The History of the Kilt
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History of the Kilts
By Joe Rayborne 2004 © all rights reserved
In the early Egyptian era, they wore what was as we call it short
kilts. Of course the weather there about 110 to 125 degrees there
and so there was a very good reason for them to wear the outfits.
However, they decided to be creative in such a way that is still
called today 'The fashion look' for their criteria. Fortunately, the
Egyptians in those days were quite very creative and had an extreme
serious reputation for their look for their standard way of fashion.
Egyptian clothing styles did not change much throughout ancient
times. Clothes were usually made of linens ranging from coarse to
fine texture. During the Old and Middle kingdoms, men usually wore a
short skirt called a kilt. Women wore a straight fitting dress held
up by straps. The wealthy men wore pleated kilts, and the older men
wore a longer kilt. When doing hard work, men wore a loin cloth, and
women wore a short skirt. Children usually ran around nude during
the summer months, while in the winter, wraps and cloaks were worn.
Noblewomen sometimes wore beaded dresses.
During the New Kingdom, noblemen would sometimes wear a long robe
over his kilt, while the women wore long pleated dresses with a
shawl. Some kings and queens wore decorative ceremonial clothing
with feathers and sequins.
Most people went barefoot, but wore sandals on special occasions.
The king wore very elaborately decorated sandals, and
sometimes-decorative gloves on his hands. Clothing styles were
chosen for comfort in the hot, dry climate of Egypt.
MEN USUALLY WORE SHORT SKIRTS
 CALLED KILTS.
WOMEN WORE A STRAIGHT FITTING DRESS HELD UP BY STRAPS. WHEN DOING
HARD WORK MEN WORE A LOIN CLOTH AND WOMEN WORE SHORT SKIRT. NOBLE
WOMEN WORE BEADED DRESSES. WEALTHY MEN WORE PLEATED KILTS AND OLDER
MEN WORE LONGER KILTS.
In those periods of years, they were creating new styles for there
clothes and of course they were pretty well advanced in those days
as well. As the century moved on, they manage to introduced it into
Roman Empire as they saw it fit.
From that time on, it grew and became such a way of life and fashion
became such a way of life to them that it was just as there own
lifestyle of clothes.
It grew in such a way that it became a way of life. The soldiers
 wore they kilted
shorts and it was the Gladiators that had the idea of popularizing
the clothes and it grew through out all Asia and north. Which of
course incorporate into Scotland as the Egyptians and Roman migrated
there along with others.
The first gladiators were part of a sacrificial rite adopted from
the Etruscans. First introduced to Rome in 264 BC, the sons of
Junius Brutus honored their father at his funeral by matching three
pairs of gladiators.
Gladiatorial combat was originally part of a religious ceremony that
was intended to insure that armed attendants would accompany the
dead to the “next world” and that the spirits of the dead would be
appeased with this offering
This roman mosaic shows triumphant and fallen gladiators; some
victorious gladiators became very famous and powerful. Many
gladiatorial battles were fights to the death. Gladiators were
generally condemned criminals, prisoners of war or slaves bought for
this purpose. Some free men entered this profession in hopes of
popularity and patronage by wealthy citizens. The free men were
often social outcasts, freed slaves or discharged soldiers.
They volunteered to be gladiators and by the end of the Republic
made up half the number of combatants. Gladiators were trained in
combat at special, imperial schools.
The gladiator games were presented for ten to twelve days each year,
and often correlated was Saturnalia (a festival celebrating the god
Saturn).
The most famous amphitheater was the Coliseum, the Flavian
Amphitheatre that was built around 80 AD. It seated 50,000 people.
The monumental size of this structure and its central location in
the city speaks directly to the importance of this building and
consequently this sport in the Roman Empire.
It is said to note that the popularity of these spectacles led to
the death of tens of thousands of animals. Entire species were no
longer found in their native habitat. In the afternoon you would see
gladiators paired; evenly matched, but not identical so there would
be no competitive advantage.
You might see retiari who were lightly armed, but must fight against
the secutores or myrmidon's who were protected by heavy armor that
reduced their mobility. Depending on the Emperor of the day you
would see dwarfs fighting women, amazons, senators, and even
emperors.
Gladiators and the arenas they occupied were dangerous and very
appealing to the roman people.
Most of these gladiatorial battles were fought to the death unless
the life of the losing gladiator was spared by the vote of the
audience.
Thumbs up meant death for the loser, while a thumbs down granted a
reprieve. Unfortunately, for the vanquished combatants, this
reprieve rarely came.
Some gladiators enjoyed a good life, and a few even reached
celebrity status.
