Glengarry: “Blue bonnets over the border” a well known Scottish song written by Sir Walter Scott, says in the last verse -
Trumpets are sounding, war steeds are bounding,
Stand to your arms, and march in good order;
England shall many a day tell of the bloody fray,
When the blue bonnets came over the border.
This often spoken of apparel was in all probability the Highlander’s bonnet that came to be known as the Tam o’ Shanter. Either knitted or made of cloth it was nearly always blue in colour although it could sometimes be grey or brown. Worn tight around the brow and loose on top, in its centre was a pompom (toorie) for decoration. Over time it became smaller and was known as a Balmoral. As time went by the style of the balmoral changed in the way that it was worn. This led to the new style of cap called a Glengarry (Pictured above).
