INTRODUCTORY NOTE ON THE REGIMENTAL TITLE

The Regiment of Foot which was later to become the 4th was originally raised in July/August 1680 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Foot for service in Tangier where Plymouth was Governor). [1]

Before Plymouth died in January of 1681 the colonelcy had passed to the erstwhile Lt. Colonel Percy Kirke. Kirke in turn transferred to the Senior Foot Regiment at Tangier and Charles Trellawacy became colonel on April 23rd 1682. The regiment was also becoming known about this time as The Young Tangier Regiment or just plain Young Tangerines (Kirke's was the Old Tangier Regiment).

The regiment returned to England in February 1684 after the evacuation of Tangier and in the Autumn of that year became The Duckess of York & Albany's Regiment of Foot.

When the Duke of York became James II in February 1685, his Duchess of course became Queen and the regiment thus became The Queen Cossort's Regiment of Foot, sometimes The Queen Majesty's Regiment of Foot. It still occasionally was called the Young Tangier or Trelawney's.

Queen Majesty's remained the regimental title until King George I made it The King's Own Regiment of Foot in 1715. (It was briefly known as The Queen's Marines during sea service in the War of the Spanish Succession). Essentially this is the tide it retained until 1881 well after the period covered by this article.

Although numbered as the 4th Foot by Order of Seniority from the 10th June 1694 [2] it was not known as the 4th Foot until the Warrant of 1751.

More Early Colours of the Regiment of Foot Numbered the 4th

Introduction
The First Colours 1680-1686
New Colours for the Queen Consorts 1686-9
From Queen's to King's 1689-1734
Colonel William Barrell, 1734-c1747/9
Clothing Regulations and Royal Warrants 1747-1799
Colours of the 2nd Battalion 1756-8
Colours' Sizes, Sources, and Notes