This poor quality reproduction is the earliest evidence of an actual belt plate worn by the 1st Royal Regiment. It is an enlargement of a small picture that looks as if it was cut out of a regimental magazine in the early to mid 20th century. The image is 27mm deep and has a brief caption: Officer’s crossbelt plate Royal Scots c1810 - 1820. In his book on Shoulder-Belt Plates and Buttons, Parkyn says: ‘Almack’s book illustrates an oblong one with the title ‘Loyal’ on the scroll. This is obviously an error for ‘Royal’. The plate was burnished gilt with the design mounted in gilt. The other ranks had the same design.’
My own guess is that this belt is dated c1800 as it has a similar design to the oval plate in the 1799 print. The quality of the photo prevents a clear reading of the inscriptions. The wording around the central thistle is probably NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT. The lettering on the scroll below looks like ROYALS. It is not clear if there are words on either side.
