Military Origin of ‘True Scotsman’ Tradition

[Regimental]

Go back to to the 18th century, or look at comments about Highland Troops in France during the Waterloo Campaign. What was worn then I wonder?

There are some cartoons from that era that certainly demonstrate interest in what was under the kilts of soldiers, but nothing I’ve seen definitively indicating any truth (or otherwise) to the innuendos.

[Troglodyte]

The when and what was worn seems to have varied in the different regiments and battalions - each developing their own unofficial traditions.

During the '14-'18 war, kilted troops were issued with ladies' silk drawers, or bloomers, which were intended to act as some kind of protection against gas attacks. Personal reports by individuals are just what you might expect.

I was told as a young man, that the so-called 'regimental' (some now call it 'commando') was a matter of personal choice, but that underwear was expected when ladies were present, and when taking part in physical activities such as dancing or sports.

It must be remembered that our idea of underwear is essentially a 20th century concept, and history and traditions become confused. Highlanders of the 18th century are well-documented as sporting no underwear - but the same is true for all men at the time, kilted or otherwise.

Queen Victoria's diaries contain an entry in rather giggly, girlish terms, as she records her excitement at watching Price Albert dress and knowing that there was nothing between her and his manly charms but the silk of his breeches.

[neloon]

During the '14-'18 war, kilted troops were issued with ladies' silk drawers, or bloomers, which were intended to act as some kind of protection against gas attacks. Personal reports by individuals are just what you might expect.
It must be remembered that our idea of underwear is essentially a 20th century concept, and history and traditions become confused. Highlanders of the 18th century are well-documented as sporting no underwear - but the same is true for all men at the time, kilted or otherwise.

The ant-gas bloomers were a War Office invention in the late 1930s but , unsurprisingly(!), they were never issued. In any case the kilt on active service disappeared early in WW2.

"Highlanders of the 18th century are well-documented as sporting no underwear " Well documented where? It must be remembered that the kilt is really an OVERgarment therefore the word "underwear" really does not go with kilt wearing. Highlanders, unless they were very poor, continued to wear the short trews that they had worn before the arrival of the feileadh around 1580.

Alan

[Troglodyte]

The ant-gas bloomers were a War Office invention in the late 1930s but , unsurprisingly(!), they were never issued. In any case the kilt on active service disappeared early in WW2.

"Highlanders of the 18th century are well-documented as sporting no underwear " Well documented where? It must be remembered that the kilt is really an OVERgarment therefore the word "underwear" really does not go with kilt wearing. Highlanders, unless they were very poor, continued to wear the short trews that they had worn before the arrival of the feileadh around 1580.

Alan

Writing in 1726-27, Burt gives examples. One such is concerns a lady of position travelling with a kilted guide who led the way a little further up the slope. Professing to be terrified by the dangers of the terrain, she had to keep her eyes fixed on the guide whose kilt was constantly lifted by the up-draught of the breeze. Burt's amusement is obvious.

Other writers' accounts mention how the Highlanders are naked apart from a loose covering, or that the indecency of their clothing is plain to see.

Litterally 'they wear no underwear' will not be found, but euphamisms are used - such as 'not enough to cover their embarrassment' or not enough 'to conceal what should be hidden.'

The short, close-fitting trews are a recorded and illustrated item of ancient Irish clothing, but I have never come across them being noted in the Highlands. The earliest mention I have found refers to the Highlanders in 'hose' or the legs being covered in tight, striped or parti-coloured cloth. The contemporary sources seem to note the differences, rather than the similarities, between Irish and Highland dress, as if the Irish mode is better known.

My source (a Seaforth) for the silk bloomers as gas-defences in the trenches is no longer living (so I can no longer verify), but thier use may well have been unofficial. As most of the issued kit did less than the men knew they needed, improvisation ran wild - perhaps the 30s idea was based on past experience, but was abandoned as impractical, and better materials had become available anyway.

Whether written military standing orders governing the wear of undergarments with the kilt exist or not, I have been unable to verify with accuracy. But the same is true today. I have heard of guard duty being performed with ladies' tights being worn under the uniform, as they are said to provide better insulation against the cold, but I am willing to bet there is noting written to this effect.

One of my sources said they were 'always' covered when 'South of the Border' - no doubt the womenfolk of England found it impossible to contain their curiosity and could not be trusted..! Nothing new there, then...

[neloon]

I think most people find accounts by English tourists like Burt to be very dubious attempts to confirm the savagery of the Highlands.

