Foot GUARDS, are regiments of foot appointed for the guard of his majesty and his palace. There are three regiments of them, called the 1st, 2d, and 3d, regiments of foot-guards. They were raised in the year 1660; and the command of the first given to Colonel Russel, that of the second to General Monk, and the third to the earl of Linlithgow. The first regiment is at present commanded by one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, three majors, 23 captains, one captain-lieutenant, 31 lieutenants, and 24 ensigns; and contains three battalions. The second regiment has one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, two majors, 14 captains, one captain-lieutenant, 18 lieutenants, 16 ensigns, and contains only two battalions. The third regiment is the same as the second.
The French GUARDS are divided into those within, and those without the palace.—The first are the gardes du corps, or body guards; which consist of four companies, the first of which companies was anciently Scots. See Scots GUARDS, infra.
The guards without are the Gens d'Armes, light horse, musqueteers, and two other regiments, the one of which is French and the other Swiss.
New arrangements, however, have taken place in this department as well as others since the late revolution.