I popped into the Edinburgh museum today and took a few photos which I thought would be interesting. There is too much to show everything but here is a sample.

This is how upper class scots dressed in the early 1700's - tartan from head to toe and note the buckled shoes


Another costume from a similar period, this time just a jacket. No jokes about "Men in tights" please but this is probably what this guy would have worn. The costume is from the Royal Company of Archers a crowd of tossers who still dress up and prance about in Scotland with bows and arrows, supposedly the monarchs bodyguard.

This is a page from a 19th century book of tartan samples and is the MacDonald of Glencoe


And while on the subject of Glencoe - here is the warrant signed by William of Orange authorising the massacre along with Stair's pistols.


In case you thought the French invented the guillotine, here is the one used in Edinburgh in Mary Queen of Scots time. It wasn't only penicillin, television, rubber tyres, tarmac etc. that the Scots invented you know. It was used to separate the murderers of Lord Darnley from their heads -


Here is an early saltire flag. It was said to have flown at the battle of Dunbar in 1650 so you can understand why it is a bit faded now.


Now the bit you've been waiting for - here is a collection of early dirks. Note the triangular blades and the distinctively "ballock" shaped hilts -


How about these for claymores. The person behind the case will give some idea of their size -

And lastly a pistol, dirk and sgian dhubh from the 1700's which were made illegal after Culloden -