Census poll: What is your cultural / historical connection to the kilt?

[Kilted Karl]

I have Scottish ancestry but I wanted to play the 'pipes (when I was a really wee lad) even before I knew that. That started me on the Scottish road and now I am here... in a kilt. But I think I would wear a kilt even without the direct ancestry just because I am a piper and because of the wonderful Scottish heritage we share as Americans (for those of you who are Americans).

Your Obedient Servant,

Karl

[Silent Raven]

my great great grandmother (on my father side) was born in scotland, and every one befor her going back to my 6th great grandfather was born in scotland, thats as far as i got so far in my family tree. oldest names i could find were Affleck/Christie and the Dickson/Oswald. and i plan on bringing back the heritage full force!

[Orvis]

Like many other Americans whose forebears were in this country for many years, I am somewhat of a mixed bag due to ethnic intermarriages: English (by direct descent through my male line), Scots-Irish (through my paternal grandmother), Norwegian (maternal grandmother) and German (maternal grandfather). The story in my family holds that the Scots-Irish originated in the south of Scotland (the old Eastern March on the Borders) - the surname was Riddle - and came to America with a stop in Ulster (how long is not yet known). That part of my genealogy is somewhat elusive, in spite of on-line genealogy services.


I grew up in southern Wisconsin, where there was no tradition of kilt-wearing. I grew into it gradually over the years. When Churchill died in the early 1960's, his funeral was the first live trans-Atlantic TV broadcast and I was entranced by the Highland pipers playing laments along the funeral route in London. The Black Watch played in Kennedy's funeral. When I was a U.S. Marine posted at the US Embassy in Canada, I grew to know some of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, and my then-fiancee came from Cornwall, in the old Gaeltacht of eastern Ontario. I began to read Prebble's books and that solidified my interest. When I retired from the Corps, I got in to historical reenacting (French & Indian War and American Revolution) as a redcoated Highlander, and latterly in a group portraying part of a clan regiment in the Jacobite Army of 1745. So from wearing historic Highland dress, it was only natural that I should extend that to modern kilts, of which I now have four. My kilts are of non-clan tartans, since I prefer historical setts (42nd Kilts, Leatherneck US Marines, Black Watch and Old Culloden).

[Mike_Oettle]

Mike S wrote: “The Wallaces were originally from Wales, as were the Walshes.”

Actually, in most instances the Wallaces and the Walshes of Scotland trace their ancestry to Britons who lived north of the border.
Remember that Wales and Welsh are English words meaning “foreigner” that were originally applied to any and all Brythonic-speakers, whether in Cornwall, Wales or Scotland.
On the Continent, German-speakers applied similar words to their non-Germanic neighbours, hence the Swiss canton of Valais or Wallis, and the Austrian dialect name for northern Italy, Welschland.
(Ironically the term appears to be of Celtic origin.)

And O'Searcaigh remarked that he was likely descended from Neanderthals. This is actually highly unlikely, since Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalis) appears to have become extinct when Homo sapiens entered Europe and replaced the earlier species.
Regards,
Mike

[Tobus]

And O'Searcaigh remarked that he was likely descended from Neanderthals. This is actually highly unlikely, since Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalis) appears to have become extinct when Homo sapiens entered Europe and replaced the earlier species.
Regards,
Mike

Actually, recent findings suggest that we may all be descended from Neanderthals.

[Dram]

Mike S wrote: “The Wallaces were originally from Wales, as were the Walshes.”

Actually, in most instances the Wallaces and the Walshes of Scotland trace their ancestry to Britons who lived north of the border.
Remember that Wales and Welsh are English words meaning “foreigner” that were originally applied to any and all Brythonic-speakers, whether in Cornwall, Wales or Scotland

At that time there was no border. The people "north of the border" were ancient Britons (bordered by the Gaels, and Picts). The territory of the ancient Britons extended beyond the modern border of Scotland and England. I believe what Mike S was pointing out was that the Wallaces were of Brythonic (as opposed to Goidelic or Pictish)origin...which of course many of the people of modern day Wales descend from.

[Duncanofcolorado]

Actually, recent findings suggest that we may all be descended from Neanderthals.

Very interesting article.

[Mike_Oettle]

In response to Dram, my reference to the border was merely a matter of placement. When people in what is now Scotland still spoke Brythonic, the borders that did exist were very different.
There was a kingdom of the Scots in Argyll, a kingdom of the Picts in the north, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria had not yet reached its peak – it reached well into Scotland before waning, and being replaced as the dominant state in the Anglo-Saxon commonwealth by Mercia. Before it waned, though, Northumbria made a good many northerners speak English, rather than Welsh or Pictish.
When the Scots eventually ruled the four kingdoms, they found that most of their subjects spoke English, which they initially called Inglis and acknowledged as a court language. Later they showed a patriotic streak and called it Scots (ironic, since the actual Scots were Gaels).
There was a Brythonic migration from a part of what later became Scotland to Wales – the aristocracy of one region left the country and were tasked by the Welsh with defending the northern parts of that country – but the common Britons of the north were absorbed into the Inglis/Scots-speaking population.
Incidentally, the English long referred to Cornwall as West Wales, and to (modern-day) Wales as North Wales.

The National Geographic article is most interesting. Previously it has been stated quite firmly that the Neanderthals left no descendants.
DNA research has already, in its short existence, revealed connections (and absence of connections) in the strangest places.
Early mitochondrial DNA research showed that the Polynesians were about 99% related to the aborigines of Taiwan, and had migrated to the islands by way of the Philippines. But it also showed that a tiny proportion of the population was descended from (at least one) Melanesian ancestor, possibly just one woman.
Regards,
Mike

[warrior]

I am the eighth in a direct paternal line back to Neil MacLeod, born on the Isle of Skye, who emigrated with his entire family and several other related families to South Carolina in 1775. After "clan MacDonald's insurrection" and Moore's Creek the situation in the carolinas became untenable for the loyalists and my bunch of highlanders fled west to Alabama. Once there they settled to the west of Clarkesville, which would later become Grove Hill, along with many other highland families including Calhouns, Mathews, McVays, Pughs, Robinsons, Megginsons, Creaghs and Harrisons. This area became known unoficially as little Scotland due to the number of gealic speakers, as late as the war between the states. Officially it was McLeod's Beat, a beat being a voting precinct with its own constable.
Neil is buried at the old Union Cemetery next to his son Cpt Daniel McLeod CSA who served in the Army of Tennessee as did his brother Cpl Malcolm McLeod who died from wounds recieved at Missionary Ridge. These brothers are both my ggg grandfathers as Malcom's son Ira married Daniel's daughter Viola. They would produce three sons, of which Malcom Clim would be my g grandfather and his son Ira and so on. Unfortunately, both the names Malcom and Ira die with me as I have only daughters and my brothers, to my eternal shame, care nought for their birthright.
It was not until my mother's time that a McLeod of Grove Hill married outside the beat, but even she carried the surname Gibbs. From her though I do gain my cherokee blood,which is as it should be since the cherokee are matrilineal.
So there is my claim to the tartan and kilt.

[Dram]

In response to Dram, my reference to the border was merely a matter of placement. When people in what is now Scotland still spoke Brythonic, the borders that did exist were very different.
There was a kingdom of the Scots in Argyll, a kingdom of the Picts in the north, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria had not yet reached its peak – it reached well into Scotland before waning, and being replaced as the dominant state in the Anglo-Saxon commonwealth by Mercia. Before it waned, though, Northumbria made a good many northerners speak English, rather than Welsh or Pictish.
When the Scots eventually ruled the four kingdoms, they found that most of their subjects spoke English, which they initially called Inglis and acknowledged as a court language. Later they showed a patriotic streak and called it Scots (ironic, since the actual Scots were Gaels).
There was a Brythonic migration from a part of what later became Scotland to Wales – the aristocracy of one region left the country and were tasked by the Welsh with defending the northern parts of that country – but the common Britons of the north were absorbed into the Inglis/Scots-speaking population.
Incidentally, the English long referred to Cornwall as West Wales, and to (modern-day) Wales as North Wales.

Sounds accurate to me Mike