7th Dragoon Guards

The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.

History
The regiment was first raised as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse in 1685, by the regimenting of various independent troops, and ranked as the 9th and later 8th Regiment of Horse. In 1746 it was transferred to the Irish establishment, where it was ranked as the 4th Regiment of Horse, or the "Black Horse", and transferred back to the British establishment in 1788 as the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte.

20th century
After service in the 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade during the First World War, it retitled as the 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's) in 1921, and was amalgamated with the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, to form the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards the following year.

Colonels —with early names for the regiment

 * 9th Regiment of Horse


 * 1688 William, Lord Cavendish —Lord Cavendish’s Regiment of Horse
 * 1690 Meinhardt, Duke of Leinster —Duke of Leinster’s Regiment of Horse

from 1693 8th Regiment of Horse


 * 1711 Charles, Marquess of Harwich —Marquess of Harwich's Regiment of Horse
 * 1713 Charles Sybourg —Sybourg's Regiment of Horse
 * 1720 Sir John Ligonier K B —Ligonier's Regiment of Horse

in 1746 transferred to the Irish establishment and ranked
 * 4th (Irish) Regiment of Horse
 * Black Horse


 * 1749 Sir John Mordaunt K B —Mordaunt's Regiment of Horse
 * 1749 Henry de Grangues —de Grangues's Regiment of Horse

On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant provided that in future regiments would not be known by their colonels' names, but by their "number or rank".


 * 1754 Henry Seymour Conway
 * 1759 Philip Honywood
 * 1782 Studholme Hodgson

in 1788 transferred to the British establishment and ranked
 * 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards


 * 1789 Sir Charles Grey K B
 * 1795 Sir Ralph Abercromby K B
 * 1796 Sir William Medows K B
 * 1813 Richard Wilford
 * 1822 Sir Robert Bolton K C H

from 1921 7th Dragoon Guards (Princess Royal's)

from 1922 4th/7th Dragoon Guards after amalgamation with 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards