Gorget of the Jamaica Militia, 1810

Gilt copper gorget engraved with the Jamaican coat of arms. The crocodile from the crest of the coat of arms was also used on its own as a symbol for Jamaica.

Officers wore gorgets around the neck as a sign that they were on duty.

The British raised militia forces across the West Indies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to help defend the colonies from foreign attack but also to ensure internal security. During the pre-emancipation period militias were used to deter or counter slave revolts and to hunt down escaped slaves. The militias were predominantly white, drawing their recruits from small landowners, indentured servants and landless freemen.