Could anyone possibly tell me about this uniform?

[Chas]

3) two things of interest are the fact that he carries a stick (which usually is an indication that he commanded men supporting the above conclusion of an NCO),

Not so. Up until the end of WW II all Other Ranks of the British Army were encouraged to carry a "swagger stick", when walking out in No1 Uniform. Carrying one discouraged slovenliness. Carrying a stick with a silver top makes a man swagger which leads him to walk in a more upright military way. It also stopped him putting his hands in his pockets.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

He was born around 1836, died in 1880 if that helps any... I've been searching around myself, but can't seem to find which uniform this is, or if it's a uniform of sorts at all.

If you send a copy of the photo to the Army Museum in London, along with the soldier's name, they should be able to assist you. To me it appears to be a photo dating from the period after the Crimean war. At that time the standing collars on British infantry tunics were open, not closed, in the front.

There is one other clue that helps in possibly dating the photograph. The soldier is holding a shako of the type issued between 1861 and 1868. Further, the pompom appears to be black, which would tend to indicate a light infantry company. I can't quite make out the insignia on the right sleeve, but presume it to be some sort of rank insignia.

[plaid preacher]

Not so. Up until the end of WW II all Other Ranks of the British Army were encouraged to carry a "swagger stick", when walking out in No1 Uniform. Carrying one discouraged slovenliness. Carrying a stick with a silver top makes a man swagger which leads him to walk in a more upright military way. It also stopped him putting his hands in his pockets.

Chas, most interesting. They just yelled at us when we put our hands in our pockets. That seemed to work too.