Scotland: Pipe banners

Last modified: 2013-12-07 by rob raeside
Keywords: scotland | pipe banners |
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• Use of pipe banners
• Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders pipe banner

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• Scotland

Use of Pipe Banners

Roughly: in the army company officers have pipe banners. Details vary according to the tradition of each regiment. Usually the regimental crest is on one side and either the arms or crest of the company officer (if armigerous) on the other. In civil life, lairds, chieftains, and chiefs are those entitled to pipe banners which either display their arms over the whole area or the whole coat of arms with crest and supporters. The former is the older form. A chief has three pipers, a chieftain two, and other lairds one. Only the senior of two or three pipers bears the the pipe banner. They are not permissible by professional pipers as a piece of meaningless show, i.e., when not appearing for a person entitled to a pipe banner.
Alonso Chattan, 3 August 2000

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders pipe banner

image provided by William Douglas, 4 December 2012
Source: http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/heraldry/flags_and_banners.htm#.UL3VPIPtToM

I have a pipe banner from my time as a company commander in the Argyll and Sutherlanders. You are welcome to use the images to illustrate your page. This is the pipe banner carried by Major William Douglas's company piper whilst he served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. It depicts his personal crest and motto.
William Douglas, 4 December 2012