History of Great Kilt

[8isgr8]

Hello,

I'm a writer, who is running into conflicting information about the history of the kilt. Many sources say that the great kilt was not worn until well after the 14th C, while lately, I'm finding sources that place it much earlier. This morning, I found the Scottish Tartan Society saying a 'belted plaid,' whose description sounds just like a great kilt, was worn in the Highlands starting in the 10th or 11th Centuries.

What I am looking for is what the Highlanders of Robert the Bruce's time, early 14th Century, would have been wearing.

[Monkey@Arms]

No kilts for the Bruce. This should help you:

http://albanach.org/leine.html
http://albanach.org/kilt.html

Best regards,

Jake

[Woodsheal]

Tartan mantles are OK for Gaels of Bruce's day, but not the true belted plaid (referred to as "great kilts" these days). They don't show up in period descriptions until the late 1500s, so you can figure they were worn no earlier than the early part of that century....

More good info here: http://www.reconstructinghistory.com...=&g=&a=134&w=2

[8isgr8]

Thanks so much! That's a great site.

This is the site I found this morning: http://www.kinnaird.net/tartan.htm

Here is the relevant part:

It is impossible to say precisely when the tartan cloak evolved into the long garment known as the belted plaid (and which itself was the forerunner of the modern kilt), but it was probably around the tenth or eleventh centuries. This long plaid was wrapped round the body and was known in Gaelic as the feileadh mor meaning large and folded, or pleated. It was normally made up of two pieces of material...

The page says it is a quote from the Scottish Tartans Society, which seems to be defunct.

Any thoughts on this?

[Woodsheal]

There is no primary source basis for that statement re: the tenth or eleventh centuries. The term "feileadh mhor" (big wrap) is not even correct, as that was used much later (18th C.) to contrast the large plaid with the "feileadh beag" (little wrap). "Breacan feileadh" was the Gaelic name for the plaid, "breacan" basically meaning "multi-colored" in that language ("tartan" NOT being a Gaelic word, BTW)....

[Nick the DSM]

The earliest source states that its 1594(c). I hope your not using Braveheart as a source, you'll be dead wrong.

[8isgr8]

Thank you! This makes my life much easier. Nick, no I was not using Braveheart. :-)

[Woodsheal]

Another point to consider: the later divisions and distinctions, often accompanied by animosity, between highlanders and lowlanders did NOT yet exist in the 12th-13th centuries. The common folk of both regions still by-and-large shared the same Gaelic culture and lauguage at that time, and Scottish kings (including the mostly-Norman Bruce and subsequent Stewarts) spoke Gaelic....

[sirdaniel1975]

1594, a documentation by an Irish author. I believe the book was "Red Hugh O'Donnell". It's in Irish Gaelic and I think it mentions a small group of Highlanders and their attire.

Since we're on this subject, I'm going to flag an old video by the Discovery Network that used to air on "TLC" back in the early 1990's. This aired a couple of years before "Braveheart" and I think it might be one of the sources for the reasons as to why the Scot's are in some strangely worn belted plaid.

Here's the link "Ancient Warriors: Highlanders" 1 2 3

[sharpdressedscot]

Thanks for the link, man!