In these days of Celtic
revival, it may not be out of place to take up the subject of the garb
of the Highlanders. A good deal has already been written on this
subject, and the age and authenticity of the dress have been very
severely criticised. This, in many cases, has been more the result of
prejudice and jealousy than careful and impartial research. To be able
to form an intelligent opinion of any subject, it is necessary to be
perfectly familiar with the details, and in this many of the critics on
the Highland dress have been wofully far short. No doubt some of them
have been very clever, learned, and able writers, but that is no reason
why their decision should be taken as final, even at this age, when the
“Garb of Old Gaul” is oftener seen in the streets of our busy towns, in
the brilliant assemblies of the metropolis, or on the burning sands of
India, than on its own native heath.
The events connected with
that unfortunate but gallant attempt which went nigh to establish on the
throne of his ancestors the rightful heir to the Crown, naturally
directed attention to the history, institutions, manners, character, and
language 'of a people who, though far behind in the career of
civilization, had given a splendid example of chivalrous loyalty,
incorruptible fidelity, and self-sacrificing devotion. To this cause
then, taken in conjunction with the brilliant behaviour of the Highland
regiments, the excitement caused by the proscription of the dress, and
the repeal of that infamous and silly Act, may we ascribe the numerous
articles which have been written on this subject; and it is a matter of
infinite regret, that many of those who have undertaken this office have
been ill qualified for the task Being acquainted with a state of society
and manners altogether different from what they attempted to
describe—brimful of prejudice, and utterly ignorant of the language of
the people—they took upon themselves to describe and criticise a dress
of which they knew as much as it did of them!
It is unfortunate that
our Highland ancestors did not believe in the old adage, that the pen is
mightier than the sword, and left so much of their history and manners
to be written by “Cockney literati” and silly “view hunters,” who have
successively invaded the fastnesses of the Gael, who, after partaking of
the hospitality of the simple-hearted natives, exported, for the
edification of the crowd, dry descriptions of cairns, castles, vitrified
forts, and parallel roads, or gossiping mendacious anecdotes of the
cunning, selfishness, extortion, filth, indolence, and barbarism of a
race who never closed their doors against a stranger, till his treachery
and ingratitude taught them to regard him with suspicion and distrust.
We know of no one who would choose, if he could help it, to have his
portrait taken by a caricaturist; his country described by a flimsy,
shallow, conceited tourist, ignorant of its manners, customs,
institutions, and language, and prevented by prejudice and incapacity
from acquiring a knowledge of either the one or the other; yet this was
the fate of the Highlanders, and all this was done at a time when they
were prevented from defending themselves, through want of intercourse
with the outer world. It was an easy matter, under such circumstances,
to pass off as genuine all manner of absurdity, nonsense, and “pure
fiction.” without fear of contradiction.
Let us, however, pass
over a whole host of authors of “Tours,” “Journeys,” “Dissertations,”
“Thoughts,” and so forth, and come at once to the subject of the
Highland dress. The various arguments against the dress are that the
“Clan tartans,” as used at present, are of modern design, and are not
the same pattern as existed (if any did at all exist) previous to the
year 1745; that the Highland dress was never worn by gentlemen; that it
was only worn by such as could not afford trousers; that the kilt, in
its present shape, was invented by an Englishman; that the dress is
vulgar and indecent; and, in fact, that it is altogether only a fancy
dress, and of modern invention!
We will, in the first
place, give the details of a complete outfit for a Highland chief,
previous to the proscription of the dress, and then take up the various
objections in their order. The outfit was as follows :—A jacket, vest,
and feile-beag or kilt; a belted plaid or breacan-feile, a full-trimmed
bounet, set of belts, a pair of tartan hose made of cloth, a pair of
knitted hose, a pair of garters, a silver-mounted sporran, a target,
with spear, a claidheamh-mor, brace of pistols, dirk, with knife and
fork, a sgian-dubh, a powder horn, and shoulder brooch.
We can gather sufficient
from the works of ancient writers to prove that tartans were worn in the
Highlands at a very remote period, but their knowledge of the language
and manners of the people was so very meagre, that they could hardly be
expected to be very minute in their description. From the particulars,
however, which they handed down to us, together with an ordinary
knowledge of the history of the country, and with a little careful and
unbiased research, it can be seen that the clan tartans, as we now have
them, are the same as were in existence not only at the “’45,” but for
many centuries previous to that era.
One of the strongest
arguments brought forward by our critics is the difference between the
description given by several of the ancient writers on the tartans at
their time, and those at present in use. George Buchanan, who wrote in
the year 1612, says that “for the most part they are brown near to the
color of the hadder to the effect that when they lie down amongst the
hadder, the bright color of their plaids shall not bewray them;” and
Martin in his “Western Isles,” tells us that the tartans worn by the
women were for the most part white, with a few stripes of black, blue,
and red, while the tartans of most of the Clans in the districts which
they visited are now very bright in colour. This is a clinching argument
and evidently considered to be indisputable, but instead of being so
only serves to prove a very important fact, namely, that it is no mere
fancy to have the tartans divided into “Dress,” “Hunting,” and “Clan.”
