Highland DRESS use during Proscription

[figheadair]

As a land surveyor those were some of my first thoughts as well. Wondering if the kilted gents were part of the survey party, or landowners.

Given that they Highlanders are shown wearing a feileadh beag, coat and little plaid I'd have thought they were more likely to have been landowners (gentry) rather than workers. We know that the Act was applied with different degrees of enforcement in different areas of the Highlands and that some gentry seem to have ignored the Act when It suited them. Many of these gentry were Haneovarian supporters, Norman MacLeod, 22nd chief for example, which this drawing may also reflect. Ultimately we are left to guess but it's clear that the Act was not the all encompassing ban that many assume.