page_title: King's Own Scottish Borderers
section_title: Early history
hierarchical_section_title: King's Own Scottish Borderers / History / Early history
caption_attribution_description: English: "Hereabouts on the 19th March in 1689 David Leslie, Earl of Leven, raised a Regiment of Foot in the space of two hours for the defence of the City. To commemorate this act and also the gallant behaviour of the new Regiment at the Battle of Killiecrankie some months later, the City Magistrates conferred upon LEVEN'S Regiment the unique right of recruiting by beat of drum in the City and of marching through the City at any time with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed: the Regiment, later titled the 25th Edinburgh Regiment of Foot, is now known as THE KING'S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS and frequently exercises this privilege."
context_page_description: The King's Own Scottish Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland, becoming the 1st Battalion of the new regiment.
context_section_description: The regiment was raised on 18 March 1689 by David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James VII. It's claimed that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours.  The regiment's first action was at the Battle of Killiecrankie on 27 July 1689. Although this battle was a defeat for the Williamite army, the Jacobite commander, John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee (Bonnie Dundee), was killed by a volley fired by Leven's Regiment, bringing an end to James II's attempt to save his throne in Scotland. The regiment was judged to have performed well and was granted the privilege of recruiting by beat of drum in the City of Edinburgh without prior permission of the provost.
  For a period it was known as Semphill's Regiment of Foot, the name under which it fought at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 and the Battle of Culloden in 1746. When the British infantry were allocated numerical positions in the 'line' of Infantry the regiment was numbered 25th Regiment of Foot (based on its formation date) in 1751. The regiment fought at the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759 with five other regiments; this battle honour was celebrated by the regiment each year on 1 August. The 25th was the county regiment of Sussex in 1782 when it became known as the 25th (Sussex) Regiment of Foot.
  The regiment was awarded the right to bear the emblem of the Sphinx for their role in the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Its recruiting area was moved to the Scottish Borders region in 1805 from when the regiment became known as the 25th (the King's Own Borderers) Regiment of Foot.
caption: Plaque commemorating the raising of Leven's regiment on Edinburgh Castle Esplanade
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