Buchanan, who was tutor to King James VI., was evidently on a hunting
expedition in the Highlands, and of course saw tartans used as he
describes, as would be natural to the occasion, and Martin describes the
Dress tartans most minutely, the only difference between them and the
Clan patterns being that the large squares are made white and the
smaller lines left to distinguish the sets.
Several of the Clan
tartans carry on their very face sufficient to prove to an ordinary
intelligent individual their age and authenticity, and go very far to
show the skill, ingenuity, and neatness with which they were arranged.
All who are acquainted with the Highland Clans are aware that several of
them trace their origin to some common ancestor of whom they were all
equally proud. Many of them prove their claims by ancient Charters and
MSS.— others merely by tradition. On comparing the Armorial Bearings of
these Clans we find great resemblance in many of the devices. These of
course point to some particular event in the history of the founder and
common ancestor of the Clans; and such is the resemblance, that in many
cases it forms a very correct guide to show the Clans that are related.
The science of Heraldry was very much studied among the Highlanders, and
we find it frequently mentioned in the works of the bards. So much was
it practised that the devices were emblazoned on the various ornaments
in connection with the dress, and formed in itself to a Highlander a
very ready index to his clan. In like manner, if we compare the tartans
of the various Clans descended from the same ancestor, we find the most
striking resemblance, and in order to illustrate this more fully we will
take up a few of the most important ones.
We will take first the
tartan of the Lord of the Isles, and that of the different Clans
descended from him. These are the various branches of the Macdonalds,
Macdugalds, MacAlisters, and MacIntyres, and if we take the tartan known
as the “Lord of the Isles,” we will find that by the addition of a few
lines of other colours we can form the set of any of the Clans
mentioned, and that without any material disarrangement of the original.
Then let us take the
“Clan Chattan” — the Mackintoshes, Macphersons, Macqueens, Shaws,
Farquharsons, MacBeans, &c., &c. If we take then the Macpherson or Chief
Mackintosh, we will find that by very little alteration or addition we
can form any of the others. The greatest difference occurs in the
Farquharson’s, where the smaller lines are all that is left of the
original, but still sufficient to show the set.
Third come the
descendants of Connacher—the Mackays, Urquharts, and Forbses. Though the
relationship of these clans only rests on tradition, the resemblance in
their armorial bearings and tartans is so very strong as to put it
almost beyond a doubt. This Connacher Mackay lived in Glen-Urquhart, and
being out one day hunting, accompanied by an old and faithful hound,
fell in with a wild boar, long the dread of the whole surrounding
country, and after a long and fierce struggle the boar was killed, but
not alone, for no sooner did the ferocious animal “bite the dust” than
Connacher’s faithful companion breathed his last. As a momento of this
deadly struggle, the Mackays have three boars’ heads muzzled on their
armorial bearings, and originally had two hounds for supporters. The
Forbeses and Urquharts have also three boars’ heads on their arms, and
hounds for supporters, and the only difference between the tartans of
the three clans is—where there is one red line in the Urquhart, it is
white in the Forbes and black in the Mackay (with the addition of three
small green lines in the latter).
Next come Siol Alpin—the
Macgregors, Mackinnons, Macquarries, and Macphees. The tartans of these
clans are so very like each other that the resemblance has often been
pointed out by parties quite ignorant of their history and tradition.
We might go on in this
way ad infinitum, for the same theory holds good with almost the whole
of them, but we think we have quoted sufficient in the meantime to make
good our point. What then do we learn from this very marked resemblance
in the tartans of these clans? It is simply this. That they are as old
as the clans themselves, and were designed at whatever time they formed
themselves into clans. It is quite natural to suppose that each branch
of a clan, when asserting its own independence, or, to use a homely
phrase, when setting up on its own account, would be desirous to have as
much as possible of what belonged to an ancestor of whom they were all
equally proud, and would just add a few lines to the tartan of the clan
to make a distinction, but leave sufficient to show the relationship. We
have this feeling very clearly shown in the armorial bearings, and there
is every reason to suppose they would be equally particular with the
tartan.
It was by his tartan a
Macdougall was known from a Macallister; and it could be known by their
tartan that they were both descended from the Lord of the Isles.
We may ask now if the
tartans were of modern design, how would it happen that it is only those
of the related clans that have this resemblance by what strange chance
would the M‘Gregors, who were situated in Perthshire, the M‘Kinnons in
Skye, the M‘Quarries in Mull, and the M'Phees in Colonsay, have hit upon
the same design ? The various clans of the “ Clan Chattan” were never on
such very friendly terms that they would call a public meeting to
arrange a set of tartan for each other.
It is true that some of
the other clan tartans have a very strong resemblance to each other; but
that only happens in those that are of dark colours, which could not be
blended in any other way; and many of them having only three or four
colours, they were bound to be something of the same design.
It is argued that, even
allowing there were recognised clan patterns, the laws proscribing the
dress were so strict, and remained in existence so long, that all trace
of them would be lost; but the Act only remained in force for
thirty-five years, and it is well known that so great was the attachment
of the Highlanders to their dress, that they took every means in their
power to evade the law, and though tartan was prohibited to be worn, it
would be preserved as a sacred relic of what they considered their
fallen greatness; and even supposing that the dress was not worn for
thirty-five years, what was to come of all the tartan that was in
existence at the time it was proscribed! It was not seized as contraband
goods, and it is not likely the Highlanders would destroy it—it was far
too precious in their eyes for that; and even allowing that to happen,
it would be necessary that all the weavers (of whom there would be one
in every clachan) should die before the sets could be forgotten ; and
not even that would do it, in fact the whole generation that lived and
saw the tartan would need to be swept away before it could be entirely
lost!
