Feather in your bonnet

[macwilkin]

I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

Ask any former member of the King's Own Scottish Borderers regiment; they wore one behind their famous "dog and bonnet" badge for years:

http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk...entity-1-91594

T.

[creagdhubh]

I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

My guess would be purely for decoration/ornamentation (as is the case with many aspects of Highland dress and Highland Regimental dress), but used in a regulated/traditional sense by many Scottish Regiments in the past and by the Royal Regiment of Scotland today. In No. 1 and No. 2 pattern dress, all battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland wear Blackcock tail feathers attached to the Glengarry in a tradition taken from the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers.

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

Ask any former member of the King's Own Scottish Borderers regiment; they wore one behind their famous "dog and bonnet" badge for years:

http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk...entity-1-91594

T.

***, Todd.

A Regimental tradition.

[David Thorpe]

The man on the left only has one feather, so I would assume he is from an Armigerous clan.

Not necessarily. He is a Scottish Armiger, but he may or may not be of an armigerous clan.

[Downunder Kilt]

Not necessarily. He is a Scottish Armiger, but he may or may not be of an armigerous clan.

Quite possibly a member of the MacLaren clan as the other person in the photo is Donald MacLaren, Current Chief of Clan MacLaren

[JohntheBiker]

I'm well aquainted with hackles which are a regimental form often denoting battle honours but I've never seen backcock feathers used in a military context.

So what IS the deal with these blackcock feathers?

There are Canadian highland regiments that, at one time, had this style of ornamentation as part of their headgear (I've seen pictures of pipers in the 48th Highlanders from the 50's/60's wearing a balmoral with blackcock feathers). At some point seems to have been replaced by feather bonnets.

[cessna152towser]

Apart from the rules which apply within Scotland regarding wearing of eagle feathers, anyone can wear any feathers they want, though in my opinion, people who wear five or even seven feathers in the bonnets usually look rather silly.
Although I am a Scottish Armiger I have never worn a feather in my bonnet, though my cap badge incorporates a small imitation feather in silver.

[creagdhubh]

Quite possibly a member of the MacLaren clan as the other person in the photo is Donald MacLaren, Current Chief of Clan MacLaren

Precisely.

[OC Richard]

I have hundreds of old photos of men in Highland dress and the wearing of feathers of various types was rather common. I doubt if these people were following any rules.

The pipers of the Cameron Highlanders have always worn a single eagle feather in their glengarry; this has been perpetuated by the piper of the Queens Own Highlanders, The Highlanders, and now The Royal Regiment of Scotland



(Note that the book is titled The Queens Own Highlanders but the photo is of a piper of The Highlanders: different sporran, plaid brooch, dirk, and bagcover.)

[JohntheBiker]

There are Canadian highland regiments that, at one time, had this style of ornamentation as part of their headgear (I've seen pictures of pipers in the 48th Highlanders from the 50's/60's wearing a balmoral with blackcock feathers). At some point seems to have been replaced by feather bonnets.

Correction, said balmoral, meant glengarry.