42nd Royal Highland Regiment

[Allan Thomson]

The idea that pipers were not authorized, Ive even heard it said not till the 1850's is simply not true. 2 Pipers in highland regiments, assigned to the Grenadier company was the standard by the late 1750's. No different than the 2 fifers assigned to the Grenadier company in non highland regiments.

Here is a letter from the Clothing Board of General Officers regarding the raising of Keith's and Campbell's Highlander, who ended up serving on the Continent.



2 pipers in the Grenadier company. Now with the 78th, the lone piper in the regiment was the Grenadier company commanders servant. In the 42nd they were on paper as pipers, their extra pay over that of a normal drummer was paid by off reckonings from the Officers. Sometimes pipers and drummers switched places, in that a piper was punished for some misdeed by having to switch to playing drums. That tells me that piping and drumming both were required to even be considered for recruitment.

Interesting, I'd always wondered if skill in the drums was necessary for pipers to maintain the 'drummer' ruse...it would seem so from the evidence you've presented..

One wonders how aware those higher up outside of the Highland Regiments were of the practice, and whether they actually cared about it?...

[Luke MacGillie]

This is an entry from Cpt Stewart's Orderly Book,

New York 10 th April 1759
Parole Chesterfield. Reg t . Orders.
The Reg t to be out tomorrow at the usual time & place, the officers are strictly to examine before
the Reg t leaves the barracks to take particular care that the men will have no cattradges with ball
in their cattradggs boxes or have any of their fire locks loaded.

Oven McIntyre pipper in the Grand r Comp y is appointed pipper major and is this day to receive
the cloathing accordingly.

Petter McIntyre pipper in Capt. McNeills Compy is for the future to be on the footing of a drum
and to be subsisted accordingly.


There is an entry in the Cox and Company ledger for the 42nd, what was earlier referred to as the ledger in the Lloyds Archive:

"For the difference of privates and drummers pay to the piper-major, 25th April to 26th December 1759, £1 18s. 10d"

This is from Wallace's "Regimental Routine and Army Administration in North America in 1759" which was published in the Spring 1952 JSFAHR.


A 1774 inspection of the regiment noted: "2 Pipers and a very good Band of Music" They very well might have, in day to day operations had more pipers, but for the inspection just the 2 authorized ones, plus the band of music paid for by COL Murray. We know that it really was a band of music, not just a pipe band as there is a customs inspection noting a box of musical instruments being shipped from London to Ireland for the regiments use.

[OC Richard]

As mentioned in the Queens Own Highlanders Collection of Pipe Music:

"Pipers were officially recognised in Highland Regiments in 1854. A Pipe Major at 1/10d. per day and five pipers at 1/1d. per day were then authorised. The Pipe Major ranked as a Sergeant. Previously the appointment was a Regimental one, the Piper-Major and the pipers being borne against the establishment of drummers."

So yes pipers might well appear in regimental papers but as far as the British Army was concerned they were unofficial.

[Luke MacGillie]

As mentioned in the Queens Own Highlanders Collection of Pipe Music:

"Pipers were officially recognised in Highland Regiments in 1854. A Pipe Major at 1/10d. per day and five pipers at 1/1d. per day were then authorised. The Pipe Major ranked as a Sergeant. Previously the appointment was a Regimental one, the Piper-Major and the pipers being borne against the establishment of drummers."

So yes pipers might well appear in regimental papers but as far as the British Army was concerned they were unofficial.

Richard,

If the Monarch approves the raising of a Highland regiment, and in the warrant, signed by the King, is an authorization for 2 pipers, I think that is far from "unofficial." I don't think you can get much more official than that!

I realize that the papers I am gaining access to, they are not well known at all among even historians, let alone the public. They have been sitting in Kew for centuries, some of them have never been viewed in the whole time the National Archives have been in existence. I think this is a case of there is what actually happened, then there is "The truth" that everyone generally agrees on.