GLADIATOR Weapons: war chain, net, trident, man catcher, nunchaku,
lassoo
Maneuvers: parry, dodge, entangle, disarm, stun blow, knockout
Armour: light ring, shoulder plates, helm
Attributes: Dexterity + Stamina
Races: Thralls, Danuvians, Kang, Imrians, Zandir
Description: This style offers proficiency in the most exotic
weaponry available to the humanoid civilization.
Gladiators train in circuses and arenas to provide spectacles, but
they also become specialists in combat that disables and captures
the opponent rather than kills him quickly. Gladiators also have at
the disposal special weapons with unique features not available to
others. Many bounty hunters, sportsmen, big-game hunters and slavers
practice this style of warfare.
Men fought other men in gladiatorial battles, but they also fought
wild animals, sometimes imported from the far corners of the Roman
Empire
In that time of era, Scotland was in fact a different name at that
time and temperature was quite very cold. So the men wrapped
themselves in what they called the ‘KILT’ that was made of wool.
Wool was in fact came from sheep’s and was stranded into threads so
that the women weaved it into 9 yards (27 ft.) of cloth. Then the
men took that and wrapped it around them, which became their outfit,
tent and blanket.
 Highland dress
and the tartan are among the most powerful, romantic and dramatic of
all the symbols of Scotland. It has been claimed that 'a man in a
kilt is a man and a half' their really is something about the
wearing of the kilt that confers extra stature on its owner. It is
absolutely no coincidence that the kilted 51st Highland Division was
rated by the Germans as the most formidable of all the formations
they came across during the First World War.
Certainly the British government had no doubts on the matter when,
after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie, they banned the use of
Highland dress and the tartan, which they clearly saw as an
incitement to further subversion. Offenders were killed or sent to
the colonies.
The form of Highland dress has always owed much to the army and it
was the Highland regiments which kept the kilt and the tartan alive
until at last, in 1782, their use was once more permitted. Before
that time, Scots were only permitted to wear any Scottish wear, if
they joined the British Armed Services.
Pipers were permitted to wear their kilt, but usually in a
Regimental color. Other service men, - most were permitted to wear
the balmorals with their clan badge on it. A high price to pay to
wearing the highland clothes, as they lay their life on the line to
do it.
Nowadays, the kilt is seen as the national dress of Scotland. In
fact, it started life as NO SUCH THING, being entirely confined to
the Highlands. The Lowlanders, who have always made up the majority
of Scots, regarded what they considered a "barbarous" form of
apparel with ‘loathing' and 'contempt' and conferred the opprobrious
term of 'redshanks' on the Highlanders, who were, they reckoned,
what we would now term 'blue' with cold.
But today anyone with the smallest claim to Scots ancestry (and not
a few without) proudly wears the kilt; even Lowland chiefs and their
followers vie with their Highland counterparts in a way, which their
forefathers would have found incomprehensible and appalling.
The kilt itself in its original form was a very basic garment that
required neither the trouble of tailoring nor the frequent
replacement that a pair of breeches needed. The tartan clothes,
which forms a piece of material some 2 yards in width, by 4 to 9
yards in length. This was known variously as the Breacan, the
Feileadh Bhreacain and the Feileadh Mor - the big kilt, usually
referred to in English as the belted plaid.
To put it on, its owner "put his leather belt on the ground and then
placed the material lengthways over it. This he then methodically
plaited it in the middle, (suitable to the size of the wearer) over
the belt until he had gathered along its length leaving as much at
each end as would cover the front of the body, overlapping each
other. Lying down on the belt, he would then fold these ends -
overlapping each other.
The plaid being thus prepared, was firmly bound round the loins with
a leathern belt, in such a manner that the lower side fell down to
the middle of the knee joint, and then while there were the folding
behind, the cloth was double before. The upper part was then
fastened on the left shoulder with a large brooch, or pin, so as to
display to the most advantage the tastefulness of the arrangement,
the two ends being sometimes suffered to hang down, but that on the
right side, which was of necessity the longest, was more usually
tucked under the belt."
The belted plaid had many advantages in the Highland climate and
terrain. It allowed freedom of movement, it was warm, the upper half
could provide a voluminous cloak against the weather, it dried out
quickly and with much less discomfort than trousers and if required
it could, by the mere undoing of the belt, provide a very adequate
overnight blanketing. The tightly woven wool proved almost
completely waterproof, something the loose woven wool of today -- is
not. When complete freedom of action was required in battle it was
easily discarded, and one famous Highland clan battle, that between
the Fraser’s the MacDonalds and Camerons in 1544, is known as
Blar-na-Leine, which can be translated as 'Field of the Shirts'.
