76th Regiment of Foot

76th Regiment of Foot
Cap badge of the 76th Regiment of Foot
Active	1787–1881
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain (1787–1800)  United Kingdom (1801–1881)
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Infantry
Size	11 Companies
Garrison/HQ	Wellesley Barracks, Halifax
Nickname(s)	The Immortals The Pigs The Old Seven and Sixpennies
Motto(s)	none
Colors	Red Facings
March	Quick: Scotland the Brave Slow: Logie o'Buchan
Mascot(s)	Indian Elephant
Engagements	Third Anglo-Mysore War Second Anglo-Maratha War Napoleonic Wars War of 1812
Commanders
Last Commanding Officer	Lieutenant Colonel JMD Allardice 1880-1881
Last Colonel of the Regiment	General Fredrick Darley George CB 1875-1881

The 76th Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment to form the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1881.

The regiment was raised by Sir Thomas Musgrave, 7th Baronet for service in India as the 76th Regiment of Foot in October 1787. In accordance with the Declaratory Act 1788 the cost of raising the regiment was recharged to East India Company on the basis that the act required that expenses "should be defrayed out of the revenues" arising there. The majority of recruits were raised from Nottingham and Leicestershire, but many of them also came from the Musgrave family estates around Hayton Castle, near Aspatria, Cumbria.

The Royal Warrant for their raising was issued on 12 October 1787 and read:

GEORGE R.
Whereas We have thought fit to order a Regt of Foot to be
forthwith raised under your Command, which is to consist of ten
Companies, with 3 Sergts, 4 Corpls, 2 Drumrs & 71 private Men
in each, with two Fifers to the Grenadier Compy and one
Compy, of 8 Sergts, 8 Corpls, 4 Drumrs & 30 private Men with
the usuals Comd. Officers, these are to authorise you by Beat of
Drum or otherwise to raise so many Men in any Country or part
of our Kingdom of Great Britain as shall be wanted to complete
the said Regt, to the above mentioned numbers. And all above
Given the 12th October. 1787 in the 27th Year of Our Reign.
By H.M.'s Command (Sd.) Geo. Yonge

The regiment embarked for India in 1788 for service in the Third Anglo-Mysore War and saw action at the Siege of Bangalore in February 1791 and the Siege of Seringapatam in February 1792. The regiment also saw service in the Second Anglo-Maratha War and fought at the Siege of Aligarh in September 1803. The regiment laid siege to Aligarh Fort, a fort commanded by a French mercenary officer Pierre Perron and captured it from the Marathas. During the assault, fourteen ditches were lined with sword-blades and poisoned chevaux-de-frise around the fort by the French. The walls were reinforced with French artillery and tigers and lions of Scindia's menagerie were also used by the French. During the battle, the British lost as many as 900 soldiers. The regiment went on to fight at the Battle of Delhi in September 1803, the Battle of Laswari in November 1803 and the Battle of Deeg in November 1804. For their distinguished service in these actions, King George III gave his authorisation to the regiment, allowing them to have the word "Hindoostan" emblazoned upon the regimental colours, along with an elephant badge with a howdah atop the elephant, also inscribed with the word "Hindoostan". The regiment returned to England and became the 76th (Hindoostan) Regiment of Foot in October 1806.