Waistcoat
Date1790-1793
OriginGreat Britain
MediumWool, cotton, pewter, silver, bone
DimensionsOL 29 1/2"
Waist approximately 40"; chest approximately 47"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2005-338,2
DescriptionSleeveless waistcoat of buff (yellowish white) wool broadcloth. Waistcoat is collarless except for 1/4" band at neckline. Waistcoat curves over the front and is fastened with 15 buttons and functional buttonholes. Shallow points at center front below waist. Functional pockets covered with shaped flaps trimmed with 4 buttons beneath each flap and 4 uncut buttonholes on each flap. Back is same wool as front, with two pairs of tape ties for fit adjustment. Waistcoat is lined with off-white cotton, woven in plain weave. Waistcoat has been altered by means of rough long darts sewn under the arms. Buttons, each 5/8" diameter, are stamped metal to imitate "thread" buttons, crimped over bone forms and have waxed thread shanks. Waistcoat was worn with military coat, see 2005-338, 1.Label TextThis coat and waistcoat worn, Deputy Adjutant General James Moncrieff (1744-1793) is remarkable survivor from career military officer who served primarily in North America. James Moncrieff entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich on March 11, 1759 and was appointed practitioner engineer and Ensign on January 28, 1762. On June 7, 1762, he joined the Earl of Albemarle on his expedition to capture Havana and participated in the siege that captured Moro Castle. Moncrieff suffered from wounds received during the siege. He continued to serve West Indies and East Florida receiving further promotions to Lieutenant on December 4, 1770 and Captain-Lieutenant on June 10, 1776.
James Moncrieff served throughout the American Revolution and was present at the Battle of the Brandywine and helped design and construct a bridge across the Raritan River. He also followed the British Army south into the Carolina's and Virginia. He served at the Battle of Stono Ferry and conducted siege works around the city of Savannah. Moncrieff’s work around Savanah earned him a promotion to Major on December 27, 1779. The British army moved North to Charleston and Moncrieff was give the position of Chief Engineer for the siege operation. With another extremely successful siege and the capture of the American Southern Army, Moncrieff was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on September 27, 1780. James Moncrieff would follow Cornwallis’s army North to Yorktown where he would be captured and later paroled and return to England.
In 1790 James Moncrieff received a promoted to Deputy Adjutant General and probably dates to the time when this coat and waistcoat were produced. He later was appointed Quartermaster General to the Forces sent to Holland under the Duke of York. It was during the Siege of Dunkirk in 1793 that Moncrieff received a mortal wound and died on September 9, 1793.
ProvenanceThe coat that accompanied this waistcoat (2005-338,1) descended in the family of General Alexander Graham Stirling, who married Margaret, the eldest daughter of Col. James Moncrieffe, of Sauchope, Fife. The coat is thought to have been used by Stirling's father-in-law, Col. Moncrieff, who served in the Royal Engineers from 1763 until 1793, when he died. Moncrieff served in America during the Revolutionary War. He attained the appointment to deputy adjutant general in 1790. The style of this coat is specific to deputy adjutant general and quartermaster general. Further research suggests coat may have been worn by the brother-in-law of General Alexander Graham Sterling.