The garment that was (originally) largely, -- that of the people;
and lesser leaders) worn a Leine Croich or saffron shirt, in fact a
knee-length garment of leather, linen or canvas, heavily pleated and
quilted, which provided a surprisingly good defense and which was
much more mobile (and less expensive) than contemporary plate Armour.
This form of dress in to be seen on West Highland tombstones right
up to the early seventeenth century, worn with a high conical helmet
and the great two-handed claymore. For ordinary wear the kilt may be
made of tartan or tweed and may be box-pleated or knife-pleated (as
are most); for dress wear it should be of the dress tartan of the
Clan. If the Clan posses one. The kilt should be worn with the lower
edges reaching not lower than the center, of the kneecap.
The ordinary or everyday jacket and vest worn with the kilt should
be made of tweed, homespun (usually wool) or lighter weight for
summer, or other suitable material preferably with horn buttons.
The sporran, or purse, may be made of leather for day wear; the head
and skin of the badger, seal, ermine or other light and dark colored
skins for evening. (The kilt having no pockets, the sporran was
evolved by necessity). Hose for daywear can be a white or oatmeal
color, for evening they should be tartan to match the kilt, fine
knit, woven or cut from the piece. Garters are usually of wool or
worsted, and knotted with a garter knot, the end or flashes handing
below the overturn. At present elastic garters with tartan flashes
attached are popular. Colors red, green or navy blue.
Instead of a tie, the lace jabot is worn over a plain white shirt,
in modern days, some wear the tie but the lace jabot is favored.
Lace cuffs are usually sewn or snapped into the jacket.
Shoes for eveningwear should be lightweight and with silver gilt
buckles. Gillies or a lightweight leather shoe with the appearance
of gillies can be worn and are well suited to dancing the Country
Dances. Shoes for daywear, any color leather that compliments the
kilt.
The "Balmorals" style bonnet is the most popular style of headwear.
And it approximates more closely to the old broad bonnet of the
Highlander. It is generally dark blue, green, and brown in color,
and may have a pom-pom (usually) of red.
The bonnet should display the crest buckle and strap in silver of
the wearer, (if he is entitled to wear one - if he is in fact, a
member of that clan). Under no circumstances should ordinary
clansmen wear the crest without the strap and buckle, which
indicates that the wearer is merely displaying the topmost part of
his chief’s crest in the strap, and buckle. Only the Chief of the
Clan is entitled to wear the full Crest.
The diced (or orange checkered) band around the base of the
balmorals
indicates loyalty to the House of Hanover, i.e. the King/Queen of
England. Highlanders generally do NOT wear the diced Balmorals, but
choose to wear the plain dark blue bonnet; many lowlanders may
choose wear the diced cap as they are intermingled with English
blood and loyalties. Some Lowlanders also will not wear the diced
cap. It is a matter of loyalties as some Lowlanders and Highlanders
are loyal to the highlands, and would not wear the diced cap, even
after all these years.
He wearing of a dirk, although not necessary, is generally carried
in the loop on the kilt, at the waist, made for the dirk. An
sgian-dubh, (or small dagger) however, is carried in the right hand
stocking on all occasions. The kilt is male attire and should NEVER
be worn by the ladies, except Highland dancer lassies.
As it happens, pre-nineteenth century portraits of the chiefs and
lairds painted in tartan are remarkably few; in general, apart from
those wearing kilted military uniforms, they preferred to have their
pictures painted in ordinary dress of the time.
The Feileadh Beg, or little kilt, is what is worn today. In essence
it consists of the lower part of the old belted pallid with the
pleats sewn in at the back and neatly tailored (knife pleated), the
ends of the kilt's two aprons being drawn across the front of the
body and secured usually by buckle and strap. This form of dress may
have existed earlier, but there is no sign of it before 1725.
It is a severe shock to many people to find that the "little kilt's
originator may well have been an Englishman, one Rawlinson, who was
employed as the manager of an iron smelting works in Lochaber who
adapted it, to allow more freedom of movement for his workers.
(Probably so they could work faster being the concerned English they
were). Be that as it may, it is this form of garment that is now
firmly taken as being the kilt.
Identification at any distance of differing clans was due largely to
the wearing of the various clan plant-badges of which, it will be
noticed, is a considerable feature by an easily visible token in the
bonnet so as to allow other clan members to know who their clan,
septs and friends were in a battle. This plant-badge was worn on the
bonnet or balmoral.
During the Jacobite uprising the white cockade (from the French
cocarde or the Old French conquered meaning "vain, or cocky"). It
was worn in the bonnet to identify supporters of Bonnie Prince
Charlie. The modern, armorially correct fashion for a clansman of
wearing (the upper portion) of his chief's crest within a buckle and
strap displaying the motto as a silver cap badge, as stated earlier,
only the Chief of the clan can wear the complete crest.