We think we have now
satisfactorily proved our first point, and will, without any further
comment, take up the second, viz. :— That the dress was never worn by
gentlemen.
This idea has arisen
merely from the fact of Highland chiefs when visiting London being
dressed in the trews. Of course in these days, there were no public
conveyances, and parties going long journeys had to go on horseback, and
the kilt not being suitable for riding, the trews, which were intended
specially for riding, were usually worn, and the London people seeing
them dressed only in that garb, took it for granted, without thinking
it'worth while making enquiry that they wore nothing else.
In 1471, John Bishop, of
Glasgow, treasurer to King James III., gives in his account for tartan
for the use of the King. For a yard and a half the price was £1 10s.
Scots, and the colour blue—evidently Hunting Stewart; also half-a-yard
of what is called “double tartan” for the Queen.
In the accounts of the
Lord High Treasurer of Scotland in August, 1538, we find the following
entries regarding a Highland dress for King James V. on the occasion of
his making a hunting excursion to the Highlands.
John Taylor, the Water
Poet, made an excursion to Scotland in the year 1618, of which he
published an account under the title of the “Pennylesse Pilgrimage". He
tells of his visit to Braemar for the purpose of paying his respects to
the Earl of Mar and Sir Wm. Moray of Abercairney, and says :—
'Thus with extreme
travell ascending and descending, mounting and alighting, I came at
night to the place where I would be in the Brae of Marr, which is a
large county all composed of such mountaines, that Shooters hill,
Birdlip hill, Gadshill, Highgate hill, Hampstead hill, or Maivernes
hills are but molehills in comparison, or like a liver or a gizzard
under a Capon’s wing, in respect to the altitude of their tops or
perpendicularite of their bottomes. There I saw Mount Benavon with a
furrd’d mist upon his snowy head, instead of a nightcap, for you must
understand that the oldest man alive never saw, but the snow was on the
top of divers of these hills (both in summer as well as in winter).
There did I find the truely noble and Eight Honourable Lords John
Erskine, Earl of Marr, James Stuart, Earle of Murray, George Gordon
Earle of Engye, sone and heire to the Marquise of Huntley, James Erskine
Earl of Buchan, and John Lord Erskine, sonne and heire to the Earl of
Mar, and their Countesses, with my much honoured and my best assured and
approved friend Sir Wm. Moray, Knight of Abercairney, and hundreds of
other Knights, Esquires and their followers, all and every man in one
habit, as if Lycurgus had been there and made laws of equality. Eor once
in the year, which is the whole month of August and sometimes part of
September, many of the Nobility and Gentry, for their pleasure doe come
into these Highland countries to hunt, when they do conform themselves
into the habits of the Highland men, who for the most part speake
nothing but Irish, and in former times were those people which were
called Bedshanks.
“Their habit is shooes
with but one sole apiece, stockings which they call hose, made of a warm
stuff of divers colours which they call tartane.
“As for Breeches many of
them nor their forefathers never wore any, but a jerkin of the same
stuff as there hose is of with a plaed about their shoulders, which is a
mantle of divers colours, much finer and lighter stuffe than their hose,
with blue flat caps on their heads, a hankerchief knit with two knots
about their necks, and thus they are at tyred.”
John Duke of Argyle, and
Greenwich, the author of the well-known song, “Argyle is my Name,” says
in the third verse:—
I’ll quickly lay down my
sword and my gun,
And I’ll put my plaid and my bonnet on,
"Wi’ my plaiding, stockings, and leather heeled shoon,
They’ll mak’ me appear a fine sprightly loon;
And when I am dressed thus frae tap to tae,
Hame to my Maggie, I think for to gae,
"Wi’ my Claymore hinging doon to my heel,
To whang at the bannocks o’ barley meal.
There is a picture in
Taymouth Castle of the Regent Murray in full Highland costume (breacan
feile.) There are also pictures at Holyrood Palace, and Armadale and
Dunrobin Castles, of gentlemen dressed in the kilt.
Burt, who wrote in the
year 1729, mentions several Highland chiefs as wearing the kilt. The
chiefs and officers who followed Prince Charlie wore it, and if none of
them were gentlemen, surely it will be allowed that Prince Charlie
himself was at least a gentleman, and he wore it.
We come now to the next
point—“That the kilt, in its present shape, was invented by an
Englishman.” This is a most important point, and, at the same time the
most ridiculous charge of the whole, and it is really astonishing to
find so many able and intelligent writers taking up the idea, and
repeating it without making any investigation as to the correctness of
it. This opinion was first broached by an anonymous writer in the “
Scots Magazine,” in the year 1798, who says the “Eeileadh beag was first
introduced in the year 1728, by Rawlinson or Parkinson, the
Superintendent of the Lead mines at Tyndrum, who, finding his Highland
labourers encumbered with their Belted plaids, taught them to separate
the plaid from the kilt, and sew it in its present form.”
