Clan bonnet badge makers & sizes

**OC Richard** · 30th December 20, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by California Highlander

OC Richard, where did you find the Images of Scotland clan badge? It is much nicer that the others and looks cleaner.

I got it recently on Ebay. I'll have to check to see who the seller was. Yes it's a nice clean casting.

I'm really going down this badge rabbit hole, and I keep running into vintage badges that are from that same "family" as the medium-size (40mm) Carrick badges.

Here's a badge stamped RA (Robert Allison) with a date letter indicating 1969. Being that they were in business until 1982, and Carrick began in 1971, I wonder if there's a direct connection, such as RA winding up and Carrick acquiring their moulds.

This badge allowed me to walk back that design further, TE (Thomas Kerr Ebbutt) date letter 1930 and obviously from the same moulds. Ebbutt date marks appear to go back to 1900, though he didn't register his mark until 1903. The firm was sold to Hamilton & Inches in 1977.

cf the medium Carrick line

**OC Richard** · 30th December 20, 04:03 PM

There's a rather different world of these Clan badges, one that's possibly older.

In Victorian times it was more common for sporran cantles, crossbelt buckles, etc to be fabricated out of sheet metal and engraved rather than cast in a mould.

And one sees Clan bonnet badges like that. I think they're more elegant than the entirely cast ones.

What I usually see is the strap & buckle made out of a sheet of German Silver or Sterling Silver, engraved, with a cast crest soldered into the centre.

Sometimes the circle isn't flat, but slightly conical, much like sheet-metal plaid brooches are usually made.

This one is by Medlock & Craik and dated 1957

This one looks flat. John Fraser 1965, it might be cast to look like the engraved type above.

This one looks cast to me, and appears to be a simplification of the badge immediately above. Also John Fraser, 1979

Here's something different! The seller says it's unmarked.

I'm running into a huge number of the badges at bottom below, 36mm, and stamped rather than cast. The crest is possibly cast, it's soldered on. The badge is solid "white metal" German Silver or cupro-nickel. The level of detail is much higher than most any cast badges. It's stamped "Made in Gt. Britain" on the reverse. Whoever made these made loads of them!

**gsmacleod** · 30th December 20, 04:38 PM

Richard,

I was going to take a picture for you this evening of the vintage badge I have on my hand knit bonnet but I see you just posted a similar one.

IMG_20201230_192528.jpg

After some debate, I just ordered this vintage badge (described as 1920's):

Scottish+MacLeod+Clan+Vintage+Glengarry+-+Bonnet+Badge.jpeg

Shane

**OC Richard** · 1st January 21, 08:22 AM

I did a little research into older makers of Sterling Silver clan badges and I ran into a new maker too.

First, without date, not a Clan badge, but a lovely thing which appears quite old.

This this one with an 1887 date letter and maker's mark J.R

There's no listing for that stamp, but there is for a very similar one J.R.&S. thought to be James Rettie & Son Aberdeen with known dates in the 1870s and 1880s.

The most common vintage sterling silver bonnet badge maker I see on Ebay and Etsy etc is T.E Thomas Kerr Ebbutt (St David's Square Edinburgh) whose Clan badges seem to not vary much over the years. Seems that his mark is seen as early as 1900 though not registered until 1903. In 1977 the firm was sold to Hamilton & Inches who continued to use the T.E mark until around 2000.

The above design, as we have seen, was perpetuated by Carrick Jewellery for their mid-size (40mm) badges. Oddly, the people selling vintage Thomas Ebbutt badges sometimes state them as being only 25mm in diameter, so it seems that Ebbutt used at least two sizes.

Speaking of H&I Hamilton & Inches (Princes St Edinburgh) their marks can be seen in the 1870s.

This badge is stated to have an illegible date letter.

This H&I badge is 1935

Peter Henderson (Glasgow) the pipemaker had their own P.H silver hallmark for their bagpipe fittings and Highland regalia.

This badge is hallmarked P.H with a date letter of 1946 but their hallmark is seen at least as early as the 1920s. It's clearly part of the Ebbutts lineage though I have no idea who first did this design.

**OC Richard** · 1st January 21, 09:28 AM

Next we come to the lovely engraved badges by M&C Medlock & Craik (Inverness) (Edinburgh hallmarks).

Their hallmark seems to appear as early as 1931.

This badge is from 1939 and shows their typical circlet of sheet silver, slightly conical, hand engraved, with a cast silver design attached which also has hand-engraved detailing

1949

1957, note the specific design of the buckle etc varies from badge to badge, as would be expected from a hand-engraved item.

These are dainty badges, stated to be 30-32mm diameter.

Now there's a change, this Medlock & Craik badge has the date letter for 1972. Notice that the circlet appears to be cast, with only the motto being engraved. Also the cast crest lacks hand-engraved detailing.

This makes an interesting segue to our next maker JF John Fraser (Castle St Inverness) (Edinburgh hallmarks). His mark appears to be seen as early as 1958 though not registered until 1960.

Note the similarities between this badge and the Medlock & Craik badge directly above; one might say they came from the same mould, except for slight differences. Like the Medlock & Craik badges these are stated to be around 30-32mm diameter.

1965

1979, you can see the design has been simplified somewhat.

**OC Richard** · 1st January 21, 10:03 AM

Lastly to a current Scottish maker I just happened upon today while trolling the internet, Roddy Young.

He states his bonnet badges are 50mm, the same size as the large Carrick badges, though his badges are unique in design and not of that Carrick lineage.

**FossilHunter** · 1st January 21, 10:20 PM

IMG_5170.jpg

Here are a few bonnet badges. Hopefully they are useful to Richard's documentation.

Clockwise from the upper left; a sterling badge from Hamilton and Inches (1985, 36mm), sterling from Ian Grant of Edinburgh (1985, 42mm), pewter from Art Pewter (unknown age but old based on yellowing on back of card, 43mm), and finally a pewter badge from Gaelic Themes (purchased this year, 49mm)

**Jock Scot** · 2nd January 21, 04:05 AM

Another for the list. Not a bulk maker of Clan badges, by any means. Ian Grant of Edinburgh. Bespoke hallmarked silver and not quite 1.75 inches across and made in about 2005. If I remember, I will check the date stamp when(if) I take the badge off.

DSC_6413.jpgclick picture to enlarge.