The 7th Dragoon Guards was raised in 1688 by the Earl of Devonshire, whose title it bore till 1690, when from its Colonel's name it was called "Schomberg's Horse"; in 1742 "Ligonier's Horse," and then "The Black Horse," and became celebrated as a model for efficiency and discipline. In 1788 the present title, "The 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards," was given to it at Dettingen. The 7th captured from the enemy a pair of kettledrums, which are now in the Officers' Mess. A Standard carried at the battle of Dettingen was presented by King George II to Cornet Richardson who bore it. He had received upwards of thirty wounds, but he refused to surrender, and preserved the Standard which is still in the possession of his descendants. Nicknames: In the reign of George II, "The Virgin Mary's Body Guard," having been sent to assist the army of the Archduchess Mary Theresa of Austria, also "Strawboots," because the men wrapped straw round their legs in a wet campaign; popularly known as "The Black Horse."
(Depot, Dunbar.)
On Guidon, The Crest of England within the Garter.
"Tangier, 1662-80," "Dettingen," "Warburg," "Beaumont," "Willems," "Fuentes d'Onor," "Peninsula," "Waterloo," "Balaklava," "Sevastopol," "Relief of Ladysmith," "South Africa, 1899-1902."
Motto: Spectemur Agendo (Let us be judged by our deeds).
Uniform, Scarlet.
Facings, Blue.
Head-dress, White metal helmet with black plume; band, white plume.