Now to any one at all
acquainted with the history and customs of the Highlanders, this must
appear a very extraordinary statement, and more so that it has been
accepted as truth by writers who have taken upon themselves the task of
enlightening us on our Highland History.
Before taking up any of
the proofs which we propose bringing against this assertion we will take
a look at the argument itself, and the authority, namely, “An Anonymous
Writer,” in the year 1798. He tells us of a thing that happened in the
year 1728, exactly 70 years previous. Now is it not very strange that
this individual was the only person that knew of such a thing, and that
he should be so long in making it public! Upon this authority alone then
is the dress which we have fondly ascribed to our ancestors, from time
immemorial, taken from us and the credit given to an Englishman.
For the sake of those who
may not be familiar with the different styles of the dress, it may be as
well to give a few particulars :— The breacan-feile was twelve yards of
tartan, i.e., six yards of double tartan, and was plaited and fastened
round the body by a belt, the lower part forming the kilt, and the other
half being fixed on the shoulder by a brooch, hung down behind, anil
thus formed the plaid, in the same shipe as the belted plaids now used
by the military, which is an imitation of it. There was great neatness
displayed, in arranging the plaits so as to show the set of the tartan.
This was a particularly convenient style of dress, as the plaid hung
loosely behind, aud did not encumber the arms, and in wet weather could
be drawn over the shoulders, and formed a sufficient covering for a
Highlander, while, in the event of a camping out at night, it could be
thrown loose, and covered the whole body. The feileadh beag, it is
scarcely necessary to say, is the style of dress now in use.
The trews was a style of
breeches worn close to the skin, the trews and hose being of one piece,
made of tartan and cut on the cross, and were used for riding on
horseback.
There was another style
of the dress called the feildag, which was a piece of plain tartan drawn
round the body like the feileadh-beag, but not plaited.
Now is it not very
ridiculous to suppose that if the Highlanders were ingenious enough to
think of plaiting the kilt and making the tartan, that they would not
see the necessity of separating it from the plaid when occasion needed
it, without it being pointed out by an Englishman? Or is it at all
likely that a light-footed, active race like the Highlanders would go
about their daily avocations with twelve yards of tartan hanging about
them? They were known to be fond of leaping, running, throwing the stone
and the hammer, tossing the caber, shinty, and many other athletic games
which needed great activity and lightness, and how could they engage in
such exercises encumbered with both kilt and plaid? Every Highlander was
a gentleman, but still he was his own joiner, shoemaker, and farm
labourer, &c. They were particularly jealous of strangers, and adhered
strictly to the customs and manners handed down to them from their
ancestors. Burt says:—“The whole people are fond and tenacious of the
Highland clothing, as you may believe by what is here to follow : —
“Being in a wet season
upon one of my peregrinations accompanied by a Highland gentleman, who
was one of the Clan through which I was parsing, I observed the women to
be in great anger with him about something that I did not understand, at
length I asked him wherein he offended them. Upon this question he
laughed, and told me his greatcoat was the cause of their wrath, and
their reproach was that he could not be content with the garb of his
ancestors, but was degenerated into a Lowlander, and condescended to
follow their unmanly fashions.”
If such then were their
feelings towards strangers and their customs, is it at all likely that
they would take to an alteration or improvement in a dress of which they
were so proud, and that at the hands of a hated Saxon? Now, supposing
the feileadh-beag was invented by Parkinson, how did it happen that it
was known all over the Highlands at the same time? They had no “Gazette
of Fashion” in those days, to tell them that a new style of kilt was
invented at Tyndrnm. Again, if the feileadh-beag was such an improvement
on the breaoan-feile, how was the latter not discontinued, for we find
it in use for the purposes for which it was intended, down to the
proscription of the dress, though the former would have been a saving of
a considerable quantity of cloth
In the year 1729 the
Independent Companies of the Freiceadan dubh or Black Watch were raised.
The uniform of the corps consisted of a scarlet jacket and waistcoat and
belted plaid or Breacan Feile. At night the plaid served the purpose of
a blanket, and was sufficient covering for a Highlander. They were
called belted plaids from being kept tight to the body with a belt., and
were worn on guard, reviews, and on all occasions when the men were in
full dress. In the barracks and when not on duty the little kilt or
Feleadh beag was worn. This was just one year after the reputed
invention of the Feileadh beag, and still we find both garbs worn by the
same men for the different purposes for which thoy were intended, viz.,
the Breacan Feile for full dress or for going on any expedition, and the
Feileadh beag for undress or for going about their daily avocations.
Burt, who wrote about the
year 1729, gives a description of the Highland dress, and in his work
there is a plate showing the dress in the three different forms, viz.,
“Triubhais,” “Breacan Feile," and “Feile beag.” Still he makes no
mention of Parkinson’s invention, and there is not the slightest doubt,
if there were any truth in the story, but he would be only too glad of
the chance, as he had done all in his power to hold the Highlanders up
to ridicule. He mentions the kilt several times, calling it “Quelt.” He
also mentions another matter which, though there would be no further
evidence, would be sufficient in itself to settle the dispute. “I have
observed before,” he says, “that the plaid serves the ordinary people
for a cloak by day and bedding by night. By the latter it imbibes so
much perspiration that no one day can free it from the smell, and even
some of better than ordinary appearance when the plaid falls from the
shoulder or otherwise requires to be re-adjusted, while you are talking
with them, toss it over again, as some people do the knots of their
wigs, which conveys the offence in whiffs that are intolerable. Of this
they don’t seem to be sensible, for it is often done only to give
themselves airs.”
