Officer of the Royal Fuzileers

1685.06.11      The Ordnance Regiment raised in London from two coys of Tower Guards as an escort to the Train of Artillery; also known as The Royal Regiment of Fuzileers; also known until 1751 by the names of colonels
1747    Royal English Fuzileers ranked as 7th Foot
1751.07.01    7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fuzileers)
1782.08.31    7th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot

Fusiliers were originally troops armed with the Fusil musket which may or may not have been shorter than a conventional musket.

The reason first artillery train guards and then elite troops were given the Fusil musket in Great Britain. It was more expensive to manufacture than the conventional matchlock musket of the mid 17th century because it did not use a lighted match and was, as such, safer to use around the ammunition of the artillery train than a matchlock musket with each musketeer having a lighted match cord to fire his musket.

In the British army at least, the initial Regiments of Foote issued with the Fusil were called Fusiliers because they carried the Fusil musket. It is a matter of some debate whether regiments issued with the Fusil towards the end of the 17th century such as the Royal Welch Fusiliers or the Royal Fusiliers because they were deemed elite regiments or that they became elite regiments because Fusil musket was more efficient than the matchlock muskets of the other infantry regiments. Having gained elite Royal status, these regiments retained the status even when all the infantry had been issued with Fusils.

Although British Fusilier Regiments had an elite status equivalent to Grenadiers, they were not picked men (height and strength) like the Guards regiments or the Grenadiers companies or (nimble, agile and independent thinking) of the light companies.