Duke of Cumberland’s Sharpshooters, 1805 circa (w/c)

Duke of Cumberland’s Sharpshooters, 1805 circa. Watercolour, artist unknown, 1805 circa. The Duke of Cumberland’s Sharpshooters were formed as a Corps of Riflemen in London on 5 September 1803. The following year, Captain Barber of the Sharpshooters wrote in his ‘Instructions for the Formation and Exercise of Volunteer Sharp-Shooters’ (1804) that a third class marksman should be able to put five out of six balls in an eight inch circle at 100 yards, a second class marksman at 200 yards, and a first class marksman at a remarkable distance of 300 yards. The Sharpshooters later became the Royal Victoria Rifle Club.