If this then was the
Breacan Feile or belted plaid, how could it be tossed over the shoulder,
seeing it was only fastened on to the shoulder from behind, and there
would not be more than a few inches in front altogether. It was nothing
more or less than the “Breacan- Guaille” or shoulder plaid, the same as
now worn, and was used with the “Feileadh bong.” It was worn by
shepherds, huntsmen, &c., on account of its being easily thrown aside,
but was seldom worn on warlike expeditions, as it cumbered the arms and
was a hindrance in the use of their weapons.
About the year 1513 there
was a battle fought in Badenoch, between the Frasers and the Macdonalds
of Clanranald. The day being very hot (3rd July), the Frasers threw off
their plaids and jackets, and fought in their shirt sleeves, from which
circumstance the battle was called Blar-na-leine, or the Field of
Shirts; and at the battle of Tippermuir, in the year 1643, and the
battle of Sherriffmuir, in the year 1715, several of the Highlanders
threw aside their plaids and jackets and fought in the same way. Some
writers would like people to understand that they fought “stark naked,”
or with no covering but their shirts. This is very ridiculous, and it is
very questionable if they would fight any better “in their shirts” than
with the Feileadh beag, unencumbered by plaid or jacket, than which they
could not possibly get a freer or lighter fighting garb. Martin thus
describes their method of fighting:—“The chief of each tribe, after the
arrows are spent, advance within shot, having first laid aside their
Upper Garments, and after one general discharge, attack. Aut mors cita,
aut victoria laeta.”
It stands to reason that
the Highlanders who stripped themselves of their plaids as related
above, were dressed in the Feileadh beag, and would necessarily require
to throw aside their plaids, as they could not wield the Claidheamh-mor
encumbered with them; whereas if they had been dressed in the Breacan
Feile or Belted Plaid there would be no occasion for them to throw
anything aside, as their shoulders would be perfectly free.
Not only was the Feileadh
beag known in the Highlands at a very remote period, but it was known in
the Lowlands as being the dress of the Highlanders, and we have abundant
proofs of this in the many songs and poems composed about the “’15,” all
of which prove that it was known in the Lowlands, which could not
possibly happen if it was only invented in 1728.
In the second verse of
the old Jacobite song, “ The White Cockade,” which refers to the “’15,”
we find the following:—
O leeze me on the philabeg,
The hairy hough and gartered lug,
But aye the thing that tak’s my e’e,
Is the White Cockade aboon the bree.
This song was composed by
a Buchan lady, on her betrothed joining the rebellion under the Earl of
Mar, in the year 1715.
In the song, “Though
Geordie Reigns in Jamie’s Stead,” which was composed about the same
time, we find the following verse :—
He wears a Broadsword by
his side,
And weel he kens to draw that,
The Target and the Highland plaid,
The shoulder belt and a’ that,
A Bonnet bound with ribbons blue,
A White Cockade and a’ that,
The tartan hose and Philabeg,
Which malt’s me blyth for a’ that.
In a song, composed on
the battle of Sheriffmuir, by the Rev. John Barclay of Muthills, who was
born in the year 1734, we find the Feileadh-beag mentioned thus :—
The Camerons fled as they
were mad,
Lifting their neighbour’s cows man,
Mackenzie and the Stewarts fled,
But Philabeg or trews man;
Had they behaved like Donald’s corps,
And killed all those came them before,
Their King had gone to France no more;
Then each whig saint would soon repent,
And straight recant his covenant,
And rent it at the news man.
Though this gentleman
lived after the date of the reputed invention of the Feileadh beag,
still he was an intelligent and educated man, and living on the confines
of the Highlands, he would be sure to hear of it, if there was any truth
in the story, and would not picture them as being in that garb if it was
invented thirteen years later.
We could still bring
forward proof after proof, but think we have quoted sufficient to put
the matter beyond the reach of a doubt; and it is astonishing that in
the face of such evidence the charge should ever have been made, and
more so, that it should be repeated by parties who ought to know better,
if they chose to make enquiry.
Keltie, in the “History
of the Highland Clans,” says—“It appears to be a well-authenticated fact
that the kilt or philabeg, as distinct from the belted plaid, is a
comparatively modern article of dress in the Highlands;” and then he
goes on to give the Parkinson theory. We may now ask, who has this
theory been acknowledged by? Was it acknowledged by a single individual
whose opinion is worth the paper it is written on? Did Skene believe it?
Did General Stewart, Logan, Robertson, Browne, or any other who was an
authority on Highland matters believe it? No, certainly not.
We will now take up the
fourth charge, viz.: That the Highland dress is vulgar and indecent. The
garb is called beggarly, grossly indecent, and absurd—with tasteless
regularity and “vulgar glare of the tartan.”
