Captain McMaster, No.4 Guard, The Highlanders

Captain McMaster, No.4 Guard, The Highlanders

ID: PC_GLENGARRY_BONNET_03 DESCRIPTION: The glengarry bonnet being worn at the perfect jaunty angle by Captain McMaster, No 4 Guard, the Highlanders, during the new colours parade in Edinburgh, July 2001. The Glengarry bonnet is a boat-shaped cap without a peak, made of thick-milled woollen material. Unlike the hummel, it has a toorie, or bobble, on the top, ribbons hanging down behind, and can also be folded and stored flat. It is often decorated with a cockade or feathers on the left side, and may be worn over to the right side of the head. The word ‘bonnet’ or ‘bunnet’ for a man’s hat was still being used in Scotland long after its replacement elsewhere by the word ‘cap’ in the late 17th century. For centuries the most widely worn item was the simple, practical, one-piece ‘blue bonnet’, close fitting around the brow and with a loose top worn flat across the head. It was dyed with woad and felted to make it waterproof. The glengarry takes its name from Colonel Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry (1773 – 1828), the eccentric chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, and came about after he devised a version of the headgear for his retinue to give them a more distinctive appearance. It drew attention more widely in 1822 when George IV visited Edinburgh and was amused by MacDonell’s unorthodox behaviour. James MacDonell, the chief’s brother, also wore a version of the bonnet during the visit, which attracted attention in a different way: he was known as ‘the bravest man in the British Army’ following his distinguished actions at Waterloo. The headgear was introduced to the British Army in 1840 by Lt Col Lauderdale Maule, the commanding officer of the 79th Cameron Highlanders. As part of his campaign to make the 79th the smartest of the Highland regiments, by 1844 the glengarry was being worn by the whole regiment in different versions according to rank. By the 1870s, it had become the headgear of all Highland regiments, replacing the hummel. Individual glengarry stylings using rosettes, ribbons and other decorations were introduced, and the bonnet has remained in use with these variations ever since. PLACENAME: Edinburgh DATE OF IMAGE: 2001 PERIOD: 2000s SOURCE: Glengarry Heritage Centre COLLECTION: Glengarry Heritage Centre Asset ID: 49160 KEYWORDS: