Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-12
ORIGIN OF THE COCK.DE
III WAS once Intendcd to he Used rs
81 Fighting Badge.
From the Philadelphia Record.

From the Philadelphia Record
One Is frequently asked: Why do Soma
families use cockaIes upon the hats of
their coachmen and foo,men? The use and
abuse have grown SO common In England
mat some one has taken the time and
trouble to look the matter UP. and has
published in weekly newspaper an inter-
estinS article describing the various forms
of this ornament.
The Handbook of Heraldry" laws down
the law most emphdtically as TO who NAV
or may not use this badge of distinction.
ne privilege is confined TO the servant
cI ohlcers OF her majesty's service or those
VINO by courtesy may be regarded as such
the theory being that the servant is a priv
ate soldier, who. when not wearing his
uniform. retains this badge as a mark of
ms profession The servants of doctors
or DINERS, IN fact. any others, except serv-
ants Of army navy officers. have no
right to use cockade
In England its legitimate use is cnnflaed
IN suIitlon 10 those already named to
the servants of officers in the militia vol
unte"rs. or heatenants and deputy lieu
tenants Of counties. and high sherifIs dur
Ing their term OF office. Even baronats
have no right TO use the cockade unless
they have q military or naval rank
According to this no American unless
connected with army, navy or diploma tic.
corps. should use the cockade even to be
smart. In its English sense OF stylish.
The cOckade bears its origin in its name
1t is To older than the cockade hat being
Indeed, the rosette or brooch wherewith
the hat was cooked" It's practical util-
lily for this purpose of holding uD the 1ap
Of the hat mas long ago expired, but tins.
name remains an interesting and sig
niiicant survival The ornament is said TO
have originated as fighting badge with
the house OF Hanover, with whom il came
to England The earlier forms seem to
have been made of metal
AS regards the famous white cockade
OF the Jacouitcs. the pretty fancy that it
was representative OF the Stuart white
rose has been called in question by Fox
Davies in his "Armorial Families" He
Is inclined 10 believe that il was assumed
In ccntradistinction to the black badge of
The HaEnCverians. AS al alternative theory
however, he suggests that the white cock
hde may have been adonted in Scotland
from the similar badge - France owing
10 the Intimacy of these two countries He
even goes so far as to doubt that the white
rockade had much existence out of song
md romance. The same writer's state
ment that the white cockade was first
mounted by the English" at the battle
of Sherrifmuir. where The Scots" wore
blue favor in their bonnets must be
taken with caution from an authority
whose notion of the parties engaged is so
hay.
Parti-colored cockados are stu worn on
the European ContiEent. and are even sup
piled TO continental persons of quality by
1ondsn manufacturers The black cock
ede is the invariabie rule for English fam
Gy eqdipages. Germany claims the black
End white; France, the tricolor: Spain
red; Belgium, black. yellow and red the
Netherlands, orange; Austria, black and
yellow. The coachman of an ambassador
of course wears the colors of the country
which his master represents.