Today, tartans abound and it is an unfortunate person indeed who
will not be told by the tartan shops that he or she indeed can buy
'their' tartan. The ascribing of a vast plethora of names to
membership of various clans has long been an industry in itself -
luckily there is insufficient time or space here to enter into that
particular subject!
The convention has now been adopted that it is the chief of the clan
- assuming that there is one - who lies down who belongs to his clan
and what is its tartan.
The transformation of the attitude towards the Highlander in the
mind of the rest of the nation from the fear and disgust engendered
by the Jacobite rebellions (few people would believe that there were
more Scots in arms against Prince Charlie than for him, but such is
the case) to admiration and respect is nothing short of remarkable.
Jacobite (from new Latin Jacobus meaning: James, or Latin meaning
Jack). It was a name chosen to show support for James II.)
The bravery of the Highland regiments of the latter part of the
eighteenth century, must give them the right to claim a large part
of the credit, but the early years of the nineteenth century saw the
arrival of an extraordinary veneration and romanticizing of the
Highlander.
Of course, the most eminent enthusiast of things Highland was Queen
Victoria herself, her task at the time being summed up in that
splendid word 'Balmorality'. The Queen displayed enormous pride in
her Stewart ancestry, ignoring the fact that if that family had
triumphed a hundred years before, her own would have remained in
undistinguished obscurity.
Her reign saw the final transformation of what their detractors
could claim to be a race of savages, however noble, into figures of
glamour and romance. The process can perhaps be summed up by the
comparison between the silver encrusted and often caringorm
ornamented ceremonial dirk with its knife and fork in the sheath so
frequently illustrated in Scottish books, and the much older and
plainer example on display at Inveraray Castle.
Any doubt as to the stark purpose of the latter is dispelled by the
Gaelic inscription on its worn blade which, being translated, reads
'Give me blood for I am thirsty...'.
Around 1600, the saffron shirt went out of use and never returned.
This was probably due to the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland, the
birthplace of the saffron shirt. The plaid became the universal
dress of the Highland Scots.
The belted plaid (Breacan Feileadh), the progenitor of the kilt,
came into being around this time. The belted plaid’s earliest
documented appearance is in Irish Gaelic in The Life of Red Hugh
O’Donnell in a description of a corps of Hebrideans who had come to
The O’Donnell’s assistance in 1594: “They were recognised among the
Irish soldiers by the distinction of their arms and clothing, their
habits and language, for their exterior dress was mottled cloaks of
many colors with a fringe to their shins and calves, their belts
were over their loins outside their cloaks.” This is an important
distinction. Up to this time, the plaid or cloak was pinned or
wrapped or folded. Although belts are mentioned as girdles for both
Scots and Irish dress earlier, this is the first instance in which
the outer garment, and not just the shirt, is belted. It was
apparently so important a difference that the Irish saw fit to
mention, “Their belts were over their loins outside their cloaks.
Like twins separated at birth, the brat “grew up” differently in
Ireland and Scotland. By the 17th century, the Irish brat had become
shaped in the shoulders for easier wear. The long “hair” of the
frieze wool was pulled and curled to make a warm interior. The
Scottish version was still made out of tartan (light wool) and
therefore they continue to be wrapped in such a way, as the
thickened Irish version could not.
In the early 17th century, the belted plaid began to be worn with
fabric stockings, shoes, and blue “bonnets” similar to tam
o’shanters.
From John Taylor’s account of a visit to Braemar in 1618: “Their
habit is shoes with but one sole apiece; stockings (which they call
short hose) made of a warm stuff of divers colors which they call
tartan.
As for breeches many of them, nor their forefathers, never wore any,
but a jerkin of the same stuff that their hose is of, their garters
being bands of wreathes of hay or straw, with a plaid about their
shoulders, which is a mantle of divers colors, much finer and
lighter stuffed than their hose, with blue caps on their heads, a
handkerchief knit with two knots about their neck; and thus they are
attired.”
Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, recounts from the Highland part of
the Scottish army at the beginning of the Great Civil War in 1639:
“Their dress was as antique as the rest; a cap on their heads,
called by them a bonnet, long hanging sleeves behind, and their
doublet, breeches and stockings, of a stuff they call plaid, striped
across red and yellow, with short cloaks of the same.” It is obvious
that the word “plaid” has begun to take on its modern meaning.