The colours of the tartan
are not more red or glaring than the peers’ robes and military uniforms,
or the Royal livery, and yet these are not considered vulgar!
One of the most
distinguished artists of his age, Mr. West, President of the Royal
Academy, differs from this opinion. He has expressed his surprise at the
blending and arranging of the colours, and considers that great art,
that is to say, much knowledge of the principles of colouring with
pleasing effect has been displayed in the composition of several of the
Clan tartans, regarding them in general as specimens of natural taste,
something analogous to the affecting but artless strains of the native
music of Scotland.
In “Eustace’s Classical
Tour,” in treating of the various costumes of the European and Asiatic
nations, he says regarding the Highland dress, “In one corner of Great
Britain, a dress is worn by which the two extremes are avoided It has
the easy folds of a drapery which takes away from it the constraint and
angular air of the ordinary habits, and is at the same time sufficiently
light and succinct to answer all the purposes of activity and ready
motion.”
We do not say that some
of the bright patterns, such as M'Pherson, M'Lean, Ross, Fraser, &c.,
are particularly well suited for every occupation in life; but there is
a remedy for this, of which our calumniators are evidently not aware.
The clans having bright tartans had also a darker set called “hunting
tartan,” which was usually worn on every-day occasions, and was formed
by the larger checks being made brown, green, or any other dark colour,
but the arrangement kept the same to show the clan. The dress pattern
was formed in the same way, by making the larger checks white; and it is
difficult to conceive of anything more gentlemanly or tastefully got up
than the Hunting M'Pherson, Fraser, or M‘Lean. The colours are arranged
to show the clan patterns, and at the same time blended so correctly as
to make them both pleasing to the eye and serviceable for wear ; and as
to the dress being indecent, we would ask what is the difference between
a Highlander exposing 6 inches of his knees and our fashionable and
aristocratic ladies exposing their arms and breasts? In regard to the
question of decency, General Stewart, in his Sketches gives an account
of a ball given by the officers of the Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment,
to which the reader may be referred.
Her Most Gracious Majesty
the Queen, in her ‘'Journal of Our Life in the Highlands,” makes mention
several times of the Highland dress. The nobles and gentlemen attending
the Court at Balmoral wore it; all the Royal servants wore it; and
Prince Albert, the Prince of "Wales, and the other Princes of the Royal
Family showed they did not think it indecent, by wearing it. Her Majesty
gives her opinion of it several times in such expressions as these :—
“The men looked so handsome in their kilts.” “M‘Donald, in his shooting
jacket and kilt, looked quite a picture; he was remarkably tall and
handsome.”
Burt says—“The stockings
rise no higher than the thick of the calf, and from the middle of the
thigh to the middle of the leg is a naked space, which, being exposed to
all weather, becomes tanned and freckled, and the joint being mostly
infected with the country distemper, the whole is very disagreeable to
the eye.” (Martin, on the other hand, says—“The plaid is tied round the
middle with a leather belt. It is plaited from the belt to the knee very
nicely.”) Burt is here, evidently, as in many other instances, drawing
on his imagination, for, as in other cases, the one part of his story
cuts up the other. In describing the breacan feile or belted plaid, he
says it is formed of a plaid two breadths wide; that is, between ½ of a
yard and one yard when folded on the double; and, the plaid being belted
at the waist, he must be an extraordinary size of a man indeed that the
lower end would only reach the middle of his thigh; and again the hose
could not be fixed on the middle of the calf, as they would not remain
up; they must necessarily be fixed on the top of the calf. The
acknowledged length of the kilt is to the middle of the knee-cap, so
that a man could go on his knees without it touching the ground. And as
to the knees being freckled or affected with distemper, we can say,
without fear of contradiction, that it is a base and malicious
exaggeration. Burt may have seen one instance of what he describes, but
to give that as a general description is false.
We are here able to speak
from experience, having been innocent of breeches until 20 years of age,
wearing the kilt in all weathers, being exposed to all manner of rough
treatment from brushwood, heather, brambles, &c., and can safely say
that we never experienced the slightest discomfort or had any distemper
that would hurt the feelings of the daintiest or most tender-hearted
cockney. We have seen farmers, shepherds, and gamekeepers who never wore
anything but the kilt, and were exposed to the very same treatment as
the Highlanders in Burt’s days, and they were equally free from anything
unpleasant.
“That the dress is
altogether a fancy dress and of modem invention” is another baseless
assertion. We have already said so much bearing on this point that we
may dispose of it in a short time. The history of our Highland regiments
shows that instead of being a fancy dress it is a most serviceable one.
and that they were able to undergo hardships and fatigues which men
dressed in the low country garb could not endure. We could give numerous
instances of this, but we just give two as being sufficient to show that
it is no mere assertion :—In the year 1757, when the Fraser Highlanders
landed in North America, it was proposed to change the uniform, as the
Highland dress was said to be unfit for the severe winters and hot
summers of that country. The officers and soldiers vehemently protested
against any change, and Colonel Fraser explained to the
Commander-in-chief the strong attachment which the men had to their
national dress, and the consequences that might follow if deprived of
it. This representation was successful. In the words of a veteran who
embarked and returned -with the regiment :—“Thanks to our generous chief
we were allowed to wear the garb of our fathers, and in the course of
six winters showed the doctors that they did not understand our
constitutions, for in the coldest winters our men Were more healthy than
those regiments who wore breeches and warm clothing.”
