Lowland regiments These generally pre-date the more widely known Highland regiments (see below). The senior Lowland regiment was the
Royal Scots (the Royal Regiment) which dates from 1633.
The Royal Scots Fusiliers and
the King's Own Scottish Borderers were subsequently raised in 1678 and 1689 respectively. Throughout the 17th, 18th and most of the 19th centuries these Scottish regiments served widely and with distinction. They did not, however, differ significantly in appearance or public perception from the bulk of the line infantry of the British Army. In 1881, the introduction of the Cardwell system of reforms provided the opportunity to adopt a modified form of Scottish dress for the Lowland regiments. Comprising doublets and tartan
trews this gave the Lowlanders a distinctive identity, separate from their English, Welsh, Irish and Highland counterparts. At the same time, the absence of kilts (except for pipers) and the substitution of Kilmarnock bonnets for feather bonnets prevented confusion between Lowlanders and their Highland counterparts.
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was created at the same time from the merging of two existing numbered regiments.
Highland regiments From 1739 to 1800 some fifty nine Highland regiments were raised. The original Highland regiments were raised in the 18th century with the object of recruiting rank and file solely from the
Scottish Highlands. However, due to the Highlands becoming extensively depopulated through the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Highland regiments of the
British Army have witnessed a long-term decline in the proportion of recruits from the Highlands and have long recruited many Lowland Scots and others. The major 20th century exceptions to this rule were the First and Second World Wars, when many Highland men joined up. Around the time that the first Highland regiments were raised the Highlands had recently been a hotbed for several revolts against the establishment, namely the Jacobite Rebellions, so the loyalties of the Highlanders were often deemed suspect in the early history of the Highland regiments. The first Highland regiment, the
Black Watch, was originally raised from clans openly loyal to the status quo in order for the government to better police the Highlands, which were deemed to be both rebellious and lawless by the contemporary British establishment. However, due to a pressing need for personnel in North America during the
Seven Years' War,
William Pitt the Elder made the decision to raise new Highland regiments to fight in this global conflict. The war ended in victory and among other things,
Canada was secured as a part of the
British Empire, while the
British East India Company's position in India was consolidated and expanded, both at the expense of the
French. These Highland regiments were disbanded after the war, but other Highland regiments were raised later and, like the rest of the British Army, saw service in various wars including in the
Napoleonic Wars. of
The Thin Red Line at the
Battle of Balaclava. Highland regiments played a conspicuous role in conflicts throughout the
Victorian era. By the Victorian era, the loyalty of the Highlanders was no longer suspect.
Queen Victoria had a personal interest in things Scottish, in particular relating to the Highlands. In addition, Highland regiments had played a conspicuous role in such Victorian conflicts as the
Crimean War and the putting down of the
Indian Mutiny. The Highland regiments earned a reputation which influenced the mindset of those Scottish regiments which were Lowland in origin. This resulted in the wearing of tartan by Lowland regiments which had previously worn uniforms not clearly distinguishable from their Irish, Welsh and English counterparts. In the case of the
Highland Light Infantry, the distinction between Highlanders and Lowlanders was slightly blurred: although classified as a non-kilted Highland regiment it was recruited from Glasgow in Lowland Scotland and bore the title of "City of Glasgow Regiment". Scottish
bagpipes have been adopted in a number of countries, largely in imitation of the pipers of Highland regiments which served throughout the British Empire. Highland regiments were raised in a number of Commonwealth armies, often adopting formal honorary affiliations with Scottish regiments of the British Army.
19th and 20th centuries By 1878 army regiments had been reformed, with nineteen nominally Scottish regiments, four of them with two battalions each. The Scottish regiments, along with their Scottish soldiers accompanied missionaries, merchants and engineers in imperial service, serving throughout the British Empire in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Imperial service in a Scottish regiment became an outlet for many working class soldiers and for the upper classes as professional officers, often seeking fortune and employment outside the British Isles after their time in the regiment. In 1959, the Royal Scots Fusiliers and the Highland Light Infantry merged to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers. In 1994, the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) and the Gordon Highlanders were combined into The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons).
21st century In March 2006, the remaining Scottish regiments were amalgamated into the
Royal Regiment of Scotland. The new regiment combined several traditional Scottish regiments into a single regiment. It also retained the identities of its antecedent battalions with their former regiment names as subtitles, as well as their common insignia. Initially, it consisted of six regular and two territorial battalions, with some battalions later amalgamated or restructured. The formation was part of a broader restructuring of the British Army, announced in 2004 under a defence review, aiming to reduce and streamline the organisation of infantry battalions. The Royal Regiment of Scotland will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026. ==Scottish regiments in the United Kingdom==