The White Cockade
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
THE WHITE COCKADE (R8x32) 3C (4C set) Preston RSCDS Book 51- 8 1s+2s+3s set and cross RH, set and cross back RH
9-16 1s lead down the middle for 4 bars and back to top, remaining in centre facing up
17-24 1s cast (slow) to 2nd place on own sides (4 bars) and circle 4H round to the left with 3s
25-32 2s+1s dance R&L. 213
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
The White Cockade - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
The title of this dance, The White Cockade, comes from The White Cockade - Song written by Robert Burns in 1790.My love was born in Aberdeen,
The bonniest kid that e'er was seen;
But now he makes our hearts fu' sad-
He's ta'en the field wi' his white cockade.
A clan badge, sometimes called a plant badge, is a badge or emblem, usually a sprig of a specific plant, that is used to identify a member of a particular Scottish clan. They are usually worn in a bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge, or attached at the shoulder of a lady's tartan sash.
According to popular lore clan badges were used by Scottish clans as a means of identification in battle. An authentic example of plants being used in this way (though not by a clan) were the sprigs of oats used by troops under the command of Montrose during the sack of Aberdeen. Similar items are known to have been used by military forces in Scotland, like paper, or the "White Cockade" (a bunch of white ribbon) of the Jacobites.
The White Cockade Song - Information Video
"The White Cockade" John Everett Millais (1829-1896), Oil On Panel, c. 1862
The Pre-Raphaelites' love for history extended beyond the Medieval Period. Scottish history was made popular during the Victorian era through the novels of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832).
Millais was particularly attracted to the romantic period of Scottish history during which the Jacobites attempted to restore the Stuarts to the Scottish throne.
In the image above, the central figure, in mock 18th-century dress, sews a cockade (a knot of ribbons) onto a tricorn hat, signifying the wearer's loyalty to the Stuarts.
This page uses content under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, along with original copyrighted content and excerpts from Wikipedia and other sources.
Text from this original Clan Badge article on Wikipedia.
Image from John Everett Millais, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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