In no former campaign was
the superiority of the Highlanders over their companions-in-arms in
enduring privations and fatigues, more conspicious than in Holland, in
the year 1794; for whilst some of the other regiments lost more than 300
men by disease alone, the 42nd, which had 300 young recruits in its
ranks, lost only 25, including those killed in battle, from the time of
their disembarkation at Ostend, on 26th January, till their embarkation
at Bremen on the 14th of April.—(General Stewart.)
Such was the opinion the
sagacious President Forbes had of the dress, that at the time of its
proscription, in writing on the subject to Brodie of Brodie, then Lord
Lyon for Scotland, he says: —“The garb is certainly very loose, and fits
men inured to it to make very quick marches, to go through very great
fatigues, to bear out against the inclemcncy of the weather, to wade
through rivers, shelter in huts, woods, and rocks, upon occasions which
men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure. But it is
to be considered that, as the Highlands are circumstanced at present, it
is, at least it seems to me, to be an utter impossibility, without the
advantage of the dress, for the inhabitants to tend their cattle and go
through the other parts of their business, not to speak of paying their
rents to the landlords.”
The gallant veteran,
Colonel Cameron of Erracht, had an equally good opinion of the
serviceableness of the dress. When it was proposed to change the uniform
of his regiment, he argued that it was healthier, cleanlier, and more
comfortable for the men, besides being a greater saving in the long run,
and we can get good proof of this in our own day, for where can we see
such sturdy, healthy, and stalwart men as the Highland farmers and
shepherds, who make a habit of wearing the garb of their fathers. It is
a known fact that men who have worn the kilt in their youth are always
stouter and hardier than those who have worn trousers.
If a Highlander may be
allowed to be a judge of what suits best, we can just say with Kenneth
M‘Kenzie himself, the Bard :—
\Se ’feile preasach tlachd
mo ruin.
’S osan nach ruig faisg an glun,
’S cota breac nam basan dlii,
’S bonaid dhu-ghorm thogarrach.
B’annsa leam a’ f6ile cuaich
Ka casag de ’n aodach luaight’,
’S brigis nan ceannglaichean cruaidh—
Gur e ’n droch-uair a thogainn dh’i.
Tha mo run do’n eideadh las,
Cuach an fh&lidh nan dlii bhas,
Shiubhlain leis’s na sleibhtean cas,
’S rachainn brais air obair leis!
Ged a tharlainn anns a’ bheinn
Fad na seachduin’s mi leam fein
Fuachd na h-oidhch’ cha dean dhomh beud—
Tha’m breacan fhein cho caidearach.
Am feileadh air am beil mi ’n geall,
Dealg nar guaillibh suas gun f heall,
Crios ga ghlasadh las neo-theann,
’S biodh e gach am gu baganta.
’S ann leam bu taitneach e bhi ’n
Mrd ’N dm dhomh tachairt ri mo ghradh—
B’ fhearr leam seachduin dhe na dha
De ’n bhrigis ghrainnde rag-sheallach!
“That the dress is of
modem invention.” We have already proved that the tartans are very
ancient, and that the kilt in its present shape was the dress of our
ancestors for many centuries, but we now wish to point out the great age
of the dress altogether, and that it was in use as far back as being
beyond the reach of either history or tradition.
Some years ago a
sculptured stone was dug up from the ruins of the Roman Wall (which was
constructed in the year 140), reprer senting three figures dressed
exactly in the ancient garb of the Highlanders.
Herodian, who wrote about
the year 204, in speak mg of the dress of the Caledonians says, they
were only partly clothed, which would agree with the opinion of many
subsequent writers on the Highland dress.
The Sculptured Stones of
Scotland also give clear and decided evidence of the great antiquity of
the dress, and their period may be said to extend from the sixth to the
ninth century. There is one at Dupplin in Perthshire, Forres in
Morayshire, Nigg in Ross-suire, each representing figures in the
Highland dress.
There is also a
sculptured slab in the Antiquarian Museum, Edinburgh, which was found at
Dull in Perthshire, some years ago, and represents several figures in
the Highland dress. In Kil-muir, Skye, there is also a rock bearing a
natural representation of the dress. It is called “Creag an fheilidh,”
or the rock of the kilt, from its marked resemblance to a man dressed in
the kilt. This name must be coeval with the arrival of the Gael in Skye,
for being a natural representation, it could not get the name through
any event or accident.
In the Norwegian Sagas,
in reference to the expedition of King Magnus to the Western Isles, in
the year 1093, it is said that he, adopted the costumes in use in the
Western lands on his return, and likewise many of his followers; and for
this he was called Magnus Barefoot.
The seal of King
Alexander I., whose reign began in 1107, represents that monarch in the
Feileadh-beag, and also with the round Highland target. King David I.,
who began to reign in 1124, and Malcolm IV., in 1153, used a seal
identical with that used by Alexander I., and their adopting it proves
conclusively that they •wore the dress represented.
