The bell-topped shako of the 1830s carried this impressive plate, built upon a gilt universal star. At its centre is a silver 16‑point ‘India cut’ star, four of whose rays are gilt and inscribed with the battle honours MARTINIQUE, MINDEN, EGMONT OP ZEE and NAMUR (the latter not officially granted until 1910). Above the star sits the Sphinx with the honour EGYPT.
Beneath the Sphinx are two oval garters. One contains the cypher of King George IV, together with the motto ‘Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’. The other displays the White Horse of Hanover surrounded by the motto ‘In Veritate Religionis Confido’. Below these ovals is the Roman numeral XXV, the whole central device enclosed within a wreath—laurel on the left and thistles on the right. A scroll beneath the wreath bears the title ‘The King’s Own Borderers’.
Although this plate could theoretically have been worn from 1829 to 1844, covering the full period of the bell‑topped shako, the design was altered on 8 March 1832. On that date the Castle of Edinburgh was authorised as the badge of the 25th Regiment, accompanied by the motto ‘Nisi Dominus Frustra’, also that of the City of Edinburgh. The castle replaced the cypher of George IV.
