ABSTRACT
The regimental courts served as the lower system of military justice. They were presided over by five duty officers, and the regimental commander reviewed their verdict. Pressure to improve the army’s image and encourage recruitment resulted in some reform to regimental court procedure by 1805. Oaths—which had previously only been used in General Courts Martial—were now required of all participants in regimental courts. The Guards’ likelihood to be posted in London ensured that the 1st Foot Guards’ court records have survived far better than those of any other regiment. This particular case was heard at Lier, Belgium, when the regiment was stationed on the Continent during the campaigns against Napoleon. Soldiers’ practice of buying fine European trinkets as souvenirs for mothers back home must have been sufficiently common for this guardsman to use it in his defence. The case also reflects the somewhat haphazard recording technique for regimental court records, despite the procedural reforms of the previous decade.
