Gold laced belt worn by an officer of the Fordingbridge Troop of Yeomanry. This photo was published in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research Vol XXIV no.100 (Winter 1946). Writing about it, Percy Sumner thanked Rupert Gunnis of Tunbridge Wells for supplying the photo. The belt belonged to Captain Hulse who commanded the Troop, and the date is estimated to be around 1815. The stirrup-shaped device below the scroll on the belt plate can be seen on other badges worn by Hampshire units, especially volunteers. Sumner explains that it was an instrument used in the New Forest to find out whether dogs were dangerous or not. If a dog could fit through the ‘stirrup’ it was considered to be OK but larger dogs were deemed to be capable of killing a deer.