In the song composed on
the battle of Harlaw, in 1411, by M'Mhuirich, bard to the Lord of the
Isles, the Highland dress is mentioned, and also in a Scotch song made
on the same occasion.
We think therefore that
with a careful and deliberate comparison of the proofs and authorities
brought forward, it will be found that we have made good our point, and
rebutted each of the various charges brought against the dress, and that
the clan tartans are as old as the Clans themselves, and were known in
the Highlands from the remotest ages; that the kilt was the dress of the
chief as well as the clansman, and also of royalty; that the
Feileadh-beag teas mot invented by an Englishman; that it was known in
the Highlands before an Englishman was ever seen there; that the dress
is neither vulgar nor indecent, but that it is both gentlemanly and
becoming; that instead of being a fancy dress, it is a most serviceable
and comfortable one; and that its age is beyond the reach of either
history or tradition.
Oh first of Garbs, garment
of happy fate,
So long employed, of such an antique date,
Look back some thousand years till records fail,
And lose themselves in some romantic tale;
We’ll find our God-like fathers nobly scorned
To be by any other dress adorned.
—Allan Ramsay.
We may now be blamed for
making “much ado about nothing,” and creating a fuss about such a simple
matter as a dress, but surely if it was worth the while for such eminent
men as Pinkerton, Dr. M'Culloch, Capt. Burt, and many others (not to
speak of the numerous Cockney newspaper correspondents), to misrepresent
it, it is worth our trouble to vindicate it; or if it was considered
such an important matter as to be worthy of a debate in the British
Parliament, our time is not lost over it.
The subject of the
Highland dress should be an interesting one not only to Highlanders, but
to Lowlanders, when we consider what it has done for Scotland : that it
is this dress alone that has sustained the military character of
Scotland since the Union; for, while we hear of the English Navy and
Army, the English Parliament, the English Colonies, &c., Scotland is
never once mentioned. In the great naval victories of Britain we have
never heard of Scotch sailors, nor should we ever hear of the soldiers
of Scotland, were it not for those corps distinguished by their national
dress ; and were it not then for this dress, Scotland would be as low in
military as in naval fame, and as unnoticed at Waterloo and Alexandria,
as at Trafalgar and Aboukir. In the Seven Years’ War in Germany, 1200
Highlanders gave celebrity to the warlike character of Scotland, at the
same time that (on a calculation from the usual proportion) there were
at least 3000 Scotch soldiers intermixed with the English regiments
under Prince Ferdinand, but although each of these men had been as brave
as Julius Caesar, we should never have heard of Scotland. Fortunately,
however, there was no mistaking “the brave band of Highlanders,” with
their plaids and broadswords.
The assault on San
Sebastian called forth stronger proofs of bravery than almost any
enterprise of the Peninsular campaigns. On that occasion there was three
times the number of Scotch officers and soldiers than there was at
Aroyos de Molino, where the Gordon Highlanders were engaged, and where a
detachment of the French Army was surprised and dispersed. This was a
mere skirmish in comparison to the assault on San Sebastian, in which
Scotland was never mentioned; while the other affair, with men
distinguished by a particular garb, is introduced into the ballads of
the country, and the tune “Hey, Johnnie Cope” has gained additional
celebrity by being played that morning, when the pipers struck up the
advance in quick time to the attack.
Few regiments were more
purely Scotch than the “Greys,” when the invincible charges made by them
at Waterloo called forth the admiration of Bonaparte, who
exclaimed—“Qu’ils sout terribles ces chevaux gris.” He knew not of what
country they were, but when he saw the Gordon Highlanders, in their
kilts and bonnets, charge his solid columns, he at once discovered their
country, and, while they contributed so much to blast his earthly glory,
he could not suppress his admiration of “Les braves Ecossais.”—(General
Stewart).
In short, if there were
no Highland uniform, we would hear as little of the military character
of Scotland as we do of the naval exploits. There might be, as there
always are, individual instances of distinguished merit, but there would
be no national character.
And O ! loved warriors of
the minstrel land,
Yonder your bonnets nod, your tartans wave—
The rugged form may mark the mountain band,
And harsher features and a mien more grave;
But ne’er in battlefield throbbed heart so brave
As that which beats beneath the Scottish plaid.
And when the pibroch bids the battle rave,
And level for the charge your arms are laid,
Where lives the desperate foe that for such onset staid.
—Scott.
We say, therefore, that
Lowlanders as well as Highlanders should interest themselves in a dress
so much connected with the honour of their country—a dress whose checks
has so often been dyed with the blood of its devoted wearer on many a
hard fought field; and we would conclude in the words of John Campbell,
Leadaig :—
Is toigh leam a’
Gliaidhealtachd, ’s toigh leam gach gleann,
Gacli eas agus coire an duthaich nam beann;
Is toigh leam lla gillean ’nan eideadh glan iir
A’s boineid Ghlinn-Garaidh rnu’n camagan dluth.
Is toigh leam an deise o ’mullach gu ’bonn—
Am breacan, an t-osan, an sporan’s an lann ;
Cs toigh leam iad sgeadaicht’ an eideadh an tir—
Ach’s suarach an deise seach seasmhachd an cridh’. |