Why, or how, did the kilt come about?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

BEEDEE:

Aye, before even daring to post this, I'd gone over Matt's articles, and not just once! However, I never found anything speaking to the whys and hows of the adoption of the great kilt.

Sigh. Maybe I'm simply not meant to know.

EDIT: And MacMillan of Rathdown lends credence to my theory! Maybe I am meant to know (or at least to make reasonable surmise, which is not the same thing, of course). Thank you, sir, for the information.

Please remember that what I have posted is merely what I have surmised from a number of historical facts. The equivalent of an "Op-Ed" piece in your local newspaper. I believe it to be the most reasonable, or perhaps plausible, explanation for the emergence of the kilt, but I would stop short of suggesting that it is any sort of gospel truth.

In reality, as you, yourself, have stated, all we can do is make a reasonable surmise; that, and stand ready to alter our opinions in the event more research uncovers facts today not in evidence.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Gosh, how to distill half a century's worth of reading into a few books? As a writer one of the indispensable research tools on my desk is a good historical time line. So, if you are interested in any facet of Scottish history you should have a copy of Chronology of Scottish History by David Ross; Geddes & Grosset, 2002. For a general overview I'd recommend The Lion in the North by John Prebble, [my copy] Coward, McCann & Geoghagan (New York), 1971, and A Concise History of Scotland by Sir Fitzroy Maclean; [my copy] Thames and Hudson, Ltd. (London), 1970. Both of these books should still be in print, but probably with different publishers. Check with Amazon for the latest details. You might also want to get a copy of the latest catalog from James Thin, Booksellers, in Edinburgh-- but I have to warn you books on Scottish history, once you really get into it, are almost as addictive as heroin, and a far more expensive habit! Pre-1960 encyclopedias are another good source of specific information as you can (usually) look up a specific person or event, which saves tedious hours trolling through stacks of references.

If you are looking for specific resources then you'd probably be ahead asking our resident history professor, CAJUNSCOT, for his recommendations as he is light years ahead of me in this area.

Hope that helps,

Scott

[NewEnglander]

Gosh, how to distill half a century's worth of reading into a few books?

Thanks much for the suggestions. My local library has a copy of Maclean so I'll start there.

[kiltedsawyer]

I always thought the kilt came about because it looked silly with the pleats in the front.

[Bud]

A kilt did not need to be tailored. Weave a long piece of cloth, and that would be it. The necessities of life took up enough time for the highlanders, and the women did not feel inclined to be sempstresses/tailors as well as weavers.