"ECW plume colours??" Topic

What plume colours are accurate on the hats and helmets of the the ECW officers and generals.

I know that the Parliamentarians are often depicted with orange/tawney sashes and the Royalists with Rose/Red sashes but did this apply to their plumage?

I can see that for those that could get hold of them, black or white ostrich feathers might be available. But red, orange even blue or green plumes would require dye. Is there any evidence that coloured plumes were used??

Any thoughts
Thankyou.

Yes, you can use any color, don't have to be uniformed.

For officers I will typically use red and white.
Occasionally blue or yellow.
Depends on how fashionable I want his lordship to look.

link is general 17th-century rather than specifically ECW, but may be valid: it suggests that white was the commonest colour but that there is artistic evidence for others.

Sir John Suckling raised a troop of horse for the Bishops' War in famously expensive scarlet and white uniforms, and IIRC those included scarlet hat-feathers.

I think I'll err on the side of caution.

I'll use black or white as a general rule with red, black and white for some officers and generals.

Thanks everyone

Some of my figures had thinner feathers, which I painted a light brown -- thinking pheasant feathers.

-- Jeff

anyone tried painting peackocks' feathers ?

As mentioned above; any colors are fine (even mixing in a red for a Parliamentarian).

That said, historically, bright dyes were expensive (a nice red very much so, and black exceedingly so). Thus, just going with a rough rule of thumb here, using red for some officers (gentlemen/lord types) would be good. White shows "purity", by some definitions as well. [Remember Cyraneo's comment about his "white plume". ;-)]

Certainly, there was not "official/uniform" color for this from regiment to regiment, but as also pointed out, a unit could (rarely) have a colonel that decided "all my men will wear…" and would have purchased it for them (that said, evidence of this is very, very little, and nothing that I have found in the ECW).

Regular troops (infantry, horse, etc.) should not wear plumes. Any so-called feathers they might (a big might) sport in a cap or hat, would be of the local variety, such as pheasant, etc., if that is, they could get ahold of one.

Remember, battles and campaigns are an awful affair on clothing and kit, so fancy things like plumes would be rough handled pretty quickly. Not to mention, rain (and ol' Blighty was/is wet!) does a number of plumes as well. Heck, just from my re-enacting days, I had a "rain hat" with nasty old rained-on plumes, and saved my nicer one for dry weather, so I didn't have to keep spending money on them!

Anyway, just my few tuppence here.

Regards,
Bob Giglio

Thanks ECWCaptain,
I agree with your thoughts entirely.
I cannot imagine that anyone but the richest, or vainest, soldiers would be able to maintain their appearance whilst campaigning across the Pennines or the South West of England
Thanks again.