The Queen's Body Guard
of the Yeomen of the Guar
d

Exons
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Captain  Lieutenant  Clerk of the Cheque  Ensign  Exon
 

Brigadier David Innes OBE - Royal Green Jackets
Colonel Michael Kingscote - 17/21st Lancers

The next officers in rank are four Exons.  The first mention of Exon is in the ceremony of All Nights, which is fully described in the chapter relating to Charles II.  They were added to the staff of officers in 1668 just about the time when Marsham’s account of All Night was written.  The derivation and meaning of theSir Thomas Seymour Sadler, Exon of the Guard. In the new uniform for Officers of the Body Guard, ordered by William IV 1830-31. word Exon has been and is a puzzle to many, but it is undoubtedly the French pronunciation of the word exempt.  An exempt was an officer in the old French Garde Du Corps.  “Exempts des Guedes du Corps” are described in a military dictionary as “Exons belonging to the Body Guards,” There was in France an officer of police called “Un Exempt (exon) de Police.”  When Charles II formed his Horse Guards he created a commissioned officer who was styled indiscriminately the exempt or the Exon, and in each of the two troops this officer ranked with the Captain.  There is further confusion connected with the title of Exon, for in his commission he is styled corporal. But it appears that in Elizabeth’s reign “corporal” was a commissioned officer, and the term was synonymous with Captain. Down to the time of the Coronation of George III, which took place on 22 September 1761, corporal was only another word for Exon, as may be seen on referring to the official programme of the Coronation, wherein mention is made of “the Corporals or Exons of the Yeomen of the Guard.” The exempt in the French Garde du corps always had charge of the Night Watch, and the Exon is the English Body Guard was especially appointed for that service. Curiously enough the word Exempt is also used in the orders of the Yeomen of the Guard with its English meaning.
Edited from A History of the Yeomen of the Guard 1485 - 1885

 

 

 

 

 

1

1668

Edward Ashton Esq

62

1817

W Russ Whyting Esq

2

1668

Hugh Houghton Esq

63

1830

Henry Cipriani Esq

3

1668

Roger Gardner Esq

64

1831

Charles or John Hancock *6

4

1668

Richard Sadlington Esq

65

1831

Sir Isaac Housley Curteis Esq

5

1675

William Houghton Esq

66

1831

Samuel Hancock Esq *7

6

1675

John Pound Esq

67

1836

Thomas Derinzy Esq

7

1675

Henry Dutton Esq

68

1837

Capt William Bellairs *8

8

1685

Robert Sawyers Esq

69

1838

Jonothan P Nuttall Esq

9

1685

William Barlow Esq

70

1839

Thomas Seymour Sadler *9

10

1685

Thomas Orme Esq

71

1844

Capt John Kincaid *11

11

1689

John Biggs Esq

72

1847

Henry Chard Esq

12

1689

Robert Sawyers Esq

73

1847

Charles H Broadwood Esq

13

1689

Robert Uphill Esq

74

1848

Capt Richard Phibbs

14

1690

Paul Cotton Esq

75

1849

Lt Hook Wilson Bellairs

15

1702

George Davenant Esq

76

1851

Capt T Parker Rickford

16

1703

Ambrose Meers Esq

77

1852

Capt William Lewis Grant

17

1703

William Dormer Esq

78

1853

Lt John Wardlaw

18

1705

John Capell Esq

79

1853

Capt George Warmham MacDonald

19

1705

Chiverton Christopher Charleton Esq

80

1856

Capt Magnus FM Herbert

20

1711

Horatio Walpole Esq

81

1859

Capt William Barron

21

1712

Henry Killigrew Esq

82

1862

Lt Col C Doyle Patterson

22

1714

Thomas Windham Esq

83

1862

Col Oliver Paget Bourke

23

1714

Thomas Whitmore Esq

84

1862

Lt Col Jonothan Henry Cooke

24

1717

Soloman Ashley Esq

85

1864

Lt Col Jonothan Augustus Todd

25

1718

Prescott Maynard Esq

86

1869

Capt Francis B Morley CB

26

1732

Leonard Childe Esq

87

1873

Col Henry Hume CB

27

1732

Francis Clarke Esq

88

1880

Lt Col Francis Baring

28

1734

Trevor Borret Esq

89

1884

Col RG Ellison

29

1735

Theophilus Bland Parson Esq

90

1889

Lt Col Horatio P Vance

30

1740

John Towers Esq

91

1892

Maj Edmund H Elliot

31

1743

Richard Hobson Esq

92

1892

Lt Col Hon FIJ Colbourne

32

1743

Matthew Hickeringill Esq

93

1894

Col Reginald Hennell DSO

33

1743

Peter Fenoulhet Esq *1

94

1895

Capt Houston French

34

1744

Ralph Congreve Esq

95

1902

Col Fenwick Bulmer de Sales la Terriere

35

1744

Samuel Horsey Esq

96

1906

Capt Colin MacRae CBE

36

1747

George Melthrope Esq

97

1908

Lt Col JC Wray MVO *10

37

1751

Charles Prideaux Esq

98

1912

Lt Col GR Lascelles

38

1756

Thomas Mildmay Cockayne

99

1925

Col R McCalmont

39

1757

Edward Hussey Esq

100

1925

Maj EB Frederick

40

1760

Savile Cockayne Cust Esq

101

1926

Lt Col W Gibbs

41

1760

William Trent Esq

102

1932

Brig Gen Lord Roundways CMG DSO MVO

42

1761

Cheret Jones Esq

103

1937

Maj Hon EAC Weld-Forester

43

1762

Everard Buckwith Esq

104

1937

Lt Col RC Bingham DSO

44

1763

Nathaniel Causton Esq

105

1947

Maj Gen AHS Adair CB DSO MC

45

1764

Samuel Warburton Esq

106

1950

Lt Col VB Turner VC

46

1771

? Gascoine Esq

107

1950

Brig Gen WG Carr DSO

47

1773

Nathaniel Garrick Esq

108

1951

Lt Col GH Grosvenor DSO

48

?

? Froggart Esq *2

109

1955

Lt Col JD Hornung OBE MC

49

?

? Bellingham Esq *3

110

1964

Col HT Brassey OBE MC

50

1780

Walter Kinneir Esq

111

1967

Col AB Pemberton MBE

51

1780

Joseph Jonothan Bulter Esq

112

1970

Capt Sir Charles McGrigor Bt

52

1782

Robert Fagg Arnold Nash Esq

113

1971

Maj Bruce Shand MC

53

1782

Joseph Baxter Esq

114

1979

Col Greville Tufnell

54

1782

George Stone Esq

115

1985

Col Shaun Longsdon

55

1782

Francis Baker Esq

116