Feather in your bonnet

[Nathan]

This is in reference to eagle feathers - an entirely different matter from blackcock and hackles.

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?

[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]

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.

[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,

[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 At some point seems to have been replaced by feather bonnets.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.

[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.

[Nathan]

So it's not typically something you'd see civilians wearing nowadays outside of a band, dance uniform, correct?

[Jock Scot]

So it's not typically something you'd see civilians wearing nowadays outside of a band, dance uniform, correct?

Correct. I am not sure that they are that popular with civilian pipe bands and dancers over here, these days, either.

[Nathan]

Correct. I am not sure that they are that popular with civilian pipe bands and dancers over here, these days, either.

Makes sense to me, Jock. Like I said, I've only seen them in old photos and have seen plenty of pipe bands. They mostly have glengarrys with a simple badge. 99% of Highland dancers I see are female and don't wear any headdress and the one guy I saw in recent years wore a balmoral bonnet and clansman badge. So I think the style has evolved in a more or less parallell fashion regarding these blackcock feathers.

My Highland regiment didn't wear a hackle or bonnet feathers like this. We did, contrary to the taste of some, wear a square of matching tartan behind our badge on our TOS rather than a ribbon rosette but I digress...