Belting the Plaid: How'd They Do It??

[JRB]

Without any period written descriptions of how the plaid was put on, we can only guess, make deductions from period images, and experiment...

That's why I love experimental archaeology. Reenactors may sometimes get things wrong, but a lot of information has been gleened from going out and doing.

[BoldHighlander]

Without any period written descriptions of how the plaid was put on, we can only guess, make deductions from period images, and experiment.

But, in over 35 years of being involved in "living history," many are the examples I've seen of dubious "reenactorisms" assuming the role of historic facts and practices....

That's why I love experimental archaeology. Reenactors may sometimes get things wrong, but a lot of information has been gleened from going out and doing.

I would agree with both of your assessments, which is why (as "living historians") we must be careful in putting out there what little we know as "experimental archaeology" as "historical fact". Having been involved in living history for nearly 17 years, I have seen many of my contemporaries state "facts" as if they knew more than those who actually lived the times.

[BoldHighlander]

This print is part of the Boyd Album, a collection of prints and documents collected together by the Boyd Family and now in the collection of Dean castle.



...note the disheveled appearance of his great kilt.