Manche were distinguished by a heavily embroidered white and gold cassock which they wore over the blue and red and silver uniform of the Body Guard.

[7] All four companies of the Body Guard were formally disbanded in 1791, although the aristocratic personnel of the regiment had dispersed following the closure of Versailles as a royal palace in October 1789.