“Different liveries are used for different occasions. Apart from a few small details, the livery remains much the same as it was in Victorian times, and some of the tailors who produce today’s livery are the same companies used during the reign of George III. “
LIVERY: The Royal Collection Trust
“The history of the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace begins shortly after George III’s acquisition of Buckingham House in 1762.”
from Royal Mews, Royal Collection Trust
Royal Cypher
When King George III ascended the throne in 1760, his royal cypher featured intertwined capital letters “G” and “R” (standing for George Rex, Latin for King George) in a monogram style. This design was commonly used during the early years of his reign. The Crown Office in the Royal Household was responsible for the creation and management of official royal symbols and emblems, including the royal cypher. As King George III’s health declined, modifications to the royal cypher may have been made to distinguish it from the cypher of his eventual successor, who would become King George IV.
This button came identified by the late Gene O’Brien as belonging to the British King George III.
The young prince lost his father at age 12 and ascended to the throne in 1760 at age 22. He had to wage many bitter wars to suppress the insurgence in his thirteen American colonies.
“Today, we have a much more rounded view of George III, as a busy and thoughtful monarch. He devoted himself to his wife and thirteen surviving children and took his duties as king seriously, striving for unity in politics, advancement in science and refinement in culture.”
– by Prof. Arthur Burns, on The Royal Mint
The king’s fixed living expenses, subject to approval by Parliament, included royal residences, salaries for the royal household staff. This button could have belong to any one wearing livery at the Court at that time, including pages, footmen, equerries, etc.. Although the monarch’s financial situation became a matter of political controversy and scrutiny during his reign, King George III was well known as a supporter of institutions to alleviate poverty and assist the needy with his own funds and the influence of his position.
Button back marked “I (J) LLOYD DUBLIN”
In 1801, the Acts of Union united Great Britain and Ireland, and the king’s royal authority expanded.
John Lloyd was a buttonmaker in Dublin from 1768-1821. During the middle of that tenure (1790s for sure) he was partnered with Joseph Ridley, a woolen draper. George III looks like a solid recommendation to me.
Watch the video (https://youtu.be/rLRgGZvzA0o?t=516 on YouTube or Duck Player) and learn about the tax stamp bearing the royal cypher of George III on a 1786 British document.
Thanks to Bob Mullins on the Livery Buttons and Badges group on Facebook for his detective work dating this back mark!
Tax Stamps
The King maintained a firm stance in asserting British authority and suppressing the American rebellion. He approved measures such as the Stamp Act of 1765, which imposed taxes on various documents and printed materials in the colonies. The newspaper tax discouraged vocal criticism of the government, as publishers were required to obtain government approval and pay the tax. It was viewed as controlling the press and curbing the spread of potentially subversive or controversial ideas. The American Declaration of Independence of 1776, celebrated on July 4th, directly criticized this king for the absolute Tyranny committed against the colonies.
St. George Slaying the Dragon
A token with L&R monogram was issued in 1794 by Lloyd & Ridley as a substitute for official government currency which was in short supply. They rented rooms in the same house on Castle Street in Dublin as of 9/29/1816. Their landlord at the time appears to be the old Church of St. George. The new Church of St. George, built in 1802 is about a half-hour walk from Castle Street. A good segue here, to Joy Journey’s WRBA article about buttons depicting St. George. To the faithful worshippers of St. George, who or what was the dragon to be tamed?
The two names don’t show up in the 1862 directory, but 2 tailors, a draper, a trunk maker, leather sellers and warehouses, shoe & boot makers, tobacconist, carvers & gilders, and tea, wine and spirit merchants are on the same street.
The King Depicted in Hamilton the Musical
“King George appears three times throughout the musical, each time singing a humorous song in a style that is quite a departure from the rest of the musical. While most of the Hamilton’s songs are rap and hip-hop infused, King George’s sound significantly more old-fashioned.”
from What the Musical Changes About the Real King George III
on screenrant.com
Appearance 1: You’ll be Back
(performed by Working With Lemons)“I will fight the fight and win the warFor your love, for your praise …”
Appearance 2: What Comes Next?
(sung by Jonathan Groff)“They say
The price of my war’s not a price that they are willing to pay
Insane
You cheat with the French
Now I’m fighting with France and with Spain …”
Appearance 3: I Know Him
(sung by Jonathan Groff)“They say
George Washington’s yielding his power and stepping away
‘Zat true?
I wasn’t aware that was something a person could do
I’m perplexed
Are they gonna keep on replacing whoever’s in charge?
If so, who’s next?
There’s nobody else in their country who looms quite as large …”
Contributors: Vicki Condie MacTavish, Angela Flanagan, Bruce Cole, William Hentges, Norma Brown, Milicent Safro, Sonja Medcalf, Stacey Gehrman, Marsha Cassada, Jim Nolan, Annie Frazier, Carolyn Webb, Jocelyn Howells, Royal Collection Trust, and more. Button photos courtesy of Judy Schwenk.