Many of us will have heard Richard on many occasions playing those wonderful Northumbrian Pipes, their melodious tone filling the room and spilling out onto the surroundings on many 'Hedley' occasions. It was on those special 'Hedley' occasions that Richard would appear, very fittingly dressed in his Northumbrian Plaid, whether it be his full Plaid, his waistcoat or simply his tie. Sometimes he would wear all three! He always wore it with great pride! - I remember particularly one Christmas, Richard in horror had discovered a hole in the pipe dressing (the outer fabric bag), which was of course made from Plaid, I believe the thought of him playing them to welcome in the fast approaching New Year was quite worrying. I took on the 'technical challenge' of making new the dressing ready for them to be played on New Year’s Eve! Which of course they were!

The family have known and loved this Plaid for many years but where did it originate from?

The Shepherd or Border Plaid has become the official tartan of Northumberland and has a long and interesting history. It was originally woven from the natural black and white sheep's fleece, but later natural dyes from berries, acorns, roots and bark were used to help produce the distinctive colour. The check pattern, which some people often wrongly refer to as 'a hounds-tooth check,' is thought to be one of the oldest patterns in Britain, with fragments of cloth found being dated back to Roman times.
A large 'blanket' of the cloth, a Plaid, was worn by shepherds as a working garment well into the last century, possibly used to wrap around themselves to help to protect them from the harsh elements of the Cheviots and Northumbrian fells as they tended their sheep. It was large enough to encompass a man, with enough fabric spare to tuck in, and warm a young lamb if needed.

The Nothumbrian Pipers formed a close association with the Plaid and it has been worn by the Duke of Northumberland's Pipers and the official dress since 1760.

Richard wore his tartan with great pride and it seemed to always remind him of his roots in those that beautiful rugged land of Northumbria. I'm sure that when many of us see this beautiful, but very practical cloth, we will always picture in our mind, Richard playing his Northumbrian Pipes!

Lynn Hedley