Hi Jim,
Thanks for your continued input and interest in the gorget. These last months I have sent a description of the gorget and pictures out to many sources including fellow collectors, museums, dealers and auction houses, hoping for additional information, and I just heard back from a collector in the UK. He said that he remembers the gorget from a UK estate auction years ago and was pretty certain it came from a collection of Queen's Rangers material and accoutrements belonging to a Robert McCray (?). My research confirmed that the Queen's Rangers were a Loyalist Regiment that served in the American Revolution, so it would date the gorget later than the F&I War, but the particular pattern would make sense for a officer in such a regiment that adapted their uniforms and accoutrements to the conflict in the colonies, while not having to follow the same regulations as their British counterparts. I will continue to try to find information on the officer in question, but early research has not turned up a Robert McCray. I will keep you posted.
Regards,
Paul
|