William Sacheverell, Governor of the Isle of Man, in 1688 writes:
“The usual outward habit of both sexes is the plad; the women’s much
finer, the colors more lovely, and the squares larger than the men's
and put me in mind of the ancient Picts.
This serves them for a veil and covers both head and body. The men
wear theirs after another manner, especially when designed for
ornament: it is loose and flowing, like the mantles our painters
give their heroes. Their thighs are bare, with brawny muscles.
Nature has drawn all her streaks bold and masterly; what is covered
is only adapted to necessity -- a thin brogue on the foot, a short
buskin of various colors on the leg, tied above the calf with a
striped pair of garters. What should be concealed is hid with a
large shot-pouch, on each side of which hangs a pistol and a dagger.
A round target on their backs, a blew bonnet on their heads, and in
one hand a broad sword and a musquet in the other ways.”
In Martin Martin’s A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland
in 1703: “The first Habit wore by Persons of Distinction in the
Islands was the leni-croich, from the Irish word leni, which
signifies a Shirt, and croch, Saffron because their shirt was dyed
with that herb: the ordinary number of Ells [yards] used to make
this Robe was twenty-four: it was the upper Garb, reaching below the
knees, and was tied with a Belt round the middle; but the Islanders
have laid it aside about a hundred years ago.
They now generally use the Coat, Waistcoat, and Breeches, as
elsewhere; and on their heads, they wear Bonnets made of thick
Cloth, some blew, some black, and some gray.
Many of the People wear Trowis, some of them very fine Woven, like
Stockings of those made of Cloath; some are colored, and others
striped; the latter are as well chapped as the former, lying close
to the Body from the middle downwards, and tied round with a Belt
above the Haunches.
There is a square piece of Cloth that hangs down before. The measure
for shaping the Trowis is a Stick of Wood, whose length is a cubit,
and that divided into the length of a finger, and half a finger, so
that it requires more skill to make it, than the ordinary habit.
But Persons of Distinction wear the Garb in fashion in the South of
Scotland. Martin’s description goes on to describe plaids and how
they are made. He states every isle differs form each other in their
fancy of making plaids, as to the Stripes in Breadth and Colors.
This Humor is as different thro’ the main Land of the Highlands in
so far that they who have seen those Places is able, at the first
view of a Man’s Plaid, to guess the place of his residence. This may
be the precursor to “clan tartans.”
However, it has been established by many sources that the concept of
“clan tartans” emerged after the Jacobite Rising of 1745 to foster
nationalism through establishment of a national costume. It was for
this same reason that the Act of 1746 banned all forms of Highland
Dress.
This why it is very important to know about the history of the
KILTS, yet, how it is so important to understand the purpose of the
kilts. The majority of the people do not understand why the men wore
the kilts.
However, they intend to crack jokes by calling it a ‘dress’ and not
a ‘kilt’ that tends to be a lot of disrespect towards the men that
wear the kilt. Reading the a little history of the kilts helps you
clear your understanding about the kilts.
The majority of the men tend to have an ego-attitude and start
trouble by disrespecting our way of lifestyle by telling us to be a
man and wear pants. Well, my comment to that is, “It takes a man to
wear pants, but a takes a real man to wear pants”. Then they try to
get into your face about it, I just tell them, “Choose your sword
and see how far you’ll get.” Or better yet, “ why don’t you just
grow up and act like a man.”
As you have read in this story I’ve put together is the actual facts
and reality about a small amount of the history of the kilts. All in
all, every cultures has their way of fashion, style and outfit that
been around for thousand of years and many more to come.
I've researched for months and months by putting this all together
for to see and understand about the ‘kilts’ and why these men wore
them. Don’t be afraid to learn more about them, in fact, I encourage
you, better yet; I challenge you to learn more about history. Not
just the kilt alone but in fact, all types of things that has to do
with history, such as lifestyles, foods, clothes, artifacts,
architects, jewelry, battles and so forth so on.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, cause you’re never too old or
young to learn anything about life history. Do be in mind that it’s
ok to make mistakes cause we’re not perfect in any way, but in one
form or another, we tend to be a part of history some time or
another.
There are many ways to learn about history and that is by reading
books, searching the internet which most people do anyway, and by
talking to those who have been there and of course, studied it as
well. I always say “The more you learn, the more you knowledge you
have that make you wise by life experience, the longer you longer
you live and the more successful you’ll be.” Keep on learning no
matter where you are just as long as you do it right and stay on the
right paths and be cool…
Don’t worry about what other people think or say about you, only be
concern about yourself and where you are going in your life as long
it is in good clean straight path. Only you know your future, you
make your future to what it is. Oh and one other thing, It is not a
skirt! It is a B KILT! Because I am the KILT MAN! |
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