Bishop Leslie, a very reputable source writing in 1578, tells us that Highlanders wore "foemoralia simplicissima, pudori quam frigori aut pompae aptiora" = "very simple shorts, for decency rather than against the cold or for ostentation". At about the same time, Lucas de Heere painted what seems to be a very accurate picture of a "Savage Scotsman" - possibly a mercenary in one of the many European wars.
https://www.englandcast.com/wp-conte...sman.jpeg.jpeg
Shortly afterwards, the feileadh was removed from the shoulders and belted around the waist. There is no reason to suppose that the shorts/trews were abandoned.

Alan

[Ninehostages]

I'm a Navy Veteran. The only practical garment for us were "trews"

Sorry.

[kilted redleg]

I think now a days what is worn under the kilt is a matter of personal choice due in part to the influx of women into the military. For example before the pandemic hit Megan Beveridge was the P/M of the Royal Artillery pipe band; she became the first woman in the history of the British army to earn a P/M certificate from the Army School of Piping and Highland Drumming. She also has the distinction of being the lone piper at the Edinburgh Tattoo. There is also a female captain [probably a major now] in the Black Watch, I don't think either of these ladies ask for "proof" when the men fall out kilted. Several years ago a young kilted solider passed out from the heat at I believe a birthday celebration for her majesty the Queen, a gust of wind blew revealing the iconic military boxer shorts. So much for tradition!

[Troglodyte]

I think most people find accounts by English tourists like Burt to be very dubious attempts to confirm the savagery of the Highlands.

Bishop Leslie, a very reputable source writing in 1578, tells us that Highlanders wore "foemoralia simplicissima, pudori quam frigori aut pompae aptiora" = "very simple shorts, for decency rather than against the cold or for ostentation". At about the same time, Lucas de Heere painted what seems to be a very accurate picture of a "Savage Scotsman" - possibly a mercenary in one of the many European wars.
https://www.englandcast.com/wp-conte...sman.jpeg.jpeg
Shortly afterwards, the feileadh was removed from the shoulders and belted around the waist. There is no reason to suppose that the shorts/trews were abandoned.

Alan

I agree.

Visitors to other lands tend to report of the differences, rather than the similarities they find. What the European cosmographers or envoys record from the 15th century onwards seem to tally even if the terminology varies.

Burt is actually surprisingly objective in his observations (his work compares well with 20th century travel-writing), and the Highlanders come in for no more criticism than Lowlanders of the English he mentions. Much of what he observes shows the English 'society' in an unflattering light, but his disapproval clearly finds cause in the Highland gentry. Clan chiefs, he quickly recognises, are the principal obstacle to improvement in the Highlanders' lot. He finds them base, but not savages, and goes to some pains to point this out to his English reader.

One of the fuller descriptions given by Burt is often quoted, and notes that it '...makes an agreeable Figure.' The cruicial final sentence is usually ommited - 'But this you have seen in London, and is chiefly their mode of dress when they are in the Lowlands.'

Another of his descriptions details the 'common habit' of the plaid, belted as we know it, which '...is far from acceptable to the eye.' He calls this 'the Quelt' and says 'In this way of wearing the plaid, they have sometimes nothing else to cover them... in a windy Day, going up a Hill, or stooping, the Indecency of it is plainly discovered.'

Another reference is of being met by host host on the approach to the house. Burt records '...he was without Shoes, Stockings, or Breeches, in a short Coat and with a Shirt not much longer, which hung between his Thighs, and just hid his nakedness...'

Had the short trews been worn, I am certain Burt would have mentioned it, being a crucial detail.

French illustrations and accounts of the Highlanders making up the occupying forces after Waterloo, show their reputation for being 'regimental' was regularly put to the test.

[blackwatch70]

By the way Arnish moor body didn't have any breeches and underwear (or it was destroyed by the peat).
According to Martin Martin (1716), men in the Hebrides at this period generally wore coat, waistcoat and breeches, as elsewhere. McClintock ("Old Irish and Highland Dress") quotes a letter of 1786 from John Pinkerton's Literary Correspondence which gives an account of the gathering of Highlanders to join the Pretender in 1715: this mentions that some were dressed in nothing more than a long coat, having no shirt or breeches. McClintock ("Old Irish and Highland Dress") also quotes a letter from the Edinburgh Magazine, March 1785, which describes Highland dress earlier in the century. It records that those who did not
wear a plaid, or who could not afford breeches, 'wore short coats, waistcoats, and shirts of as
great a length as they could afford; and such parts as were not covered by these remained naked
to the tying of garters on their hose'.