Feather bonnet age?

[48HofC]

Oh, aren't hackles the short ones worn on Glengarries and Balmorals and plumes the longer ones worn on feather bonnets?

Might be a cultural thing between English and Scots, or military vs civilian. When I was was issued my bonnet I had to sign for it and - hackle, white, feather bonnet. I know some of the English regiments refer to them as plumes depending on what they are made of. The short hackles are only worn on the tam'o shanter and the cockfeather is worn on the glen with the exception of the pipers of the Highlanders who wear an eagle feather.

[Jags]

Might be a cultural thing between English and Scots, or military vs civilian. When I was was issued my bonnet I had to sign for it and - hackle, white, feather bonnet. I know some of the English regiments refer to them as plumes depending on what they are made of. The short hackles are only worn on the tam'o shanter and the cockfeather is worn on the glen with the exception of the pipers of the Highlanders who wear an eagle feather.

It was a guy at the Highlander's Museum in Fort George that corrected me when I called it a hackle. Mind you, he also told me all of the regiments covered by the museum wore red and white dicing...

[48HofC]

It was a guy at the Highlander's Museum in Fort George that corrected me when I called it a hackle. Mind you, he also told me all of the regiments covered by the museum wore red and white dicing...

Another consideration is only the pipes and drums wore feather bonnets after full ceremonial dress was done away with, and they might be called plumes by those outside the bands. Last I heard there were only 3 full time staff at the museum, the rest volunteers, so who knows where his info came from. By the way, at one point the Gordons wore the red/green/white dicing as well.

[Jags]

Anyone know when plastic straps first made an appearance?

[slothead]

There aren't nearly enough pictures in this thread to make it useful!

[OC Richard]

To my mind "plume" conjures up a very different thing, like a big ostrich feather worn in a musketeer or pirate hat.

The Black Watch wore red hackles in their feather bonnets but also in their Tam O Shanters. The TOS hackles are of course much shorter.

I can't recall seeing any of the Scottish Highland regiments wearing hackles in their Glengarries.

Various regiments also wore hackles in their sun helmets.

With the formation of The Royal Regiment Of Scotland it became hackles in the TOS for all battalions:

1SCOTS black
2SCOTS white
3SCOTS red
4SCOTS blue
5SCOTS green
6SCOTS grey
7SCOTS purple

The pipers of the Cameron Highlanders wore eagle feathers in their Glens, while pipers of several regiments wore a blackcock's tail.

[48HofC]

To my mind "plume" conjures up a very different thing, like a big ostrich feather worn in a musketeer or pirate hat.

The Black Watch wore red hackles in their feather bonnets but also in their Tam O Shanters. The TOS hackles are of course much shorter.

I can't recall seeing any of the Scottish Highland regiments wearing hackles in their Glengarries.

Various regiments also wore hackles in their sun helmets.

With the formation of The Royal Regiment Of Scotland it became hackles in the TOS for all battalions:

1SCOTS black
2SCOTS white
3SCOTS red
4SCOTS blue
5SCOTS green
6SCOTS grey
7SCOTS purple

The pipers of the Cameron Highlanders wore eagle feathers in their Glens, while pipers of several regiments wore a blackcock's tail.

The Camerons/Queens Own Highlanders/Highlanders/ successively all wore the blue hackle on their glens. Cameronians wore black with certain orders of dress with both the glen and TOS. The RSDG pipes and drums wear white hackles with glens in certain orders of dress.

[OC Richard]

There aren't nearly enough pictures in this thread to make it useful!

OK here ya go, a Gordon Highlanders piper with a blackcock tail in his Glengarry



Pipers of The Highlanders wearing eagle's feathers in their Glengarries. The old pipers' uniform of The Cameron Highlanders has changed very little from the 1840s to today. (They wore the same sporrans from the 1840s to 1994.)



Seaforth Highlanders bandsman with hackle in his sun helmet.