Tartan jackets in the Army

[OC Richard]

In looking over imagery depicting Highland regimental pipers from the 1830s through the 1850s I was surprised to see how many regiments were putting their pipers into tartan jackets.

42nd Highlanders, c1850, piper in Black Watch tartan jacket and Black Watch Music Tartan kilt and plaid





The 74th Highlanders, probably c1845, piper in Lamont tartan jacket, kilt, and plaid



However this painting shows a piper wearing the ordinary Other Ranks coatee



93rd Highlanders, 1845, Rob Roy tartan jacket, kilt and plaid



I do wonder what the provenance is for the 93rd pipers wearing this costume. The drawing is from the 1950s by R M Barnes.

Images of 93rd pipers earlier (1825) and later (1852) show scarlet jackets.

93rd piper in a contemporary 1852 drawing showing a scarlet doublet (at a time before scarlet doublets were introduced for all Highland soldiers)

[figheadair]

Richard,

A couple more. You may already be familiar with one or more.

Piper McLeod, 42nd by Cannon 1836


72nd Piper c1847


Piper Rory McKay, 93rd from the Sword Dance by David Cunliffe, 1853. This one intrigues me as he's obvously wearing Hunting Stewart. Perhaps be was borrowed from another regiment that was also there.

[OC Richard]

Thanks!

That's strange about the piper in Hunting Stewart. His crossbelt hardware does seem to be similar to what the 93rd pipers wore.



About Richard Cannon's Historical Records, there must have been different editions.

Just today I was on a library site where you can read scans of entire books, virtually flipping them page by page, from cover to cover, including the endpapers.

I went through every page of his book on the 42nd and it had no colour plates, just two black and white illustrations, and no piper shown.

Likewise the 74th piper in my post above is an illustration said to have come from Cannon, but it didn't appear in his book on the 74th in possession of that library. It had a colour plate showing only a soldier from 1787.

The library had number books of the Historical Records series, from the covers quite old, including the Highland regiments the 42nd, 71st, 72nd, 73rd, and 74th. None had an illustration of a piper. Usually they had one colour plate showing the regimental flags, and a second colour plate showing an Officer and an Other Ranks.

[blackwatch70]

Thanks!

That's strange about the piper in Hunting Stewart. His crossbelt hardware does seem to be similar to what the 93rd pipers wore.

Dear OC Richard,
are you sure that is it Hunting Stewart tartan?
It looks like regular Black Watch tartan, worn by A&SH.
and in general he looks like a piper of 2nd Battn A&SH (ex-93rd Sutherland Highlanders) with correct belt, crossbelt and sporran, but he wears not-piper glengarry and diced hoses???
Very strange...

[figheadair]

Dear OC Richard,
are you sure that is it Hunting Stewart tartan?
It looks like regular Black Watch tartan, worn by A&SH.
and in general he looks like a piper of 2nd Battn A&SH (ex-93rd Sutherland Highlanders) with correct belt, crossbelt and sporran, but he wears not-piper glengarry and diced hoses???
Very strange...

Agreed, this is Government tartan, not Hunting Stewart.

[figheadair]

93rd Highlanders, 1845, Rob Roy tartan jacket, kilt and plaid



I do wonder what the provenance is for the 93rd pipers wearing this costume. The drawing is from the 1950s by R M Barnes.

Unfortunately, I can't recall where this extract of p.325 came from.

[OC Richard]

are you sure that is it Hunting Stewart tartan?
It looks like regular Black Watch tartan, worn by A&SH.

Sorry I was referring to the image Peter posted, a painting of a 93rd piper apparently wearing Hunting Stewart.

[OC Richard]

Unfortunately, I can't recall where this extract of p.325 came from.

Thanks!

I always take modern illustrations of historical uniforms with a large lick of salt. Generally when you see a photo or a surviving uniform you see that the modern illustration has inaccuracies. Sometimes the modern illustration is mere fantasy.

So I hesitated to take that Barnes illustration of the piper in Rob Roy tartan at face value.

Nice to see that it's based on evidence. I do wonder what the original source was.

It does fit with the thing of some pipers being put into what amounted to civilian livery, just as they would wear while in the service of a member of the aristocracy.

BTW the pipe band I play in wears PCES tartan, the tartan of the 72nd Highlanders. I think it would be very cool for a piper to put together the pre-1881 72nd pipers' uniform. (I believe the pipers were the only kilted members of the regiment, and I wonder just how their kilts were pleated.)

Is this PCES tartan?

[blackwatch70]

Is this PCES tartan?

it is not PCES, but 72nd Highlanders tartan, as You wrote here: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-tartan-86487/

[Shinenotburn]

Richard,

A couple more. You may already be familiar with one or more.

Piper McLeod, 42nd by Cannon 1836



Does that tartan McLeod is wearing not look like the Murray of Tullibardine tartan?

72nd Piper c1847


Piper Rory McKay, 93rd from the Sword Dance by David Cunliffe, 1853. This one intrigues me as he's obvously wearing Hunting Stewart. Perhaps be was borrowed from another regiment that was also there.

Does that tartan McLeod is wearing not look like the Murray of Tullibardine tartan? If not what do you think it is?